Define it!
The point at which the earth is farthest from the sun.
Aphelion
The weather changes from day to day, but the climate does not.
True (Climate is what you generally expect from a region, but weather is what actually happens from day to day.)
List the four main types of clouds.
Cirrus, Cumulus, Stratus, Lenticular
The length of days in the N. Hemisphere between June 21 and Sept. 22 is more OR less than 12 hours.
More than 12 hours
(In the N. Hemisphere, June 21 is the summer solstice – when it is pointed toward the sun & has the longest days.)
These differences cause wind.
Temperature differences
This term is an abbreviation for incoming solar radiation.
Insolation
The point at which the earth is closest to the sun.
Perihelion
The main factors that affect the earth’s weather are thermal energy and the uneven distribution of thermal energy.
False (There is a 3rd main factor – water vapor in the atmosphere.)
These clouds are at the top of the troposphere and are made of ice crystals. They have a wispy, feathery appearance.
Cirrus clouds
In the S. Hemisphere, day lengths are less than 12 hours but are increasing between:
June 21 & Sept. 22 OR Sept. 23 & Dec. 21.
June 21 & Sept. 22 (In the S. Hemisphere, Sept. 22 is exactly 12 hours long.)
Wind patterns bend in different regions of the globe because of this.
The Coriolis effect
This is a mix between two types of clouds that are high in the sky, made of ice crystals, yet fluffier than cirrus.
Cirrocumulus
Imaginary lines that run north and south across the earth.
Lines of Longitude
A lenticular cloud found higher than normal is an altolenticular cloud.
True
These clouds are in flat layers, relatively close to the ground.
Stratus clouds
Day length in the N. Hemisphere between the summer solstice (June 21) and September 22 is:
Increasing OR Decreasing.
Decreasing
This is why there is not a constant stream of wind blowing from the poles to the equator.
Because air temperature changes as it changes latitude (east-west motion, not north-south as from poles to equator).
This is a type of cumulus cloud, often referred to as a thunder cloud, typically dark at the bottom and whiter at the top. It is caused by unusually large, upward moving wind currents.
Cumulonimbus
Imaginary lines that run east and west across the earth.
Lines of Latitude
Humidity is high in a continental polar air mass.
False
(Since it is continental, humidity is low.)
These clouds are fluffy and look like piles of cotton in the sky.
Cumulus clouds
Day length in the S. Hemisphere between June 21 and Sept. 22 is: Increasing OR
Decreasing.
Increasing
You should aim a missile from Alaska in this direction to hit a target at the equator, south of you, if you ignore the effects of wind and air resistance.
Southeast (The ground in AK rotates slower than at the equator, so the missile’s path will bend west relative to the ground.)
This is a stratus cloud found higher than normal.
Altostratus
The way in which the rotation of the earth bends the path of winds, sea currents, and objects that fly through different latitudes.
Coriolis Effect
A continental polar air mass is cold.
True
(Since it is polar, the air mass is cold. )
These clouds are generally found in mountainous regions in pockets of low pressure. They are usually lens-shaped, or oval.
Lenticular clouds
The N. Hemisphere’s summer is during: Aphelion OR Perihelion.
Aphelion (This is when the N. Hemisphere is pointed at, but is farthest from, the sun.)
This is why it is not possible to have altocirrus clouds.
Cirrus clouds are at the highest altitudes, and “alto” means higher than usual.
This is a cumulus cloud found higher than normal.
Altocumulus
A large body of air with relatively uniform pressure, temperature, and humidity.
Air Mass
The humidity in a maritime tropical air mass is high.
True
(Since it is maritime, the humidity is high.)
Dark clouds tell us this might happen.
Precipitation
This type of weather front causes clouds to slowly build over a couple of days before a gentle, long rain begins. It then continues for about 20 hours.
Warm front (If it were a stationary front, the rain would last several days.)
High elevations cool faster at night than low elevations. Local wind caused by this will blow: from the mountain to the valley OR 2. from the valley to the mountain
From the mountain to the valley (Along the earth’s surface, winds blow from cold to warm.)
This is a mix between two types of clouds. It appears lower in the sky, with the layer appearance of stratus clouds, but it is also fluffy.
Stratocumulus
A boundary between two air masses.
Weather Front
A maritime tropical air mass is cold.
False
(Since it is tropical, the air mass is warm.)
Because there can be a lot of water in warm air, low, flat stratus clouds can easily turn into this type of dark, rain-producing cloud.
Nimbostratus (stratonimbus is also correct)
Over a few days you see cirrus clouds form, followed by stratus and nimbostratus clouds. In just a few hours, though, you see evidence of this type of front when dark cumulonimbus “thunder” clouds form.
Occluded front (The cloud progression described is caused by this type of front)
In less than a day, dark cumulonimbus clouds form and unleash a thunderstorm that lasts just a few hours. When the sky clears, you expect: Cooler OR Warmer temperatures than before the clouds first formed.
Cooler temperatures (The cloud pattern and resulting rain indicate a cold front.)
This is a mix between two types of clouds. It appears high in the sky, and is made of ice crystals which are not blown apart by the wind. It appears fluffier than regular cirrus clouds.
Cirrocumulus