Flash Cards for the Weather Chapter 1 Test

Front

Back

1. cumulus

light, fluffy clouds at middle altitudes above the earth's surface

2. eye (weather term)

area of calm & extreme low pressure in 500 mile wide storm

3. isobars

concentric lines connecting areas of equal pressure

4. jet stream

high altitude winds that move west to east across the US

5. condensation

reason moisture occurs on window panes on cold days

6. Convert 29 degrees Celcius to Fahrenheit

29 deg. C. = 84.2 deg. F

7. convection

heat transfer principle that explains why forced air furnaces work

8. ozone

layer of atmosphere that blocks ultraviolet radiation from the sun

9. cumulonimbus

Type of cloud responsible for thunderstorms

10. tornado alley

region in the US where lots of tornadoes touch down

11. Prevailing Westerlies

global winds blowing ships from US back to England

12. sea breeze

A cool morning breeze coming off the water at the beach

13. doldrums

If you hit these global winds you won't go very far...

14. evaporation

Yesterday the glass was full; today there is water missing! It's all due to the process of .....

15. conduction

Heat Transfer Principle: It's why you say "Ouch!" when you touch a hot iron.

16. front

Boundary between two or more air masses

17. Land breeze

An evening breeze at the beach coming from the mainland

18. stratus

Low-level clouds that stretch from horizon to horizon

19. coriolis effect

The bending effect that the earth's rotation has on global winds

20. cloud

Temperature difference + moisture + dust in the atmosphere make a ......

21. sling psychrometer

Instrument for determining relative humidity

22. tornado

powerful storm; narrow funnel; often destructive; short-lived

23. cirrus

high altitude, wispy clouds

24. radiation

Energy Transfer Principle: Why your parents don't want you to sit too close to a TV

25. hurricane

Powerful storm; up to 500 miles wide; destructive; long-lived

26. anemometer

Instrument used to determine wind speed

27. isotherms

Concentric lines that connect areas of equal temperature

28. Trade Winds

Catch these global winds to sail from England to the Caribbean.

29. millibar / inches of mercury

Unit of measurement for atmospheric pressure

30. occluded front

Cold air overtakes warm air & rides up over it.

31. Cold front

Cold air pushes under warm air

32. warm front

warm air overtakes cold air

33. low pressure

turbulent weather results from this pressure condition

34. barometer

Device used for measuring air pressure

35. Greenhouse Effect

Effect occuring when gases form a "heat blanket" around the earth

36. high pressure

This pressure condition usually results in fair weather.

37. relative humidity

A comparison between acutal vs. possible amount of water vapor in the air.

38. wind

Movement of air from hight pressure to low pressure areas

39. ultraviolet rays

What the ozone layer is supposed to block

40. Continental Tropical

Air mass that brings hot, dry air to the southwestern US

41. 0 degrees Celcius

freezing point of water

42. 100 degrees Celcius

boiling point of water

43. 32 degrees Fahrenheit

Freezing point of water

44. 212 degrees Fahrenheit

Boiling point of water

45. Triangle

Cold fronts are drawn with this shape.

46. Semi-circle

Warm fronts are drawn with this shape.

47. degrees

Unit of measurement to indicate air temperature

48. If 1 kg. of air can hold 10 g. of water, but now only has 2 g., what is the RELATIVE HUMIDITY?

20%

49. What is the chemical formula for dihydrogen oxide?

H2O

50. In what 3 states can dihydrogen oxide appear?

solid, liquid, gas

51. What are the atmospheric factors that interact to cause weather?

Heat energy, air pressure, winds, and moisture

52. What are the three basic ways that the sun's energy is absorbed by the earth and spread throughout the atmosphere?

Conduction, convection, and radiation

53. The air pressure at any particular point on the Earth depends on the .....

Density of the air.

54. What are three factors that affect the density of the Earth's atmosphere?

Temperature, water vapor, and elevation

55. What is the relationship between density and air pressure?

The lower the density of the air, the lower the air pressure.

56. Which location will have higher air density, a beach or a mountain top?

Beach

57. Both local winds and global winds are caused by differences in .....

Air pressure due to unequal heating of the atmosphere

58. Because of the Earth's rotation, winds appear to curve to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. What is the name for this shift in wind direction?

The Coriolis Effect

59. What are the names of the two thermometers used in the Relative Humidity lab?

Wet bulb and dry bulb

60. How does sleet form?

When falling raindrops pass through an extremely COLD layer of air, they sometimes freeze into small ice pellets called "sleet."

61. How does snow form?

Snow forms when water vapor changes directly into a solid. This process is called sublimation.

62. What is sublimation?

The process in which a solid (such as frozen carbon dioxide) changes directly into a gas (CO2) -- OR -- a gas (as in water vapor) changes directly into a solid (as in snow).

63. How does hail form?

When water droplets hit ice pellets in a cloud and freeze. If the updraft (upward movement of air inside the cloud) is strong enough, the hailstones remain in the cloud for a long time, accummulating more and more layers of ice.

64. Maritime Tropical

This air mass forms over the ocean near the equator. It holds warm, moist air. In the summer it brings hot, humid weather.

65. Continental Polar

This air mass forms over Canada and is cold and dry, with very little moisture.

66. List several data readings taken at a normal weather station.

Temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, amount of cloud cover, humidity

67. stationary front

Boundary between a warm air mass and a cold air mass when no movement occurs. Brings long periods of precipitation.


.