Weather & Climate
This term refers to the atmospheric conditions of a specific place at a specific time.
What is weather?
This fundamental force, exerted by a column of air on the surface below, varies across Earth's surface and drives wind formation.
What is air pressure?
The movement of air from areas of high pressure to low pressure.
What is wind?
This type of front forms when a cold air mass moves under a warm air mass, bringing thunderstorms and a drop in temperature.
What is a cold front?
Due to the Coriolis effect, an ocean current in the Northern Hemisphere will curve in this direction.
What is right or clockwise?
A hurricane, typhoon, or tropical cyclone begins as this type of system, characterized by thunderstorms and rotating winds below 62 km/h.
What is a tropical depression?
This term refers to the long-term average conditions of a region.
What is climate?
This term describes how much sunlight a surface reflects, affecting climate and temperature.
What is albedo?
These major wind systems are created by the movement of hot and cold air within the atmosphere.
What are global wind belts?
This type of front occurs when a warm air mass gradually rises over a colder air mass, bringing steady rain or snow.
What is a warm front?
If Earth did not rotate, global wind and ocean currents would primarily move in this direction.
What is straight from high to low pressure or north to south?
The strongest tropical cyclones, with sustained winds over 241 km/h, are known by this classification in the Northwest Pacific.
What is a typhoon?
These large-scale movements of warm and cold ocean water help regulate global climate by distributing thermal energy across latitudes.
What are ocean currents?
Wind patterns and precipitation are affected by the interactions between these three Earth systems, along with the Sun.
What are the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere?
These blow from northeast to southwest in the Northern Hemisphere between the equator and 30° N.
What are trade winds?
When a front stalls and neither air mass advances, it is classified as this type of front, often resulting in prolonged precipitation.
What is a stationary front?
The Coriolis effect contributes to the circular movement of these massive oceanic current systems.
What are gyres?
This central feature of a tropical cyclone, characterized by sinking air and calm conditions, is surrounded by the most intense winds.
What is the eye?
Due to this property, water requires much more thermal energy than sand to change its temperature, stabilizing coastal climates.
What is specific heat?
This atmospheric effect, caused by gases like carbon dioxide and methane, helps keep Earth warm.
What is the greenhouse effect?
These are responsible for moving weather systems across much of North America from west to east.
What are westerlies?
A maritime polar air mass forms over the North Atlantic or North Pacific and is characterized by these two properties.
What are cold and humid?
The deflection of wind and water due to Earth’s rotation is known as this.
What is the Coriolis effect?
A major hurricane weakens after making landfall because it loses access to this critical energy source.
What is warm, moist air from the ocean?
The unequal distribution of the Sun's energy across Earth's surface is primarily due to this.
What is Earth's curvature?
This process, responsible for most thermal energy transfer in the atmosphere, occurs when warm, less dense air rises and cooler, denser air sinks.
What is convection?
These high-altitude, fast-moving air currents influence global weather patterns.
What are jet streams?
This type of front forms when a cold front overtakes a warm front, forcing warm air to rise above two layers of cooler air.
What is an occluded front?
The rotation of tropical cyclones is affected by the Coriolis effect, causing hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere to spin this way.
What is counterclockwise?
This meteorological phenomenon, defined as a rapid change in wind speed and direction at different altitudes, can weaken a developing hurricane.
What is wind shear?