Vocabulary
What is the measure of energy in the molecules of a substance?
Temperature
Which type of heat transfer comes from the sun?
Radiation
What conditions are necessary to form sleet, snow, and freezing rain?
Sleet starts in warm clouds as liquid rain, but passes through freezing air and freezes before it hits the ground. Snow starts in cold clouds as ice particles, not liquid precipitation, and stays frozen all the way to the ground. Freezing rain also starts as liquid but passes through air that is almost freezing. It does not freeze until it touches a surface and loses just enough energy to freeze on contact.
True or False, A cold front can produce the most violent weather. If False Why?
True
Where is a place in which scientists are experimenting on weather control?
Geneva, Switzerland
What is conduction?
The transfer of heat through direct contact
What causes the earth to have seasons?
The seasons are caused by the tilt of the earth. The tilt creates different intensities of radiation or light energy from the sun, which causes different seasons
Precipitation that starts as rain and freezes before it hits the ground is called:
Sleet
What is a stepped leader?
The beginning of a lightning bolt
Which instrument can measure temperature, pressure, and humidity?
Radiosonde
What is the transfer of heat caused by the circulation of currents?
Convection
What type of weather is related to low-pressure systems?
Cloudy skies, storms, rain showers, and blizzards are related to low-pressure systems.
Name the cloud that is in the low-level altitude and produces light but continuous rain?
Nimbostratus
Which type of air mass is warm and dry?
Continental tropical
True or False. Wind is formed by the movement of air from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area If False Why
True
What is Radiation?
The transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves
Why do meteorologists measure wind speed?
Meteorologists measure wind speeds to predict changing weather patterns
Two locations have a relative humidity of 25%. The first location is 36°C and the second location is 15°C. Which location probably has more humidity? Why?
The first location at 36°C probably has more humidity because warmer air can hold more moisture, so 25% of a greater amount is more moisture than 25% of a smaller amount.
A hurricane gets its energy from....
Warm Energy
Explain how cloud seeding works.
Clouds are seeded with crystals of dry ice, or frozen carbon dioxide, to provide particles for rain droplet formation. The tiny crystals attract water molecules, which eventually grow large enough to form rain or snow.
What is a line that connects points of equal atmospheric pressure?
Isobar
What type of wind pattern starts with a high-pressure area, travels toward the equator, warms as it travels, and changes direction at about 60° latitude?
Polar easterlies
Explain how cloud to ground lightning is formed.
Water droplets or ice crystals move around inside the cloud. As they hit each other, electrons are knocked off and charges begin to accumulate. The positive charges collect near the top of the cloud and the negative charges collect near the bottom. The negative charges attract positive charges on the ground. A stepped leader reaches down from the cloud and a return stroke reaches up from the ground. The pressure becomes great and the charges are released as lightning
What conditions are necessary for a snowstorm to become a blizzard?
The snowstorm must have wind speeds at 56 kph for at least 3 hours and visibility reduced to 0.4 km or less.
What is a Shelterbelt?
A barrier of trees or shrubs designed to protect crops from wind damage