Name: ______________________

Geography 1 – Exam 5 – STUDY SHEET - Winds, Pressure & Weather

The Polar Jet Stream is a high speed, high elevation westerly moving wind.

We measure wind speed using a/an __________.

We measure air pressure using _________.

The surface flow of a Southern Hemisphere cyclone (low pressure system) would be ________.

If one were able to look down on the Earth from some point above the North Pole, one would see that the Earth rotates in a clockwise direction.

Surface high pressure is best associated with fair weather. 

A lapse rate is a change of ___________ with height.

Descending air always warms at the ____________.

The ____________ is the ratio of the actual amount of water vapor in the atmosphere to the maximum amount of water possible at that temperature.

Clouds that are flat and layered are in the general group called __________.

The __________ process is the predominant cloud-forming process in the tropics, where clouds form above freezing temperatures.

Along the equator, winds converge into the equatorial high creating the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

The transition from liquid water to ice or ice to liquid water is called sublimation.

The water vapor content of air is called humidity.

In unstable conditions, a parcel of air will ________ than the surrounding air.

The temperature at which air achieves saturation is called the sublimation temperature.

__________ is the short-term, day-to-day condition of the atmosphere

__________ fronts travel faster than __________ fronts.

The dry adiabatic rate (DAR) is the rate at which an expanding, unsaturated parcel of dry air cools.

Air is saturated if it contains all of the water vapor that it can hold at a given temperature. This is also when the relative humidity reaches 100 percent.

_______ is the term which refers to air being forcibly pushed up a mountain slope.

Tornadoes are characterized by ________ atmospheric pressure at the core.

Assuming no change in the actual amount of water vapor in the air, as air temperature rises, relative humidity decreases.

The difference between the dry adiabatic rate and the moist adiabatic rate is due to the release of latent heat as water vapor condenses.

As a result of orographic lifting, precipitation occurs on the windward slopes of mountain ranges and a rainshadow occurs on the leeward slopes.

A midlatitude cyclone is a vast, migrating low pressure system that is guided by the jet streams in the upper troposphere.

Air that returns to its original position after an initial vertical displacement is called _________.

A(n) _________ is an aggregation of tiny moisture droplets and ice crystals suspended in the air .

Clouds are usually classified on the basis of __________ and __________.

A _____ commonly results in the formation of towering cumulonimbus clouds.

Cyclonic storms and air masses move across the United States along __________, which shift in latitude with the seasons.

As anybody who has seen the movie "Twister" or "The Wizard of Oz" knows, tornadic winds, while strong, are not strong enough to lift cattle, trucks, houses, or wicked witches into the air.

In the Northern Hemisphere, an area of low pressure circulates clockwise.

A primary low-pressure area is associated with the regions located between 20 degrees to 35 degrees north and south latitude.

Which of these involves collision of an air mass into a mountain slope?

Which of the following air masses does not affect North America?

Which of these fogs can form as moist air moves horizontally over a cold ocean surface?

Winds that pick up large quantities of moisture as they flow equatorward to the ITCZ are called

Hail generally forms

Clouds that have vertical development that produce precipitation are called

Normal sea level pressure measured at 40° of latitude has a value of

The dry adiabatic rate (DAR) is _____ per thousand feet.

Adiabatic refers to a process occurring without a loss or gain of heat.

Condensation nuclei are

The annual frequency of tropical cyclones (hurricanes & typhoons) is greatest in which ocean?

The Polar Jet Stream is located about 4 to 5 miles above the _________.

Atmospheric pressure is about ½ (50%) normal (average) at an elevation of ____.

The moist adiabatic rate is applied to rising air __________.

Air masses of different temperatures and moisture properties usually mix well when they meet to produce mild weather conditions.

Air within the ITCZ lifts by a process called