from METO exam 1 to exam 4

the Coriolis force is always to the _ in the NH

object right

winds are usually named for?

the direction or place from which they are blowing

most of the world deserts are found around?

30 N & S

Mountain winds usually form as air moves from _____ to _____.

mountains; valleys

what describe a western boundary current?

warm water

the area where air mass originate is

source region

lake effect snows are with _ air mass?

cP (cold and dry)

the air masses that have the greatest influence on weather condition in the midwestern US is _?

cP and mT

meteorologist convert all surface pressure measurements to the equivalent sea level air pressure in order to?

remove effects of elevation

the maximum sea level pressure range observed in the atmosphere is between about?

870 - 1085 mb

most of the US is situated in the _ wind belt

prevailing westerlies

an eastern boundary current is found in the _ and is _

ocean ; cold

air that is sinking will produce _ pressure at the surface

high

air that is rising will produce _ pressure at the surface

low

the boundary between air masses is called?

a front

as a cold front passes, temperature will _

drop sharply

dry lines often separate which two air masses?

cP and cT

water can be found in only one state of matter at a given time and location

false

what combination has the highest total water vapor in the air

20c

if the air temperature remain constant, evaporating water into the air will _ the dewpoint temperature and _ the relative humidity.

increase

during the process of adiabatic cooling, temperature decrease because the air _

expand to a larger volume

what conditions persist in San Francisco (west coast) that are conductive to fog formation?

warm humid air moving over cold land

what primary controls the maximum amount of water present as a gas is?

temperature of the air

adiabatic processes are only important for air _

which is moving vertically

the part of the total atmospheric pressure due to the presence of water vapor is called?

vapor pressure

the bergeron process describes how precipitation forms from the formation of?

ice particles

arid areas such as the one found to the east of the cascade mountain range in washington are example of _

rain shadow deserts

clouds that have the "nimbus" descriptor are clouds that _

produce precipitation

if the ELR is 8c/ 1000m, this would correspond to _ in the atmosphere

conditional instability

steam fogs typically form over

warm water

which of the following can form the largest size particles?

hail

During a clear, relatively calm day, the relative humidity will tend to ________ from early afternoon to midnight

increase

one aspect of the _ theory depend on the fact that different sized cloud droplets fall at different speeds.

collision- coalescence

an inversion represent an extremely stable atmosphere because a parcel of air that rises into an inversion will eventually become _ and _ dense than the air surrounding it.

colder ; more

Precipitation that evaporates before reaching the ground is called

virga

which one is rising air parcel?

DALR (dry adiabatic lapse rate)

the ratio to the right defines the humidity measures known as?

relative humidity

water vapor makes up about _ of the atmosphere by volume

0-4%

why are high altitude clouds so thin?

very little water vapor is present

when a substance goes from a gas directly to a solid is?

deposition

why do clouds represent a source of heat for the atmosphere?

cloud formation releases latent heat to the air

a west wind has air move from _ to _

west ; east

summertime wildfires in southern California are fanned by?

santa ana winds

hadley cells applies to?

0- 30 latitude

monsoons are caused by?

seasonal shift in wind direction

the pressure gradient force is directed from _ to pressure

high ; low

global wind belts are considered to be _ winds.

macroscale

The _____ air mass provided much of the moisture for precipitation in the central and eastern U.S.

mT

which source region for mT air masses has the most impact on north america weather, particularly in the US.

mT air masses from gulf of mexico

what factors influence the magnitude of the Coriolis force

both wind speed and latitude

the coriolis effect occurs because of the earth _

rotation

the geostrophic wind describes a situation where the air moves

parallel to isobars

a northwest wind blows towards the _

southeast

cause of atmospheric pressure is

weight of the air above

converging air aloft will produce _ pressure at the surface

high

diverging air aloft will produce _ pressure at the surface.

low

microbursts are the results of

strong downdrafts

precipitation is usually ahead of warm front on the surface

true

precipitation associated with a warm front is typically

light to moderate

slope of a cold front is steeper than a warm front

true

airmass thunderstorms are typically very violent and capable of producing strong tornadoes

false

LFC stands for

lifting of free convection

the most intense tornadoes are those

that form in association with supercells.

air-mass thunderstorms frequently occur

at the gulf of mexico when mT air moves northward

what is the preference time for air- mass thunderstorms

midafternoon

because local differences in surface heating aid the growth of air-mass thunderstorms, they generally occur as

scattered, isolated cells

tornado formation in severe thunderstorms is the development of a

mesocyclone

Hurricanes do not develop within about 5° of the equator because

the Coriolis force is too weak in that region

what is necessary for hurricane formation?

warm surface ocean temperatures

what are streamlines?

lines drawn parallel to the wind direction used to depict surface airflow

What is Deposition?

vapor directly to a solid.

What is dew point temperature

the temperature to which air needs to be cooled to reach saturation.

adiabatic temperature changes

a shift in air parcel temperature caused by changes in pressure, rather than by adding or removing heat

What is a entrainment

the surrounding air infiltrates a rising or descending column of air

What is lifting condensation level

The altitude at which a parcel reaches saturation

and cloud formation begins

What is environment lapse rate

The rate temperature decreases with height

Where are the coldest atmospheric temperatures found

At the mesopause

Why does temperature increase in the stratosphere

Ozone absorbs UV radiation

Where does almost all weather occur?

In the troposphere

shortest wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum is

gamma rays

every 1km increase in altitude in the troposphere the air temperature

drop by 6.5c

most abundant gas in the atmosphere by percentage

nitrogen

what is the og source of earth atmosphere

volcanoes

average height of the troposphere is

12km

which layer in the atmosphere is defined by an increase temperature by increasing height

stratosphere

which type of radiation carries the most energy

Gamma rays

the earth axis is tilted at

23.5 degrees

which point is the farthest from the sun

aphelion

what is the average kinetic energy of a substance

temperature

the earth atmosphere is divided into 4 layers based on how _ changes with height

temperature

the measure of the reflectivity of a surface is

albedo

is the amount of energy is lost by the earth to space each year is not equal to that is received, what would happen

average temperature would change

water vapor represent _ of the fraction of the air near the earth surface

less then 4%

of incoming solar radiation, approximately 30% is

reflected or scattered back to space

How does convection work in the atmosphere

Warm air rises and cool air sinks

what kind of wavelengths have more energy

Shorter wavelengths

How much solar radiation is absorbed by clouds and gases

About 20%

What type of radiation does Earth emit

Longwave infrared radiation

Why does Earth emit longwave radiation

Because Earth is cooler than the Sun

What is the greenhouse effect

Atmospheric gases trapping Earth's heat