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23 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Name the 4 layers of the atmosphere starting from ground level up. |
1. Troposphere
2. Stratosphere 3. Mesosphere 4. Thermosphere |
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What is the name of the boundary level the separates the troposphere and the stratosphere? What does it do?
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The boundary level is named Tropopause. It acts as a lid to contain water vapor and the associated weather within the atmosphere.
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What is the general elemental composition of the atmosphere?
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The atmosphere generally consists of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% of other gases such as argon.
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What is convection?
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Convection is the process of transporting heat from warmer areas to cooler areas.
The convection process results from differences in temperature and creates atmosphere circulation. |
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Describe the 3 cell convective circulation pattern caused by the earth's rotation.
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Instead of one large convective circulation pattern, the earth's rotation breaks it down into 3 cells.
Hadley cell near the equator, Ferrel cell next to the Hadley cell, and the Polar cell at the poles. The Ferrel cell rotates opposite the other two cells. |
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Why do you need to adjust your altimeter en route flight?
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Because your altimeter responds to changes in atmospheric pressure which is affected by differences in temperature. If you do not adjust it, your true altitude can vary immensely.
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What are the purpose of isobars?
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Isobars connect points of equal pressure on a weather map and identify high and low pressure areas, pressure systems, and pressure gradients.
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How are strong and weak pressure gradients depicted with isobars?
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On a weather map, if the isobars are closely spaced, they depict a strong pressure gradient.
Widely spaced isobars depict weak pressure gradients. |
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Describe the 5 different types of pressure systems.
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1. High: is a center of high pressure surrounded by low pressure.
2. Low: is a center of low pressure surrounded by high pressure. 3. Trough: is an elongated area of relatively low pressure. 4. Ridge: is an elongated area of relatively high pressure. 5. Col: is a neutral area between two highs or two lows, or the intersection of a ridge and a trough. 5. |
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Describe how the 5 different types of pressure systems are depicted on a weather chart.
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1. High: Depicted by the Capitol letter H
2. Low: Depicted by the capital letter L 3. Ridge: Depicted by a jagged line 4. Trough: Depicted by a dashed line 5. Col: Depicted by a shaded gradient. |
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Define "pressure gradient".
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A pressure gradient describes the rate of pressure change over a distance. A strong pressure gradient describes a large change in pressure for a given distance.
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Describe the Coriolis force.
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The Coriolis force is the result of the Earth's rotation about it's axis. It causes things that go in a straight line to instead curve.
Coriolis force deflects moving objects to the right in the Northern hemisphere, but doesn't significantly affect objects on the equator. The force differs depending on the object's latitude and speed of travel. Coriolis noticeable only to large objects traveling quickly and at long distances. |
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In which direction does wind generally travel in a high and low pressure system?
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Wind generally travels clockwise in high pressure systems, and counter-clockwise in low pressure systems.
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What effect does frictional force have on wind?
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Frictional force between the winds and the surface of the earth cause wind's changes of direction and reduction in Coriolis force.
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What do the strength of pressure gradients imply about wind velocity?
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Winds tend to travel from areas of high pressure to low pressure. If the gradient is strong, it implies that the winds from the high pressure travel at higher velocities than weak pressure gradients.
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Describe the generation of sea breezes.
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Sea breezes blow inland during the day. The sun warms land faster than it does water, so the land is hotter in comparison to the water. Sea breezes are the result of the pressure difference and are a part of the convective circulation caused by the uneven heating. Sea breezes are the opposite of land breezes.
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Describe the generation of land breezes.
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Land breezes blow from the land to the sea during night. When the sun leaves, the land cools down faster than the sea. The difference in pressure results in land breezes. Land breezes are the opposite of sea breezes and are part of the convective circulation caused by the uneven cooling.
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Describe valley breezes.
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Valley breezes are inland winds that flow from valleys upslope toward warmer regions. Valley breezes occur during the day as the sun warms the air on the top of the slope faster than on the bottom of the valley. The difference in temp. and pressure causes convective circulation that can blow up to 20 kts.
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Describe mountain breezes.
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Mountain breezes occur at night when the air at the top of the mountain is cooler than the valleys below. It creates convective circulation and the winds are stronger on the bottom of the valley.
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Describe two types of katabatic wind.
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1. Cold downslope winds: This occurs when ice and snow on mountainous terrain when the air on the top is very cold. The cold downslope wind can rush intensely down to the area of lower pressure.
2. Warm downslope winds: Occur when a warm airmass moves at a high altitude across a mountain range. The movement creates a trough of low pressure on the downwind side of the slope and the air flows downslope to the lower pressure. |
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What 3 factors determine the amount of deflection caused by the Coriolis force?
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1. Speed of the object
2. Distance the object travels 3. Latitude of the object |
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What do you call the force that causes air to move from high pressure areas to low pressure areas?
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The pressure gradient force.
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What is the process of transporting heat from warm areas to cool areas called?
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Convection.
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