13 - Meteorology 3

Air masses are defined by

their source regions

A continental air mass is best described as

dry

What is the order of the air masses typical of North America from south to north?

Maritime Tropical, Maritime Polar, Maritime Arctic and then Continental Arctic.

The air mass that is not prevalent during the summer in Canada is the

Continental Arctic

The air mass that is responsible for bringing Canada cool, moist and damp weather is the

Maritime Polar

The air mass that is responsible for bringing hot and humid weather to Canada is the

Maritime Tropical

The air mass that brings clear and pleasant weather to the prairies is the

Maritime Arctic

Moist air comes off the pacific and then looses moisture as the air mass moves over the Rockies bring dry air into the prairies.

An air mass that forms over a warm sea and then moves over a cold surface tends to

stabilize

Not a characteristic of a stable air mass is

good visibility

An air mass acquires its properties

from the stagnation of air for a long time period over large areas of the earth.

The order of clouds expected during a cold frontal passage are

CU, TCU and then CB.

Which are characteristic weather pattern just before a cold front passes over?

• Short periods of precipitation.

• Dew point is high and remains steady.

• Pressure is falling steadily.

Anticipating a cold front to pass by you monitor the pressure and notice a sharp rise. This indicates that

the cold front is passing over.

The dew point as a cold front passes over experiences

a sharp drop.

In expectation of a warm front you notice altostratus clouds which will be followed by

nimbostratus and then stratus clouds.

During which stage of a warm front passage would most of the precipitation occur?

Before the frontal passage

The earliest indications of a warm front approaching is

cirrus clouds.

While flying through a winter warm front you encounter first snow then ice pellets. Expected next would be

freezing rain and then rain

Which is a stationary front?

A

Which is an occluded front?

C

What happens during the formation of a trowal?

A cold air mass advances on a warm air mass forcing it up.

Upper fronts form when

advancing cold air meets even colder air.

After a downpour yesterday the visibility today has improved and it is colder with isolated rain showers and with sunny spells. Being described is

he weather behind the cold front.

During a cross-country flight at FL050, nimbostratus, altostratus, cirrostratus and then cirrus clouds are observed. The flight is most likely to encounter

decreasing temperatures.

Marked A is the triple point, where all the front lines meet, which is moving

Generally speaking the fronts revolve around the low, along the lines of the isobars.

North east

The movement of air relating to a trough is

Trough and occlusion describe the same thing.
Converging - as the two fronts / three air masses meet
Ascending - two air masses are being pushed up and the air rises

The correct answer is: converging and ascending.

Which frontal or occlusion system is the fastest moving?

Cold front

An active low pressure system approaches, the altimeter in an aircraft on the ground during a 10 minute period will

The aircraft would register a higher altitude due to the lower atmospheric pressure even though the true altitude has not changed.

The correct answer is: increase.

An occlusion takes place when

a cold front catches up with a warm front.

The relative movement of the two air masses along a cold front is

cold air pushing under a warm air mass.

Shortly after the passage of an active cold front you observe the aneroid altimeter of a parked aircraft. The indication of the instrument will

The altimeter will measure an increase of pressure, colder more dense air mass, which means that the altimeter will show a lower altitude.

The correct answer is: decrease.

Steady precipitation, in contrast to showers, preceding a front is an indication of

stratiform clouds with little or no turbulence.

What type of precipitation is expected at an active unstable cold front?

Showers associated with thunderstorms

In connection with the passage of a front

a. the pressure will increase before it passes.

b. the pressure will decrease before it passes.

c. after frontal passage the wind will veer to the left.

d. answers (b) and (c).

the pressure will decrease before it passes.