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EXAM STUDY TIME, weather
unit 2
72
Science
9th Grade
07/27/2009

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Cards

Term
What is the study of the physics, chemistry, and dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere?
Definition
Meteorology.
Term
What is the envelope of gases bound to the Earth by gravity?
Definition
The atposphere.
Term
What is the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place?
Definition
Weather.
Term
What difines the weather?
Definition
Temperature, pressure, windspeed/direction, precipitation, and cloudcover.
Term
What is Climate?
Definition
The sum of all statistical weather info that helps describe a place or region.
Term
What is temperature?
Definition
The measure of the motion of the molecules in a substance.
Term
How is temperature measured?
Definition
With a thermometer in either Degrees C or degrees F.
Term
What is air pressure?
Definition
Force per area exerted by the mass of air above a point.
Term
How is air pressure measured?
Definition
With a barometer in millibars or Hg.
Term
What is wind speed?
Definition
How fast the air is moving.
Term

What measures wind

 speed


 direction

Definition
an anemometer measures wind speed and a wind vane measures wind direction.
Term
What is dewpoint?
Definition
The temperature that air is cooled for saturation.
Term
What is air saturation?
Definition
The max. water vapor at the existing temperature.
Term
What is condensation?
Definition
Water vapor becoming liquid water.
Term
How do you measure rainfall?
Definition
With a rain guage in inches, cm, or mm.
Term
How is snow measured?
Definition
With a yardstick.
Term
How does radar work?
Definition
The radar sends out microwave signals which are reflected by particles in the atmosphere, showing where clouds are.
Term
Describe cirrus clouds.
Definition
Thin whispy clouds that are high in the atmosphere.
Term
Describe stratus clouds.
Definition
Grayish clouds that low in the atmosphere. Fog:Stratus clouds in contact with the ground.
Term
Describe cumulus clouds.
Definition
Cottonball shaped clouds that are small.
Term
What types of clouds cause thunderstorms?
Definition
Cumulonimbus.
Term
What is the force that causes the air to move?
Definition
Pressure gradient force.
Term
The Pressure gradient force always moves air______________.
Definition
From high to low pressure.
Term
What are isobars?
Definition
Lines that connect values of equal air pressure.
Term
What is a front.
Definition
A boundry between two air masses.
Term
What is the most abundant cas in the atmosphere?
Definition
Nitrogen.
Term
Besides gases, what substances are found in the atmosphere?
Definition
Particle matter such as dust, ash, and water vapor.
Term
Why is it important for atmospheric material to be recycled?
Definition
So the composition of the atmosphere is stable.
Term
Why is the atmosphere divided into 4 layers?
Definition
It shows how heat and energy move.
Term
What are the layers of the atmosphere (from closest to earty outwards)?
Definition
Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere.
Term
What happens to the temp. as you increase altitude in the troposphere?
Definition
Temperature decreases.
Term
What is the important form of oxygen gas found in the stratosphere?
Definition
O3 also known as the ozone
Term
What is the coolest layer of the atmosphere?
Definition
The mesosphere.
Term
Why is the thermosphere the hottest layer of the atmosphere?
Definition
It recieves solar radiation.
Term
What is insolation?
Definition
Concentrated light at different times of the day.
Term
What is a major cause of weather?
Definition
Solar radiation.
Term
What is the greenhouse effect?
Definition
The accumulation of CO2 and water vapor that absorbs the infrared radiation.
Term
Which warms up and cools down at a slower rate, water or land?
Definition
Water because it is much deeper and larger than land, so it needs more energy to heat or cool.
Term
What are isotherms?
Definition
Lines separating the temp. zones on a map.
Term
What is dew.
Definition
water vapor that condenses on a surface.
Term
What two things are necesary for dew to form?
Definition
A solid surface, and temperature below dew point.
Term
What is heat transfer?
Definition
The flow of heat from hot to cold reservations.
Term
What are the three ways heat energy moves?
Definition
Conduction, convection, and radiation.
Term
What is conduction?
Definition
When energy is passed from one item to another through touching.
Term
What is convection?
Definition
The movement of gases from a cool to a warm spot, like boiling water.
Term
What is radiation?
Definition
heat moving through space.
Term
What is heat?
Definition
energy added or taken away from an object.
Term
The higher the temperature the __________ the average speed of molecules.
Definition
higher.
Term
What has happened at absolute zero?
Definition
All kinetic energy has been taken away.
Term
What are the temperature scale conversions?
Definition
F=9/5C+32
C=D/9(F-32)
Term
What is wind?
Definition
The movement of air due to pressure.
Term
What causes air to move?
Definition
Differences in air pressure.
Term
Why do astronauts have to wear pressurized suits in space?
Definition
There is no air pressure in space.
Term
What is air pressure?
Definition
The weight of the atmosphere as it pushes down on Earth's surface.
Term
As temp increases, air pressure__________.
Definition
decreases.
Term
As humidity increases, air pressure __________.
Definition
deacreases.
Term
When there is a high pressure system moving in what can we expect?
Definition
Windy weather.
Term
Air flows from_____pressure to_____pressure.
Definition
High, low.
Term
When isobars are close together, what do they tell us?
Definition
There is a lot of wind.
Term
Which is less dense, warm or cold air?
Definition
warm air.
Term
Why do most thunderstorms happen in the afternoon?
Definition
There is more wind in the afternoon.
Term
What are supercells?
Definition
Very large single cell thunderstorms with long updrafts.
Term
What is lightening?
Definition
A discharge of electriciy from the clouds.
Term
Difine tornado.
Definition
A violently rotating colomb of air.
Term
Where is tornado alley?
Definition
Texas to South Dakota.
Term
How do meteorologists classify tornadoes?
Definition
F0-F5
Term
What is the difference between a watch and a warning?
Definition
Watch: something might form
Warning:there are people in the path of the storm.
Term
Describe the movement of air in a cold front.
Definition
The cold air advances and pushes the warm air upward.
Term
Describe the movement of air in a warm front.
Definition
Warm air moves up displacing cold air.
Term
Describe the movement of air in a occluded frond.
Definition
A cold front catches up to a warm front.
Term
Describe the movement of air in a stationary front.
Definition
A nonmoving front.
Term
What types of weather are fronts usually associated with?
Definition
Storms and rain showers.
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