Atmosphere
Air Masses
Wind
Clouds
Extreme Weather
100

What makes a gas particle (air) move faster?

Higher temperatures

100

What does P stand for, when describing air masses?

Polar - cold air

100

Does hot air have higher or lower pressure than cold air?

Low pressure (particles are more spread out)

100
How is a cloud formed?

Hot, moist air rises - then condenses at cooler temperatures

100

In a weather station model, how do you know the wind direction and speed?

BONUS (+100): How do we know the how much cloud cover there is?

The tail is pointing in the direction of the wind, the flags on the tail tell how fast it is (1 tail = 10 mph, .5 tail = 5 mph)

BONUS (+100): The shaded circle - the more shaded = the more cloud cover

200

Why is it more difficult to breathe at higher altitudes?


BONUS (+100)

What causes this?

The air is less dense


BONUS (+100)

Gravity pulls gas particles closer to Earth

200

What does T stand for when describing air masses?

Tropical - warm air

200

How is wind created?

Higher pressure air moves into areas of low pressure (is sucked in, or pushed in)

200

What is a cloud called that holds rain?

Nimbus - (cumulonimbus, nimostratus, etc)

200

What is the difference between weather and climate?

Weather - our day to day atmospheric conditions

Climate - our average conditions, based on location

300

What type of air holds more moisture, hot or cold air?

HOT - it is more spread out, so more water vapor particles can fit

300

What does c stand for, when describing air masses?

Continental - forms over land, holding dry air

300

Wind occurs, similar to convection currents, why is this?

Hot air rises, cold air sinks - when hot air reaches the top it cools, creating a cycle

300

What kind of clouds are formed from a cold front moving into a warm front?

BONUS (+100)

Why is this?

Cumulus cloud varieties

BONUS (+100)

Cold air quickly pushes warm air up and out of the way

300

After watching "The Day After Tomorrow" we learned about the effects of global warming. What is one cause of global warming (in real life)

BONUS (+100): What triggered the events in the movie?

Pollution, burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, etc.


BONUS (+100): melting of polar ice caps, causing an imbalance of salt water - affecting the North Atlantic Current

400

What is the layer of the atmosphere where clouds occur?

Troposhpere

400

What does m stand for, when describing air masses?

Maritime - wet air that forms over water
400

What factor decides if winds are strong?

The difference in high and low pressure: 

Larger differences in pressure = Higher wind speeds

400

What types of clouds are formed by a warm front running into a cold front?

BONUS (+100)

Why is this?

Stratus and cirrus clouds

BONUS (+100)

Warm air slowly rises and cools over cold air

400

What causes a tornado?

Hot and cold air "chasing" each other - there must be a large difference in pressure systems that are mixing.

500

What is the layer of the atmosphere where airplanes fly (above the clouds)

Stratosphere
500
What is an air mass?

A mass of air with similar properties that forms over a specific region

500

The bands of currents that occur in sections along our latitudes of Earth do not rotate in a straight direction (resulting in easterly and westerly winds). What effect describes that this is due to the spinning of the Earth.

The Coriolis Effect

500
Cold and hot air chase each other around to form a cycle of warm and cold fronts. This type of weather system is called...

Mid-latitude cyclone

500

How can a city prepare for an extreme event?

Have backup plans, roadways, personnel, and supplies, etc.