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Unequal heating of Earth’s surface
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Air mass
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CM Earth Science 6-3
Unit 6 Mr. Wilbur/Barbis: Chapter 24--RB 8
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Unequal heating of Earth’s surface | Causes differences in air pressure |
| Air mass | Large body of air where temperature and moisture content are similar |
| Most solar energy is where? | At equator instead of at poles |
| Air moves? | High to low pressure; Cold air near pole sinks; creates high pressure centers |
| Wind created? | From differences in air pressure at different locations |
| Characteristic of air mass | A stationary or slow moving mass takes on temperature and humidity of that region |
| 4 main types of air masses affecting North American weather | Polar (P)--cold; Tropical (T)--warm; Continental (C)—forms over land; Maritime (M)—forms over water |
| 4 air mass combinations | cP (cold/dry); mP (cold/moist); cT (warm/dry); mT (warm/moist) |
| 6 weather combinations | mP (maritime Pacific); mT (maritime tropical); cP (Canadian Pacific); CT (continental tropical); mP (maritime Atlantic); mT (maritime tropical) |
| Front | Leading edge of an air mass or where two air masses meet; changes in middle altitude—weather here; do not exist in tropics because there are no air masses that have significant temperature differences |
| Cold fronts | Front edge of cold air mass pushes beneath warm air mass like wedge;Large cumulus/cumlionimbus clouds form along cold front;heavy thunderstorms (squall) occur ahead of fast moving cold front;Slow moving cold front produces-weaker storms/lighter precip. |
| Squall lines | Long line of heavy thunderstorms |
| Warm fronts | Front edge of advancing warm air mass replaces colder air with warmer air;gradual slope;due to gentle slope, clouds may extend far ahead of surface location or base of front;Generally produces precipitation over large areas, may be violent weather |
| Stationary front | Air masses that move either very slowly or not at all |
| Occluded front | Cold air mass over takes warm air mass & lifts warm air mass off ground & over another air mass |
| Polar front | Boundary where cold polar air meets tropical air mass of middle latitudes, especially over ocean |
| Midlatitude cyclone | Beginnings of low-pressure storm centers (wave cyclones) |
| Midlatitude cyclone forms: | Rising air moves toward a central low-pressure region; begins to turn CLOCKWISE; cyclone strongly influences weather patterns in middle latitudes |
| Anticyclones | Air sinks and flows outward from center of high pressure region; clockwise in Northern Hemisphere |
| Anticyclone forms: | Air sinks & flows outward from center of high pressure; begins to turn COUNTER CLOCKWISE; brings dry weather because the sinking air does not promote cloud formation |
| Thunderstorms | A usually brief, heavy storm that consists of rain, strong winds, lightning and thunder |
| Lightning | Discharged electricity from clouds; released energy heats air & it rapidly expands, producing loud noise (thunder) |
| Hurricanes | Severe storm that develops over tropical oceans; strong winds over 120 km/hr; spiral in toward low-pressure storm center |
| Tornado | Relatively small destructive rotating column of air that has very high wind speeds & that may be visible as a funnel-shaped cloud; short lived |
| Tornado forms: | When thunderstorm meets high-altitude horizontal winds |
| 5 measurements weather forecasts based on | Thermometer--(air temperature; C. F. K); Wind speed—anemometer; Air pressure—barometer; Wind direction—wind vane |
| Anemometer | Measures wind speed |
| Barometer | Measures air pressure |
| Wind vane | Measures wind direction |
| Upper-atmospheric measurement devices | Radiosonde; Radar; Weather satellites; Computers |
| Radiosonde | package of instruments carried aloft by balloons to measure upper atmospheric conditions; temperature, dew point and wind velocity |
| Radar | Radio Detection and ranging; system that uses reflected radio waves to determine velocity & location of objects |
| Doppler radar | Indicates precise location, movement, & extent of storm |
| Weather satellites | Instruments carried by satellites provide images for weather forecasting |
| Computers | Can store weather data from around world |
| Station model | A pattern of meteorological symbols that represents the weather at a particular observing station & recorded on weather map |
| Isotherms | Lines that connect points of equal temperature |
| Isobars | Lines that connect points of equal atmospheric pressure |
| 4 types of forecasts | Nowcasts: mainly use radar; focus on timing precipitation/tracking severe weather; Daily forecasts: 48-hour weather predicting; Extended forecasts: 3-7 days; Medium range forecasts: 8-14 days; Long-range forecasts: monthly/seasonal; |
| Weather Watch | Issued when the conditions are ideal for severe weather |
| Weather Warning | Given when severe weather has been spotted or expected within 24 hours |
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