Chapter 24: Weather
Reading Notes
Section 1: Air Masses
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Differences in ____________________ are caused by unequal heating of Earth’s surface.
The region along the ___________________ receives more solar energy than the polar regions do.
Heated equatorial air rises and creates a belt of ___________________________.
Cold air near the poles sinks and creates a belt of __________________________.
Differences in air pressure at various locations on Earth create _____________________.
How Air Moves
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Air moves from areas of ________ pressure to areas of ____________ pressure.
There is a general world-wide movement of air from the ___________ toward the ___________.
Formation of Air Masses
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What happens to air when the air pressure differences are small?
What is an air mass?
What are the characteristics of air masses that form over polar areas?
What are the characteristics of air masses that form over tropical oceans?
Types of Air Masses
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Air masses are categorized according to their ___________ ______________.
Cold air masses come from _____________________________
Warm air masses come from __________________________
What are air masses that form over the ocean called?
Air masses that form over land are called___________.
Name three large land masses over which continental air masses form.
What weather conditions do continental land masses generally bring when they move into a region?
Name and describe the 2 types of continental air masses.
How do air masses that form over the ocean differ from continental air masses?
What weather conditions do maritime air masses generally bring when they travel to new location.
Name and describe the 2 types of maritime air masses.
North American Air Masses
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List the 4 types of air masses that affect the weather of North America with their six source regions.
What type of weather does an air mass usually bring?
What may happen to an air mass as it moves away from its source region? Give an example.
What develops when cold, dry air turns warm and moist?
Describe the weather created by maritime tropical air masses that form over the tropical Atlantic Ocean.
How does the weather created by maritime tropical air masses that form over the tropical Pacific Ocean differ from that
created by air masses that form over the tropical Atlantic?
Explain where continental polar air masses generally originate and move and the type of weather they bring.
Describe the maritime polar air masses that form over the North Pacific Ocean and the type of weather they create.
How do continental polar Canadian air masses differ from the polar air masses that form over the North Pacific Ocean?
How do maritime polar Atlantic air masses differ in movement and weather creation from the maritime Pacific air masses?
Section 2: Fronts
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When two unlike air masses meet, what usually keeps them separate?
The boundary that forms between two air masses when they meet is called a _______.
Types of Fronts
Define:
3. Cold front
4. Warm front
5. Stationary front
6. Occluded front
7. Describe the storms that form along a cold front.
8. How does a slow-moving cold front differ from a fast-moving cold front?
9. How does a warm front form?
10. What kind of weather does a warm from generally produce?
11. Describe how a stationary front forms.
12. Compare the weather produced by a stationary front to the weather produced by a warm front.
Polar Fronts and Midlatitude Cyclones
13. The boundary where cold polar air meets the tropical air mass of the middle latitudes, especially over the ocean, is called the
______.
14. Bends that form in a stationary or cold fronts that are the beginnings of low-pressure storm centers are called ______.
15. Also known as midlatitude cyclones, ______ are low-pressure storm centers.
16. An area of low pressure that is characterized by rotating wind that moves toward the rising air of the central low-pressure
region is called a ________.
17. Unlike the air in a midlatitude cyclone, the air of a(n) ________ sinks and flows outward from a center of high pressure.
18. Summarize the four stages of a midlatitude cyclone.
19. Describe how midlatitude cyclones travel and move in North America.
20. Describe an anticyclone.
21. What kind of weather does an anticyclone bring?
Severe Weather
22. List five weather events that are considered severe weather.
Define:
23. Thunderstorm
24. Lightning
25. Mature stage
26. Dissipating stage
27. Cumulus stage
28. Thunder
29. Describe how lightning forms and explain what it is.
30. A severe storm that develops over tropical oceans and whose winds of more than 120km/h spiral in toward the intensely lowpressure storm center is called a(n) ___________.
31. During a hurricane, large amounts of ______ are released, increasing the force of the rising air.
32. A fully developed hurricane consists of a series of thick ______ that spiral upward around the center of the storm.
33. Winds increase toward the calm, clear ______ of the storm and may reach speeds of 285 km/h.
34. The most dangerous aspect of a hurricane is a rising sea level and large waves, called a _______.
35. Every hurricane is categorized on the ________ by using several factors, including central pressure, wind speed, and storm
surge.
36. Define tornado.
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Explain how a tornado forms.
What happens when a tornado funnel touches ground?
When and where do most tornadoes occur?
What makes a tornado so destructive?
Section 3: Weather Instruments
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Name five measurements on which weather observations are based.
How do meteorologists use these measurements?
Measuring Lower Atmospheric Conditions
Define:
3. Thermometer
4. Electrical thermometer
5. Thermistor
6. Barometer
7. Anemometer
8. Wind vane
9. Describe how an electrical thermometer works.
10. Why do scientists use barometers to help them predict the weather?
11. Explain how an anemometer works.
Measuring Upper-Atmospheric Conditions
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Why do meteorologists study upper-atmospheric conditions?
What is a radiosonde?
Explain how a radiosonde works.
What is radar?
How does radar track a storm?
Explain what Doppler radar can tell meteorologists.
What important purpose do weather satellites serve?
How do weather satellites measure the direction and speed of the wind at the level of the clouds?
How do weather satellites monitor weather at night?
What types of marine conditions do weather satellites monitor?
Explain how meteorologists use supercomputers to forecast weather.
Section 4: Forecasting the Weather
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How did people of early civilizations meet the challenges of weather prediction?
Describe the origins of scientific weather forecasting.
Global Weather Monitoring
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List seven types of weather observations reported from weather stations around the world.
What are three services provided by the World Meteorological Organization?
Weather Maps
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The data that weather stations collect are transferred onto __________.
What do meteorologists use the communicate data on a weather map that can be understood around the world?
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A pattern of meteorological symbols that represents the weather at a particular observing station and that is recorded on a
weather map is __________.
Lines that connect points of equal temperature on a weather map are called _____.
Lines on a weather map that connect points of equal atmospheric pressure are ________.
Closely spaced lines of atmospheric pressure indicate high wind speeds and _______________.
Isobars that form circles on a weather map are marked with an H or an L and indicate centers of ___________.
What do common weather symbols describe?
Besides cloud cover, wind speed and direction, and weather conditions, what else do stations models indicate?
What is the dew point and what does it indicate about the air?
Describe the number and the line in the upper right hand corner of the station model and explain what they show.
On a weather map, what identifies a front?
How are areas of precipitation commonly marked on weather maps?
Weather Forecasts
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How do meteorologists forecast the weather?
How do computers use information supplied by Doppler radar and satellite images?
Explain why meteorologists use more than one computer model to forecast weather.
What types of weather information can be predicted most accurately?
What types of weather information are more difficult to predict accurately?
Explain how meteorologists use computers to make more accurate forecasts.
Define:
Nowcasts
Daily forecasts
Extended forecasts
Medium-range forecasts
Long-range forecasts
Watch
Warning
Controlling the Weather
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What is cloud seeding?
How has cloud seeding been used in Russia?
How have scientists attempted to control hurricanes?
Why have scientists abandoned storm and hurricane control?
How have scientists attempted to control lightning?
What have been the results of attempts at lightning control?
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