Transcript Chapter 20 Test Review Notes

Chapter 20 Test Review
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Meteorology Notebook
A tornado’s funnel cloud results when the air
sucked into the funnel expands and cools.
A maritime tropical air mass would cause a hot,
humid spell in the northeastern United States
during the summer.
The radiosonde contains a thermometer,
hygrometer, and a psychrometer.
When a cold front passes, the wind changes
direction.
Continental tropical (cT) air masses can be
characterized by hot and dry air.
• Maritime Tropical (mT)
– Originates over the tropical oceans
– Warm and Moist
• Continental Polar (cP)
– Originates over high latitude continents
(about 60 degrees north)
– Cold and dry
• Maritime Polar (mP)
– Originates over mid to high latitude
oceans.
– Cool and moist
MARITIME TROPICAL (MT)
CONTINENTAL POLAR (CP)
MARITIME POLAR (MP)
A maritime tropical air mass
would cause a hot, humid spell
in the northeastern United States
during the summer.
A front is a boundary between two air masses.
A stationary front is a front that does not move.
Continental arctic (cA) air masses can be
characterized by cold and dry air.
Cold fronts usually move more quickly than
warm fronts.
During an occluded front, a cold front overtakes
a warm front.
The approach of a warm front usually involves
the appearance of cirrus clouds.
Warm Front –
Cold Front –
Stationary Front –
Occluded Front --
In the Northern Hemisphere winds blow
counterclockwise around low-pressure
areas.
It takes approximately 4 days for a typical
mid-latitude low to move through its life
cycle.
A trough in an upper-air flow may cause
sinking air to increase the air pressure at
Earth’s surface.
Thunderstorms often occur in the afternoon
because surface warming throughout the
day causes unstable conditions in the
troposphere.
When an air mass first moves into a new
region the air mass has the
characteristics of its place of origin.
Hurricanes often weaken over land
because they no longer have a source
of humid air to provide heat from
condensation.
A blizzard is determined by its wind
speed, temperature, and the visibility
through the air.
Infrared satellites use temperature
measurements to create images.
A front is located by a forecaster using the
following:
• Changes in wind direction
• Temperature changes
• Dew point changes
Label each type of front shown in the diagram of a low
pressure system. Draw an arrow showing the
direction the wind is blowing at point B. Would you
expect the surface temperature to be warmer at point
C or at point D?
Occluded Front
The wind at point B
is blowing roughly
toward point C.
The temperature is
warmer at point C
than at point D.
Cold
Front
Warm Front
Why do cirrus clouds often precede the
arrival of a warm front? Why do cirrus
clouds arrive before other clouds as the
front approaches?
As the warm air approaches, it slides up
over the cold air mass ahead of it and
cools, forming clouds. The farthest
forward clouds are the highest up, so
the first clouds you see are cirrus
clouds.
In what ways are tornadoes and
hurricanes similar? What are the major
differences between these types of
storms?
Similarities:
• Both are violent storms that can cause
great damage.
• Both are associated with cumulonimbus
clouds and potentially heavy rains.
Differences:
•
•
•
•
Tornadoes are much smaller.
Tornadoes generally originate over land.
Tornadoes can be hard to recognize.
Tornadoes can have much higher wind
speeds.
• Hurricanes develop more slowly.
• Hurricanes last much longer (days vs.
minutes)
• Hurricanes get their energy from warm
water at the ocean’s surface.