Visualizing Physical Geography Chapter 6

Front 1

How is an air mass characterized?

Back 1

Each air mass is characterized by its surface temperature, environmental lapse rate, and surface-specific humidity.

Front 2

How do air masses acquire their characteristics?

Back 2

Air masses pick up their characteristics in source regions, where the air moves slowly or stagnates.

Front 3

How are air masses classified?

Back 3

Air masses are classified by their latitude and by their source regions. Their latitudinal position is important because it determines the surface temperature and the environmental temperature lapse rate of the air mass. The nature of the underlying surface- continent or ocean- usually determines the moisture content.

Front 4

What weather patterns accompany traveling cyclones?

Back 4

Traveling cyclones often come with some sort of disturbance and/or precipitation ranging from light precipitation to a tornado.

Front 5

What weather patterns accompany traveling anticyclones?

Back 5

Traveling anticyclones are often accompanied by fair weather.

Front 6

How does a wave cyclone develop?

Back 6

Wave cyclones develop when cold, dry polar air comes in contact with warm, humid subtropical air. After contact, a wave motion begins. The cold air is turned southerly and the warm air is turned northerly, creating a warm and cold front. Eventually the wave along the fronts deepened and intensifies. Then the faster moving cold front overtakes the warm front, lifting the warm, moist air mass at the center completely off the ground, creating an occluded front. Eventually the two fronts reestablish but a pool of warm moist air remains aloft. As it's moisture content reduces, precipitation dies out and the clouds gradually dissolve.

Front 7

What are the characteristic features of a tropical cyclone?

Back 7

Tropical cyclones develop over warm ocean water. They have a central eye, in which skies are calm. Tropical cyclones always form over oceans.

Front 8

What weather effects can tropical cyclones cause?

Back 8

Hurricanes

Front 9

Air mass

Back 9

Extensive body of air in which temperature and moisture characteristics are fairly uniform over a large area.

Front 10

Front

Back 10

Surface of contact between two unlike air masses.

Front 11

Cold front

Back 11

Moving weather front along which a cold air mass moves underneath a warm air mass, lifting the warm air mass.

Front 12

Warm front

Back 12

Moving weather front along which a warm air mass slides over a cold air mass, producing stratiform clouds and precipitation

Front 13

occluded front

Back 13

Weather front along which a moving cold front overtakes a warm front, forcing the warm air mass aloft.

Front 14

cyclonic storm

Back 14

Intense weather disturbance within a moving cyclone generating strong winds, cloudiness, and precipitation. This usually occurs when pressure gradients are steep and the inspiraling motion is strong.

Front 15

wave cyclone

Back 15

Traveling cyclone of the midlatitudes involving interaction of cold and warm air masses along sharply defined fronts

Front 16

tornado

Back 16

Small, very intense wind vortex with extremely low air pressure in the center formed below a dense cumulonimbus cloud in proximity to a cold front.

Front 17

tropical cyclone

Back 17

Intense traveling cyclone of tropical and subtropical latitudes, accompanied by high winds and heavy rainfall.

Front 18

storm surge

Back 18

Rapid rise of coastal water level accompanying the onshore arrival of a tropical cyclone

Front 19

What kind of clouds are formed by a cold front?

Back 19

Cumulus, or globular, clouds stretching for tens of kilometers.

Front 20

What kind of clouds are formed when a warm air moves into cold air (warm front) and rises above the cold air?

Back 20

Stratus- large, dense, blanket-like clouds that often produce precipitation.

Front 21

When warm air in a warm front is unstable, what kind of clouds is produced?

Back 21

cumulonimbus clouds- with heavy showers or thunderstorms

Front 22

What are the three types of traveling cyclones?

Back 22

1. The wave cyclone of midlatitude, Arctic, and Antarctic zones. 2. Tropical cyclone of tropical and subtropical zones. 3. Tornado.

Front 23

What is the intensity of wave cyclones?

Back 23

Wave cyclones range from weak disturbances to powerful storms.

Front 24

What is the intensity of tropical cyclones?

Back 24

Tropical cyclones range from mild disturbances to highly destructive hurricanes or typhoons.

Front 25

What is the hurricane season in the North Atlantic?

Back 25

May thru November, mostly in late summer when ocean temperatures are the warmest.

Front 26

What kind of clouds are formed by a cold front?

Back 26

Cumulus, or globular, clouds stretching for tens of kilometers.

Front 27

What kind of clouds are formed when a warm air moves into cold air (warm front) and rises above the cold air?

Back 27

Stratus- large, dense, blanket-like clouds that often produce precipitation.

Front 28

When warm air in a warm front is unstable, what kind of clouds is produced?

Back 28

cumulonimbus clouds- with heavy showers or thunderstorms

Front 29

What are the three types of traveling cyclones?

Back 29

1. The wave cyclone of midlatitude, Arctic, and Antarctic zones. 2. Tropical cyclone of tropical and subtropical zones. 3. Tornado.

Front 30

What is the intensity of wave cyclones?

Back 30

Wave cyclones range from weak disturbances to powerful storms.

Front 31

What is the intensity of tropical cyclones?

Back 31

Tropical cyclones range from mild disturbances to highly destructive hurricanes or typhoons.

Front 32

What is the hurricane season in the North Atlantic?

Back 32

May thru November, mostly in late summer when ocean temperatures are the warmest.