Meteorology 101
The scientific field that studies atmospheric phenomena
What is Meteorology?
A large volume of air with the same characteristics (humidity and temperature) as its source region.
What is an Air Mass?
The effect that causes fluids and objects to move in an apparent curved path due to Earth's rotation.
What is the Coriolis effect?
The front that forms when cold, dense air displaces less-dense warm air and forces it up along a steep slope.
What is a Cold Front?
A weather system used to detect specific locations of precipitation.
What is a weather radar system?
The short-term variations in atmospheric conditions.
What is Weather?
The source regions for continental polar (cP) air masses.
What are the Interiors of Canada and Alaska?
The weak belt of surface winds that forms near 30°N and 30°S due to sinking air.
What are the Horse latitudes (or Trade Winds)?
The front that forms a gradual boundary slope as advancing warm air displaces cold air.
What is a Warm Front?
The instrument used specifically to measure wind speed.
What is an Anemometer?
The long-term average of variations in weather.
What is Climate?
This maritime air mass forms over tropical water and brings hot, humid weather to the eastern U.S. in the summer.
What is Maritime Tropical (mT)?
This steady wind system moves weather across the U.S. and Canada, located between 30°N and 60°N.
What are the Polar easterlies?
The front that occurs when two air masses meet, neither advances, and the boundary between them stalls.
What is a Stationary Front?
The instrument used for gathering upper-atmospheric data (temperature, pressure, and humidity).
What is a Radiosonde?
The Greek root word of meteorology, meaning "high in the air."
What is meteoros?
This air mass, characterized as hot and dry, forms over the southwestern United States and Mexico.
What is Continental Tropical (cT)?
This low-pressure area near the equator where trade winds meet forces air upward, creating the world's rain forests.
What are the Prevailing westerlies?
This narrow band of fast wind separates air masses, formed by a large temperature gradient and the Coriolis effect.
What is a Jet Stream?
This type of forecast is created by applying physical principles and mathematics to atmospheric variables.
What is a Digital Forecast?
This is constantly moving around the world to redistribute thermal energy.
What is air (or thermal energy)?
The phenomenon produced when a cold, continental polar air mass moves over the warmer Great Lakes.
What is Lake-effect snow?
This low-pressure area near the equator where trade winds meet forces air upward, creating the world's rain forests.
What is the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)?
The system (in addition to the Coriolis effect) that helps to equalize the thermal energy on Earth.
What are global wind systems?
This type of forecast is based on comparing current weather patterns to similar weather patterns from the past.
What is an Analog Forecast?