Physical Science Module 7

Front 1

What are the three main factors affecting weather?

Back 1

1. Thermal energy 2. Uneven distribution of thermal energy 3. Water vapor in the atmosphere

Front 2

What are the four basic types of clouds?

Back 2

cumulus, stratus, cirrus, and lenticular

Front 3

What does the prefix "alto" signify?

Back 3

It signifies that a cloud is at a higher altitude than where it is normally found.

Front 4

What does the suffix/prefix "nimbus" signify?

Back 4

"Nimbus" signifies that a cloud is dark.

Front 5

Describe cumulus clouds

Back 5

They look like piles of cotton.

Front 6

Describe cumulonimbus clouds.

Back 6

They are "thunderclouds." They are usually dark on the bottom and lighter on top.

Front 7

Describe cirrus clouds

Back 7

They are wispy clouds made of ice crystals that are located near the top of the troposphere. The winds there spread them out, making them look feathery.

Front 8

Describe status clouds

Back 8

Stratus clouds are usually low in the sky and form when a mass of warm air is lifted slowly upward.

Front 9

What are nimbostratus clouds noted for?

Back 9

Because stratus clouds are formed from warm air, they can hold a lot of moisture, forming dark nimbostratus clouds that are noted for precipitation.

Front 10

Describe lenticular clouds.

Back 10

Lenticular clouds are found in mountainous areas where there are low pressure areas which create adiabatic cooling, causing water vapor to condense, forming a cloud. They are usually "lens-shaped."

Front 11

insolation

Back 11

light that comes to earth (incoming solar radiation)

Front 12

Name the two factors which affect the amount of insolation the earth receives

Back 12

1. Earth's distance from the sun 2. The earth's axial tilt

Front 13

What shape is earth's orbit, and is it more circular or oval?

Back 13

Earth's orbit is elliptical, but is more circular than oval.

Front 14

aphelion

Back 14

The point in earth's orbit where it is furthest from the sun. At the aphelion, the earth receives 3% less insolation than average.

Front 15

perihelion

Back 15

The point in earth's orbit where it is closest to the sun. At the perihelion, the earth receives 3% more insolation than average.

Front 16

Is it winter when the earth is at its aphelion?

Back 16

No, it is not. Actually it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere when the earth is at its aphelion. The earth's axial tilt is more responsible for the seasons than the distance from the sun.

Front 17

What is the prime meridian?

Back 17

The longitude line which runs through Greenwich, England and by which all other longitudes are measured.

Front 18

What is the Coriolis effect?

Back 18

The way in which the rotation of the earth bends the path of winds, sea currents, and objects that fly through different latitudes.

Front 19

air mass

Back 19

A large body of air with relatively uniform pressure, temperature, and humidity

Front 20

weather front

Back 20

A boundary between two air masses

Front 21

Explain winter and summer solstice

Back 21

Summer solstice is the point in the earth's orbit where the Northern Hemisphere starts pointing directly at the sun. Winter solstice is the point in the earth's orbit where the Southern Hemisphere starts pointing directly at the sun (Northern Hemisphere points away.)

Front 22

Explain spring and autumnal equinox.

Back 22

They are the halfway points between summer and winter solstices, when the earth's axial tilt it neither toward nor away from the sun. Both hemispheres have 12 hour days and 12 hour nights on these dates. (March 20/21 and September 22/23)

Front 23

Since the Southern Hemisphere has summer during earth's perihelion, are its summers hotter than the Northern Hemisphere's summers, which occur at aphelion?

Back 23

No. Although logic would seem to say yes, the large amount of land in the Northern Hemisphere as opposed to the Southern Hemisphere causes the Northern Hemisphere to heat up more quickly, causing the North's summers to be even hotter than the South's.

Front 24

Lines of longitude

Back 24

Imaginary lines that run north and south across the earth

Front 25

Lines of latitude

Back 25

Imaginary lines that run east and west across the earth.

Front 26

equator

Back 26

The imaginary line that runs directly between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of the earth. Latitude is measured in reference to the equator.

Front 27

Why is there such a temperature difference between the two poles and the equator?

Back 27

The sun always shines more directly on the equator than on the poles, regardless of the earth's tilt, making it warmer at the equator.

Front 28

low pressure area

Back 28

An area of low pressure caused by hot air rising, leaving behind a void of air at ground level.

Front 29

High pressure area

Back 29

An area of high pressure caused by cold air sinking, creating a buildup of air.

Front 30

wind

Back 30

Movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure.

Front 31

What direction does wind blow at the surface of the earth?

Back 31

At the surface, it blows from cold areas to warm areas (high to low)

Front 32

What direction does wind blow at higher elevations?

Back 32

It blows from warm areas (buildup of warm air that has risen) toward cold areas (where cold air has sunk, leaving a void of air behind.)

Front 33

How does air blow over the whole earth?

Back 33

At the surface, it blows from the north (where cold air has sunk, creating a high) toward the equator, where warm air has risen, leaving behind a low. In the upper atmosphere, the winds blow from the equators to the poles.

Front 34

Name three other factors that complicate wind direction.

Back 34

Changing air temperature, the Coriolis effect, and local winds.

Front 35

How does changing air temperature affect winds?

Back 35

See discussion on pg 167-168. In short three air loops are set up between a pole and the equator due to the fact that air temperature changes as it travels between the pole and the equator.

Front 36

What is moving at a faster rate of speed as far as the earth's spin is concerned, the equator or the area near the North Pole?

Back 36

The equator is.

Front 37

What way will an object fired from the equator toward the North Pole move?

Back 37

It will move north, but it will also bend to the east as it is moving faster around than the earth under it as it moves to the north.

Front 38

What way will an object fired from the North Pole toward the equator move?

Back 38

It will move south, but it will also bend to the west as it is rotating more slowly than the earth under it as it moves to the south.

Front 39

How do local winds arise?

Back 39

Local winds often arise as the result of temperature differences between local geographic features, such as lakes/oceans and land.

Front 40

What warms up faster, land or water?

Back 40

Land does. This results in sea and land breezes. During the day at the shore, a sea breeze blows from the sea toward the land since the land is warmer than the ocean. At night, the land cools off faster, resulting in a reversal of the wind direction and a land breeze blowing from land out toward the ocean.

Front 41

Name the four types of weather fronts.

Back 41

Cold, warm, stationary, and occluded.

Front 42

What happens when a cold front enters a region of warmer air?

Back 42

The cold front wedges in under the warm air. As the warm air rises, the moisture in it condenses into clouds, often thunderclouds. After the storm passes, the weather usually cools off and clears.

Front 43

What happens when a warm front enters a region of cooler air?

Back 43

The warm front rises over the cold area, compressing the cold air and pushing it forward. Because the warm air still rises, clouds usually form, often with rain, but it is less violent and longer lasting than when a cold front moves into a warm air mass.

Front 44

What is a stationary front?

Back 44

It is when two air masses collide but neither moves substantially. Winds in this case will move up and down the front rather than against it. Eventually one air mass will predominate.

Front 45

What is an occluded front?

Back 45

It is when two air masses collide that are moving in the same direction. This usually happens when a warm air mass is pushing into a cold air mass ahead of it, but a second cold front moves in behind the warm front and lifts it up over the original cold front. This usually starts out looking like a warm front moving in, with slow steady rain, but then worsens to a typical cold front, with thunderstorms.