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78 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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3 Phases of matter
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Gas, Liquid, Solid
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Gas
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- total disorder
- much empty space - particles have complete freedom of motion |
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Liquid
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- disorder
- particles are free to move relative of each other - particles are close together |
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Solid
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- ordered arrangement
- in fixed positions - close together |
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what direction do extratropical cyclones in the U.S generally move in?
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West to east
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what are extratropical cyclones?
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a well defined low pressure center at surface
- where air masses come together - primary weather producer in this region |
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How many fronts are usually coming together in an extropical cyclone?
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four fronts
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what is a comma cloud?
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convergent, counterclockwise flow in a mature extratropical cyclone
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Maritime
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over water
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Continental
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over land
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list from warmest to coldest
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tropical
polar arctic |
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Dew point temp
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how we measure relative humidity
- temp the air must be cooled down to to reach saturation |
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what equals each other in dew point?
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condensation=evaporation
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Saturation
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when left undisturbed, temp remains constant, eventually there will be an equal amount of molecules entering and leaving the surface
Condensation= evaporation |
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which moisture variable is most closely representative of the actual amount of water vapor in the air?
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dew point temp
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convergence of the winds near the surface is associated with cloud production because?
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it forces the air to rise
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convergence
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causes air to rise. accumulation of air in a region
low pressure with rising air, rising air cools |
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low pressure is with?
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rising air
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Adiabatic Processing
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temp change without adding or removing heat
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what does air do when it is lifted?
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cools adiabtically because reduction in air pressure allows air to expand and cool
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what does air do when it sinks?
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warms adiabatically because the air pressure causes the air to compress (warms)
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Deposition
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also known as sublimation. a process that occurs in a subfreezing air when water vapor changes directly to ice without becoming a liquid first
- water in gas moving faster than water in ice |
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example of deposition?
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frost forming on windshield
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At night what typically happens to relative humidity?
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it will increase
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relative humidity
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percent of water vapor in the air compared to what would be present if the air were saturated
- tells us how close air is to saturation |
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relative humidity is the highest when?
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temps are the lowest (at night)
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saturation
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when left undisturbed, temp remains constant. condensation=evaporation
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the lapse of the atmosphere measured by a radiosonde is called the?
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Environmental lapse rate
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environmental lapse rate
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the rate of temp change of the surrounding air
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what do radiosondes measure?
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measure temp, dew point, wind and pressure
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what is the MALR number approx
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3.5F/1000F
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what is the MALR?
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the rate of the decrease of temp with height along the moist adiabatic rate of temp change.
cools down to dew point and condensation occurs |
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DALR
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rate temps changes if temp is greater then dew point
usually expands and cools |
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number for DALR
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5.5F/1000ft
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warming phase changes
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condensation, freezing, deposition
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cooling phase changes
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melting, evaporation, sublimation
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Condensation
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- warm
- gas faster than liquid |
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Freezing
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- warm
- liquid faster than ice |
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Deposition
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- warm
- gas faster than ice |
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Evaporation
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- cooling
- liquid water to gas |
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Latent heat
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the energy required for a transition between phases
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Melting
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- cooling
- liquid faster than ice |
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sublimation
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- cooling
- gas faster than ice |
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How can you identify surface fronts?
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sharp temp change, pressure change, shift in wind direction, sharp change in dew point
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air mass
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large body of air with generally uniform temp and humidity
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what is an air mass classified by?
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moisture and temp. and advancing air mass
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as a dry line advances what type of air mass can be lifted?
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a warm and moist airmass
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as a cold front advances what airmass can be lifted?
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mT
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as a warm front advances what airmass will be lifted?
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warm and moist
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Cold front
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blue triangles
- transition zone where an advancing cold air is replacing warm air mass - noticeable temp difference |
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ahead of a cold front (temp, dew point, direction)
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warm, high dew point, S/SW
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Behind a cold front (temp, dew point, direction)
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warm, low dew point, W/NW
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Warm front
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red circles
- warm air mass is replacing cold |
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Occluded front
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red circles, blue triangles
- the boundary that separates three air masses |
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what three air masses does the occluded form separate?
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- warm, cool and cold
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Stationary front
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occurs when warm and cold air stops moving or is barely moving
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before stationary front (temp)
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warm
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behind stationary front (temp)
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cold
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Behind dry line (direction)
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W/SW
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in front of dry line (direction)
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S/SE
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The jet stream is caused by what type of gradients?
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temperature gradients
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what type of gradients do jet streams produce?
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pressure gradients
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what is a jet stream?
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fast moving current of air in the upper atmosphere
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what is a jet stream caused by?
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unequal solar heating and the Earth's rotation
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As an air parcel rises it?
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expands
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Air parcel
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used to conceptualize vertically moving air
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if air parcel is warmer the surrounding air will
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rise
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if air parcel is colder than the surrounding air will
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sink
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unstable air
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parcel continues to rise with an upward push
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stable air
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vertical motion is inhibited
air will only rise if it is force |
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what does a stable air cloud look like?
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flat and widespread
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relative humidty depends on the amount of water vapor present in the air and the?
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temperature
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what path does an extratropical cyclone form along?
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along the path of jet stream
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the closer the temp and the dew point are the?
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higher the relative humidity
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can the dew point temp be higher than the air temp in a cloud?
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no
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what do formation of clouds release?
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latent heat
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when does saturation occur?
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when condensation=evaporation
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why does sweating work?
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when energy is released (from skin) it warms it. latent heat is consumed and the heat comes from the release of energy. this heat comes from your skin
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