Show:
Atmosphere
Air Masses
Predicting the Weather
Extreme Weather
Climate Change
100
The percentages and two main gases in the atmosphere.
What are 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen?
100
The "effect" caused by Earth's rotation that deflects air (and water) to the right in the N. Hemisphere and to the left in the S. Hemisphere.
What is the Coriolis Effect?
100
They can be warm, cold, occluded or stationary.
What are fronts?
100
A mound of water driven toward coastal areas by hurricane winds.
What is storm surge?
100
When Earth's orbit elongates (over about 100,000 years)and passes closer to the sun, the climate changes and becomes____________
What is warmer? NOTE: We are at an estimated 0.0167 where "0" is a perfect circle and "1" is the maximum oval shape of our orbit. In other words, the current position of the Earth's orbit should result in cooler temperatures, but instead the average temperature of the planet is on the rise.
200
When water vapor cools and changes into liquid cloud droplets.
What is condensation?
200
This wind system is responsible for weather patterns that impact Missouri.
What is the Prevailing Westerlies?
200
The appearance of the sky in a region experiencing a low pressure system with high relative humidity.
What is cloudy?
200
The phenomenon in which the effects of cold air are worsened by the strength of the wind.
What is wind chill factor?
200
An event that can lower Earth's temperatures due to the ejection of dust and ash which blocks solar radiation.
What is a volcanic eruption?
300
Particles in the atmosphere around which water vapor will condense.
What is condensation nuclei?
300
The reason winds at the Horse latitudes (30* N and S) are generally weak.
What is sinking air?
300
A collection of measurements and atmospheric phenomena used to forecast the weather for a specific region and time.
What is a station model or weather station data?
300
A measurement of humidity and temperature used to determine conditions that pose a threat to human health.
What is the heat index?
300
Burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), livestock and crop production, landfills, industrial processes, deforestation etc.
What are human activities that are causing climate change?
400
The temperature to which air must be cooled at constant pressure to reach saturation.
What is Dew Point?
400
This amount of water vapor being held in an air mass at a specific temperature.
What is relative humidity?
400
Heat stored in water vapor which is released during the process of condensation.
What is latent heat?
400
Extreme weather occurrence associated with supercell thunderstorms and intense updrafts/downdrafts. They usually happen at a time when the temperature difference between polar and tropical air masses are at the greatest.
What is a tornado?
400
A cycle of high and low sunspot activity that appears to correspond to warm and cold periods on Earth. This occurs over a timespan of about 11 years.
What is the Maunder minimum? NOTE: We have been in the "low" part of the cycle, and sunspot activity continues to decrease. However, the Earth's temperature continues to rise. If sunspot activity where to blame for climate change, we would be getting cooler not warmer.
500
The process of cloud formation associated with an air mass being lifted when it encounters a mountain.
What is orographic lifting?
500
The reason polar and tropical regions maintain a fairly constant average temperature.
What is the continual motion of air and water?
500
The three conditions required for hurricane formation.
What are warm ocean water (80*+), latent heat release, low pressure disturbance?
500
The correct order in hurricane development (4 stages).
What is tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm, hurricane?
500
Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone.
What are the primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere? NOTE: nitrogen, oxygen, and argon are not greenhouse gases because they are unaffected by solar radiation. Water vapor has the strongest effect on trapping solar radiation (35-75%) but an atmospheric lifetime of 9 days. Carbon dioxide effect (10-25%) lifetime 100+ years Methane effect (5-10%) lifetime 12-15 years