Lesson 11: Weather, Climate, and the Ocean Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering air masses, atmospheric pressure, global winds, storm evolution, and the water cycle from Lesson 11.

Meteorology

The study of the atmosphere

Based on the molecules that make up earths atmosphere, how does moisture air affect the density of the air? How would it affect the air pressure?

moisture air is lighter than dry air. This happens because water vapor molecules weigh less than the natural oxygen they replace

Weather

Day-to-The conditions of the atmosphere in a specific place

What role does the ocean play in storm development?

The ocean acts like a giant engine for storms. Warm ocean water evaporates, sending huge amounts of heat and moisture into the sky.

Climate

The average weather pattern of a specific place over a very long time

Global winds affect movement of storms. Why do most Atlantic hurricanes travel from east to west then move north? Why do most storms in the continental US travel from east to west

They start moving east to west because they are pushed by Tradewinds. They later turned north when they hit The prevailing westerlies

Air pressure

The weight of the air molecules pushing down on everything around them

Equilibrium

When everything is perfectly balanced with nothing moving around

How are air masses formed? What naming system is used to label air masses?

An air mass formed when a huge bubbled air sits over one area for a long time. They are labeled with two letter letters. The first lowercase tell us if it is wet or dry. The second letter tells if it is hot or cold. Ex: mT and cP

Wind

Movement of air rushing from a high-pressure spot to empty low pressure spot

Air mass

A large body of air with a uniform temperature and humidity level

Polar air

A cold air mass that forms over high-latitude polar source regions.

Arctic air

An extremely cold and dry air mass that originates over northern Arctic regions.

Tropical air

A warm air mass that originates in low-latitude tropical regions near the equator.

Maritime air

A moist, humid air mass that develops over large bodies of water or oceans.

Continental air

A dry air mass that develops over large land masses.

Front

A closed loop of circulating air driven by convection where warm air rises and cool air sinks

Convection cell

P The pattern of circulating fluid or gasper warm less dense, material rises upward, and cool denser material sinks to replace it

Coriolis Effect

The apparent curving of wind and ocean currents caused by earth rotation

Prevailing winds

The dominant wind patterns that below consistently from one specific direction over a particular region of the Earth

Jet stream

A fast moving narrow band of strong wind, high up in the atmosphere that flows from east to west

Dynamic soaring

A flight technique used to harvest energy from the wind by repeatedly crossing between air masses, moving at different speeds

Biogeochemical cycle

The pathway by which chemical elements move through both living things and non-living environment like rocks and air

Evaporation

The process where liquid water turns into water vapor

Transpiration

The process where plants release water vapor into the atmosphere through microscopic pores in their leaves

Condensation

The process where water vapor turns back into liquid water

Precipitation

any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches the Earth surface

Hurricane

A massive rotate in tropical storm system that formed over warm ocean waters

Typhoon

A severe tropical cyclone occurring in the western Pacific Ocean, structurally identical to a hurricane.

Cyclone

A large scale system of winds that rotate inward around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure

Storm surge

The abnormal rise of water level along the coast caused by the atmosphere forces of a major storm like a hurricane or cyclone

Pressure systems

regions of the atmosphere where the air pressure is noticeably higher or lower than the surrounding air