Atmospheric & Oceanic Circulation
What causes atmospheric and oceanic circulation to occur?
Unequal heating of Earth
What is wind?
The movement of air from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure
What determines the type of precipitation that falls from the sky?
Temperature
What is humidity?
The amount of water vapor in the air
Describe the image that shows an obstructed view in a weather model.
Large X through the middle circle
Where on Earth is the most amount of energy received?
At the equator
What type of air rises?
Warm air
What temperature does it have to be below in order for snow to fall?
0 degrees C or 32 degrees F
What cycle is important to humidity and precipitation?
The water cycle
What type of suymbol shows precipitation?
A dot or period
What type of air cells are created due to the unequal heating of Earth?
Convection cells
What type of air sinks?
Cool air
What is precipitation?
Any form of water that falls to the Earth
What is condensation?
The process where water vapor changes back into water (must happen in order for clouds to form)
How is wind direction shown on a station model?
By the direction of the feature coming out of the circle
What creates a sea breeze?
The difference in temperature and pressure between land and sea
High pressure brings what kind of weather?
What is sleet?
ice pellets that form from rain that freezes as it falls to Earth
Why does humidity matter?
One of the following:
- large role in the Water Cycle
- makes it feel hotter outside
- fuels large storms
How is fog shown on a station model?
Two horizontal parallel lines or equal sign
What two things do global wind belts influence?
Climate and Weather
Low pressure brings what kind of weather?
What is hail?
irregular pellets or balls of ice that fall from the sky
What is dew point?
The temperature at which water vapor can condense and form dew
When the air pressure if above 500 what do you do to calculate the air pressure for the model?
You put a 9 in front of the first number and place a decimal between the last two numbers.