Air masses
What happens when two air masses meet?
A front forms, precipitation forms, and storms form.
What is a rain shadow?
A piece of land on one side of a mountain range that has been forced to turn into a desert. The "shadow" is on the opposite side of the mountain range from an approaching air mass.
What kind of weather forecasts are the most accurate?
Those that occur closes to the present time.
Compare a climatologist and a meteorologist.
Both use weather data. A climatologist studies average weather over a period of time. A meteorologist studies short-term weather up to only a few weeks.
What is tropical rainy climate?
Equatorial regions, wet, rainy - savannas, monsoon areas, rainforests.
What is a stationary front?
Two masses of air where the weather and temperature of both are virtually the same.
Why are tornados so destructive?
They have high wind speeds and updrafts.
What are Nor'easters?
Cyclonic storms that pick up moisture from the Atlantic and drop it as snow.
How do scientists use tree rings to study climate?
They measure tree rings to infer changes in temperature and precipitation.
What is a dry climate?
Areas with little or no rain - deserts and prairies
What is a cold front?
Two air masses - an existing air mass rises to make space for the incoming air mass.
What is an air mass?
A large body of air in the troposphere that has relatively uniform humidity and temperature.
What is a hurricane?
A huge cyclonic storm that forms over tropical or subtropical water. It loses power once it reaches cold water or land.
What is climate?
The average weather conditions in an area over a period of many years.
What is a temperate marine climate?
cool summers, mild winters, precipitation and near the coasts
What is a warm front?
An advance warm air mass, the leading edge of a low-pressure system.
What is typically created when air masses interact?
precipitation
How can volcanic eruptions impact weather?
Major eruptions and dust storms can lower the earth's average temperature for a year or more.
What is weather?
The current or short-term weather conditions in an area.
What is a temperate continental climate?
less influenced by the ocean, more seasonal changes, large changes in temperature and precipitation related to the seasons
What do air masses need in order to mix?
They only mix if they are the same temperature and humidity.
What is highland climate?
small areas, high elevation, extreme weather changes day to night - mountain microclimate
Can you read a simple climate graph?
You will be given a graph with weather data points and have to answer questions about it.
How are the seasons different in the northern and southern hemispheres?
The seasons are opposite. When it is winter in the southern hemisphere, it is summer in the northern hemisphere.
What is polar climate?
cold summers, cold most of the year - tundra and ice caps