Wind
What is the movement of air caused by differences in air pressure called?
wind
A warm air mass is less dense than a cool air mass
True or False?
True
What is it called when two air masses meet and density differences usually keep them from mixing because a cool air mass is denser than a warm air mass?
What is the condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a certain time and place called?
Weather
What is it called when plants take in water from the soil and release water vapor through their leaves into the atmosphere?
What are large-scale wind patterns caused by uneven heating of Earth and the Coriolis Effect called?
Global Wind Systems
A dry and cold air mass would be...
contenital polar
Name the four fronts we have discussed in class.
Cold front, warm front, occluded front, & stationary front.
What happens during a low pressure system?
Lousy weather where air is moving in a counterclockwise direction in the northern hemisphere, sucking up the warm air, brings bad weather
What is the side facing the wind or the direction from which the wind is coming called?
Windward
Define the Coriolis Effect.
The curving of the path of a moving object from an otherwise straight path due to Earth's rotation.
Air masses get their temperature and humidity from
The land or water over which it forms
What do Stationary Fronts cause?
Stationary fronts cause many days of unchanging, usually clear, weather.
What are the five factors that describe weather?
Temperature
Air Pressure
Wind
Humidity
Precipitation
Visibility
What type of front brings drizzly rain followed by clear weather?
warm front
The Coriolis Effect is the curving of the path of a moving object in Earth's atmosphere that is caused by Earth's rotation. How does the Coriolis Effect affect winds globally?
It causes the wind to move in a curved path.
How do we characterize an air mass that forms over land?
Dry
What are the differences between a cold front and a warm front? (how they move)
In a cold front, cold air moves under warm air but in a warm front, warm air moves over cold air.
What two things is the hydrologic cycle driven by?
Energy from the Sun (evaporation) and Gravity (precipitation, runoff)
What is the rain shadow effect?
When mountains block rain, creating dry areas on one side.
What causes differences in air pressure around the Earth?
Warm air rises at the equator and cold air sinks at the poles.
A wet, cold air mass would be -
Maritime Polar
What front occurs when a cold front overtakes a warm front, lifting warm air off the ground?
A plane trip from New York to L.A. will take about six hours going from East to West but only five hours if you are traveling in the other direction. This is because of a strong, westerly wind caused by the spinning of the earth called the:
Jet Streams
Cold, dry air affecting the northern United States in winter often comes from
Continental polar air masses