Earth Science Chapter 11,12,13,14
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Most of Earth's atmosphere is composed of
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nitrogen and oxygen
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Water Vapor in the atmosphere is the source of
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clouds and rain
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The amount of energy the atmosphere absorbs depends in part on its level of
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carbon dioxide
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Solid particles in the atmosphere include salt and
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dust
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Ozone in Earth's atmosphere is important because it
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absorbs harmful radiation
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What percentage of the sun's energy does Earth's surface absorbs
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50%
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Air is denser near Earth's surface than high in the atmosphere
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true
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Particles of air in the atmosphere exert pressure on Earth's surface
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true
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Air pressure greater at the top of a mountain than at lower elevations
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false
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In the troposphere, as air temperature increases, generally air pressure increases too
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true
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Wind is the movement of air from an area of low pressure to an area of high pressure
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false
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As you move upward from Earth's surface, wind speeds increase because the air meets with less friction from Earth's surface
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true
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stratus
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low, layered clouds
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cirrus
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wispy, high clouds made of ice crystals
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Meteorology is the study of atmospheric phenomena
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true
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Weather is the current state of the lithosphere
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false
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Long-term variations in weather for a particular area make up the climate of the area
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true
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The tropics are hotter than the poles because the sun strikes this area of Earth more indirectly
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false
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A large parcel of air that takes on the characteristics of the area over which
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air mass
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An air mass take on its source regions
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temperature and humidity
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Maritime air masses originate over
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oceans
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When an air mass travels over land or water that has different characteristics than those of its source region, it undergoes
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air mass modification
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An isotherm is a line that connects points of equal or temperature
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true
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Line of equal pressure are called isobars
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true
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Isobars that are far apart indicate a small difference in pressure and light winds
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true
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Contour lines are lines of equal temperature
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false
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Isotherms are used to identify temperature gradients and, consequently, frontal systems
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true
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Narrow bands of fast, high-altitude westerly winds are
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jet streams
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A weather instrument that measure temperature is a(n)
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thermometer
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A balloon- borne package of sensors that gathers upper-level temperature, air pressure and humidity is
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a radiosonde
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The change in wave frequency of energy as it moves toward or away from an observer is the
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Doppler effect
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Polar and tropical regions maintain fairly constant average temperatures because
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the continual motion of air and water reallocates heat energy throughout Earth
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Difference is thermal energy can be detected with
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infrared imagery
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A record of weather data for a particular site at a particular time is a(n)
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station model
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Lines of a map that connect points of equal pressure are
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isobars
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The exchange of heat or moisture with the surface over which an air mass travels is known as
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air mass modification
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Extremely powerful thunderstorms that develop intense, rotating updrafts are
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supercells
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Electricity caused by the rapid rush of air in a cumulonimbus cloud is
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lightning
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Violent downdrafts that are concentrated in one local are are
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downbursts
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Powerful downdrafts that affect an area of less than 3 km are
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microbursts
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Precipitation in the form of ball or lumps of ice is
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hail
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The intense updrafts and downdrafts that characterize severe thunderstorms are the result of
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unstable air caused by temperature differences between the upper and lower parts of a storm
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Flooding often occurs if rain falls faster than
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the ground can absorb it
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Hail forms in part because of the presence of
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super cooled water droplets
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To people living near the Atlantic Ocean tropical cyclones are known as hurrincaes
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true
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Tropical cyclones are large, rotating, high pressure storms
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false
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Tropical cyclones originate over the warm waters of most tropical oceans
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true
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Hurricanes are classified according to the fujita scale
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false
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The minimum wind speed for a category 1 hurricane is 74 mph
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true
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The eye of a hurricane is surrounded by a band of strong winds called the eye current
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false
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Hurricane winds can drive a mound of water toward the coast, where it washes over land. This is called a storm surge
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true
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During ice ages, Earths climate was colder and much of its surface was covered by vast sheets of ice
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true
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Earth is currently experiencing a warm period between ice ages, called an inter glacial period
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true
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Seasons are short-term periods of climate change caused by regular variations in daylight, temperature, and the curvature of Earth
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false
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During El Niño, cold ocean currents along the western coast of South America are replaced by warm waters from the western Pacific
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true
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El Niño can bring stormy weather to areas that are normally dry and drought conditions to areas that are normally wet
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true
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Some scientists think that changes in the angle of Earth's tilt caused ice ages
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true
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Europe's \"Little Ice Age\" of 1645 to 1716 is believed to have been the result of an elongation of Earth's orbit
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false
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English astronomer E.W. Maunder discovered that changes in Earth's climate have coincided with cycles of low activity of tornadoes
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sunspot activity
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Each cycle of low activity referred to in question 10 is called the Maunder Minimum and closely corresponds to an unusually
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cold period
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Climatic changes may be triggered by changes in Earth's axis and
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orbit
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the shape of Earth's orbit changes over a 100,000- year cycle, becoming more circular, and then
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elliptical
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When it's orbit elongates, Earth passes closer to the Sun and climates become
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warmer
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When it's orbit it more circular, Earth passes farther from the Sun and it's becomes
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colder
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Some scientists hypothesize that changes in the angle of Earth's tilted axis cause
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ice ages
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Warmer summers and colder winters in the northern hemisphere could occur in several thousand years because
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earth wobbles on its axis
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a lowering of global temperatures caused by dust blocking solar radiation can be triggered by
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volcanic eruptions
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Types of climate date include annual variations in temperatures, precipitation and
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wind
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Two climates that are at the same latitude may be different because of
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bodies of water
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when moist winds approach a mountain, they often drop rain as they rise over the mountain, come down the other side of the mountain much
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warmer and drier
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the climate zone that receives the least solar radiation and has the coldest climate
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polar zone
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one possible effect of global warming
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flooded coastal cities
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the main source of Earth's energy
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the sun
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natural heating of Earth's surface caused by certain atmospheric gases
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greenhouse effect
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a rise in global temperatures
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global warming
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a major greenhouse gas
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carbon dioxide
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In what layer are light gases, such as helium and hydrogen, found?
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exosphere
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What type of gas found in Earth's atmosphere absorbs UV radiation from the Sun?
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ozone
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Atmospheric pressure __________ with __________ altitude.
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decreases, increased
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Wind can be thought of as air moving from an area of __________ to an area of __________.
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high pressure, low pressure
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What layer of the atmosphere contains most of the water vapor?
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troposphere
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__________ is the transfer of energy through space by electromagnetic waves.
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radiation
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In what layer of the atmosphere is the ozone layer?
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stratosphere
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What method of heat transfer is being demonstrated in the figure?
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radiation
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__________ is the transfer of energy that occurs when molecules collide.
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conduction
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Why is the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere important?
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It helps regulate the amount of energy the atmosphere absorbs
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The ratio of water vapor in a volume of air, relative to how much water vapor that volume of air is capable of holding, is called
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relative humidity
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The change of state of matter from a gas to a liquid is called
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condensation
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Why does the temperature of air decrease in the lower atmosphere with the increase of elevation?
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The air is farther from the heat source
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__________ is the transfer of energy that fuels atmospheric processes, while __________ is used to measure and interpret that energy.
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heat, temperature
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What is an increase in temperature with height in an atmospheric layer called?
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a temperature inversion
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What is the SI unit of temperature?
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kelvin
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__________ is a measurement of how fast or slow molecules move.
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temperature
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What is the process by which cloud droplets collide and form larger droplets?
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coalescence
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Clouds are classified by
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the altitude of the cloud formation and its shape
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Dust and sea salt are examples of __________ that aid in the formation of cloud droplets.
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condensation nuclei
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What type of solid particles play a role in cloud formation?
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dust and salt particles
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The constant movement of water between the atmosphere and Earth's surface is called
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the water cycle
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When condensation takes place, __________ is released and __________ the air.
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latent heat, warms
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The exchange of heat or moisture between an air mass and the underlying surface is called
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air mass modification
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What is a large body of air that takes on the characteristics of the area over which it forms?
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an air mass
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Long-term variations in weather for a particular area make up the __________ of an area.
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stability
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What is the current state of the atmosphere called?
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weather
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In __________, warm air displaces cold air and it develops a gradual frontal slope.
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a warm front
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In __________, warm air is squeezed upward between two cold air masses.
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an occluded front
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What causes the Coriolis effect?
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earth's rotation
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What is the convergence of the trade winds from both hemispheres called?
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the intertropical convergence zone
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High-pressure systems usually are associated with __________ and low-pressure systems are associated with __________.
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fair weather, clouds and precipitation
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Narrow bands of fast, high-altitude westerly winds are called __________.
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jet streams
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A __________ is a narrow region that separates two air masses of different densities.
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front
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What wind system occurs at 30 degrees north and south of the equator?
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the trade winds
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What is the network of weather stations located across the United States called?
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Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS)
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__________ is used to measure the speed of raindrops toward or away from a specific point.
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Doppler radar
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What type of instrument is used to measure wind speed?
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an anemometer
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What instrument is used to measure temperature?
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a thermometer
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What are four- to seven-day forecasts based on?
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circulation patterns of the troposphere
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A forecast that relies on numerical data is called __________.
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a digital forecast
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A forecast that involves comparing current weather patterns to past weather patterns is called
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an analog forecast
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A __________ is a record of weather data for a particular location and time.
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station model
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What type of thunderstorm is caused by advancing cold and warm fronts?
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frontal thunderstorms
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What happens when moist air is lifted higher in the atmosphere?
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It condenses and releases latent heat.
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How are thunderstorms classified?
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by the mechanism that caused the air to rise
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What is the first step of thunderstorm formation?
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an abundant source of moisture in the lower atmosphere
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As the instability of the air __________, the strength of the thunderstorms' updrafts and downdrafts __________.
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increases, increase
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What type of clouds produce thunderstorms?
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cumulonimbus
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What type of weather potentially is created by the phenomenon shown in the figure?
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a thunderstorm
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What happens in the developing or cumulus stage of a thunderstorm?
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Air rises vertically.
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Which is NOT a stage of a thunderstorm?
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condensing stage
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Thunderstorms that have intense, rotating updrafts are called __________.
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supercells
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What type of thunderstorms are tornadoes associated with?
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supercells
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How hot is the air heated by lightning?
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30 000° C
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What sparks the development of a tornado?
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large contrast in the temperature of polar and tropical air
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What causes thunder?
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the expansion and contraction of the air heated by lightning
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Violent downdrafts from a thunderstorm that are concentrated in a local area are called __________.
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downbursts
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Which is NOT a characteristic of the Fujita tornado intensity scale?
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size of funnel cloud
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What causes lightning?
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friction between updrafts and downdrafts in a cumulonimbus cloud
