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45 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
What are the three main factors affecting weather?
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1. Thermal energy 2. Uneven distribution of thermal energy 3. Water vapor in the atmosphere
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What are the four basic types of clouds?
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cumulus, stratus, cirrus, and lenticular
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What does the prefix "alto" signify?
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It signifies that a cloud is at a higher altitude than where it is normally found.
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What does the suffix/prefix "nimbus" signify?
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"Nimbus" signifies that a cloud is dark.
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Describe cumulus clouds
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They look like piles of cotton.
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Describe cumulonimbus clouds.
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They are "thunderclouds." They are usually dark on the bottom and lighter on top.
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Describe cirrus clouds
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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.
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Describe status clouds
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Stratus clouds are usually low in the sky and form when a mass of warm air is lifted slowly upward.
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What are nimbostratus clouds noted for?
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Because stratus clouds are formed from warm air, they can hold a lot of moisture, forming dark nimbostratus clouds that are noted for precipitation.
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Describe lenticular clouds.
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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."
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insolation
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light that comes to earth (incoming solar radiation)
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Name the two factors which affect the amount of insolation the earth receives
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1. Earth's distance from the sun 2. The earth's axial tilt
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What shape is earth's orbit, and is it more circular or oval?
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Earth's orbit is elliptical, but is more circular than oval.
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aphelion
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The point in earth's orbit where it is furthest from the sun. At the aphelion, the earth receives 3% less insolation than average.
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perihelion
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The point in earth's orbit where it is closest to the sun. At the perihelion, the earth receives 3% more insolation than average.
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Is it winter when the earth is at its aphelion?
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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.
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What is the prime meridian?
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The longitude line which runs through Greenwich, England and by which all other longitudes are measured.
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What is the Coriolis effect?
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The way in which the rotation of the earth bends the path of winds, sea currents, and objects that fly through different latitudes.
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air mass
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A large body of air with relatively uniform pressure, temperature, and humidity
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weather front
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A boundary between two air masses
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Explain winter and summer solstice
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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.)
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Explain spring and autumnal equinox.
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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)
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Since the Southern Hemisphere has summer during earth's perihelion, are its summers hotter than the Northern Hemisphere's summers, which occur at aphelion?
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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.
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Lines of longitude
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Imaginary lines that run north and south across the earth
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Lines of latitude
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Imaginary lines that run east and west across the earth.
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equator
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The imaginary line that runs directly between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of the earth. Latitude is measured in reference to the equator.
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Why is there such a temperature difference between the two poles and the equator?
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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.
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low pressure area
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An area of low pressure caused by hot air rising, leaving behind a void of air at ground level.
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High pressure area
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An area of high pressure caused by cold air sinking, creating a buildup of air.
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wind
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Movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure.
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What direction does wind blow at the surface of the earth?
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At the surface, it blows from cold areas to warm areas (high to low)
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What direction does wind blow at higher elevations?
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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.)
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How does air blow over the whole earth?
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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.
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Name three other factors that complicate wind direction.
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Changing air temperature, the Coriolis effect, and local winds.
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How does changing air temperature affect winds?
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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.
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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?
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The equator is.
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What way will an object fired from the equator toward the North Pole move?
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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.
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What way will an object fired from the North Pole toward the equator move?
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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.
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How do local winds arise?
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Local winds often arise as the result of temperature differences between local geographic features, such as lakes/oceans and land.
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What warms up faster, land or water?
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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.
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Name the four types of weather fronts.
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Cold, warm, stationary, and occluded.
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What happens when a cold front enters a region of warmer air?
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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.
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What happens when a warm front enters a region of cooler air?
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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.
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What is a stationary front?
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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.
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What is an occluded front?
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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.
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