Weather and Climate
Winds blow from ______ to ______ areas of pressure.
high to low
In which layer does weather occur?
Troposphere
An air mass is uniform in temperature, humidity and ________.
Pressure
What are the four types of fronts?
cold, warm, stationary, occluded
What is severe weather?
Weather that is harmful to humans and can cause property damage.
What is humidity?
the amount of water vapor in the air
Which layer is the hottest layer?
Thermosphere
A high pressure system brings what type of weather?
Happy weather- sunny, clear skies
Describe a warm front.
Fast moving warm air that moves over slow moving cold air masses. Brings in light rain or snow, and some scattered clouds.
How do thunderstorms form?
When warm, humid air rises into cold air.
What is equilibrium?
a state of balance
Which layer is the coldest?
Mesosphere
A low pressure system brings what type of weather?
Lousy- cloudy, rainy, foggy
Describe a cold front.
Cool air mass that quickly pushes slower moving warm air masses. Brings heavy rains, thunderstorms, snow and cloudy skies
How do tornadoes form?
When warm humid air collides with cold air. The warm air rises through the cold air creating an updraft. The updraft with rotate if the winds are blowing in different directions.
What is the air pressure like on Mount Everest compared to the air pressure at Myrtle Beach?
The air pressure on Mount Everest is much lower, than it would be at Myrtle Beach.
Which layer contains the Ozone layer?
Stratosphere
What is the difference between tropical and polar air masses?
Tropical- warm
Polar- cold
Describe a stationary front.
Where cold and warm air masses meet. They do not move. Brings in rain, fog, snow and clouds that may last for days.
How do hurricanes form?
When warm, humid air rises over water. Rising air is replaced by cooler air below. This cycle continues and creates thunderstorm clouds. The Coriolis Effect allows these clouds to grow and rotate.
Explain the difference between weather and climate.
Weather- specific event happening in the atmosphere over a short period of time
Climate- general atmospheric conditions in a region over a long period of time
What is the outermost layer?
Exosphere
What is the distance between maritime and continental air masses?
Maritime- over oceans and seas, more humid air
Continental- over land, more dry air
Describe an occluded front.
When a warm air mass is stuck between two cold air masses. The two cold air masses push the warm air up. Brings cloudy, rainy, or snowy weather.
What things do we need for severe weather to occur?
Low pressure, warm air rising rapidly, strong winds, moisture