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33 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Isobars that are closely spaced |
Strong Pressure Gradients |
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Weak pressure gradients are: |
isobars that are widely spaced. |
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What is the impact of Coriolis effect at lower and higher latitudes |
As latitude increases, so does the impact of coriolis. As latitude decreases, so does coriolis effect. Theres no impact along the equator. |
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Two factors that cause horizontal variations in air pressure |
Thermal (Air temperature) Dynamic (air motion) |
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what is windward? |
object facing the wind |
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What is leeward? |
Object facing away from wind |
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What are the origins of westerlies? |
upper middle latitudes |
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What are the origins of Tradewinds? |
subtropical high toward equator |
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What are the origins of the Polar Easterlies? |
winds deflected by corolis effect to the right in northern and left in southern hemisphere |
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What are the best known jet streams? |
Polar Jet Streams - flows in tropopause and is above polar front Subtropical Jet Streams - flows above the subtropical highs in the lower middle latitudes |
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Explain Summer Monsoon |
Humid winds from the ocean blow toward the land in the summer |
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Explain winter monsoon |
dry cooler winds blowing seaward off the land |
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-Warm flow of tropical waters from the east (aka countercurrents) replacing the normally cold coastal waters -rain migrates east |
El Niño |
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-trade winds intesify and reinforce upwelling and seasurface temperature that are colder than normal |
La Niña |
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What is the southern oscillation? |
rise in pressure that is usually accompanied by a fall in pressure |
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Rising parcels of air expand as they encounter decreasing atmospheric temperature with altitude. Air molecules spread out and air temp. decreases |
Adiabatic Cooling |
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Adiabatic heating |
air descending through the atmosphere is compressed by the increasing pressure. also increases air temp. |
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What is Hydrolic Cycle? |
Circulation of water from one of earth's system to another. Water is transferred from one state to another as a solid, liquid, or gas. |
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What is the relationship between the change of temp. and the ability to hold water vapor in air parcels? |
The warmer the air, the more amount of water it can hold. |
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thin, stringy clouds and are made of ice crystals |
Cirrus |
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Cumulus clouds are |
puffy and rounded. |
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Stratus |
horizontal, uniformed thickness (0-6,000 high) (strato/alto level) |
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the thunderstorm cloud |
Cumulonimbus |
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region: deserts and dry plateaus weather: high temps, low humidity clear skies, rare precipitation |
(cT) Continental |
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region: plains weather: cool summers, cold winters, low humidity, clear skies, heavy precipitation |
(cP) Polar |
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(cA) Artic |
region: artic ocean, Greenland, Antartica weather: bitter cold, subzero temps, clear skies, calm conditions |
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region: equatorial oceans weather: high temps, high humidity, never reaches USA |
(mE) Equatorial |
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region: tropical and subtropical oceans
weather: high temps and humidity, cumulus clouds, mild temps, overcast skies, heavy precipitation |
(mT) Tropical |
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region: oceans between 60° and 40° latitude weather: mild temps, high humidity, overcast (winter), clear skies (summer), heavy orographic precipitation. |
(mP) Polar |
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Whats the saffir-simpson hurricanr scale? |
Categorizes hurricanes from 1 to 5 based on Central Pressure, wind speed, and height of its storm surge. 74mph = hurricane* |
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Cumulonimbus clouds |
the thunderstorm clouds. Flat top, becomes darker as it grows higher and thicker by blocking sunlight |
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Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska are known as |
the tornado alley |
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what are easterly waves? |
weak hurricanes. travelling slowly in tradewinds, preceded by fair and dry weather |