Air flows___ a surface high pressure area because the density of the air in the high pressure zone is____ than that of the surrounding air.
Out of; more dense.
If Earth did not rotate, air would flow
Perpendicular to the isobars, i.e. straight across the isobars.
Which of the following is true of high pressure areas?
Air descends and diverges within high pressure systems.
On a weather map of air pressure, what can you infer from a closer spacing of isobars?
A steep pressure gradient creating a faster flow of air.
Which of the following describes the Coriolis force?
It causes the apparent deflection of winds from a straight path.
The deflection produced by the Coriolis force is caused by
The fact that Earth's rotation decreases in speed toward the poles.
In the absence of friction, the combined effect of the Coriolis force and the pressure gradient force produces
Geostrophic winds at high altitudes above the ground.
The inter tropical convergence zone is characterized by
Convergence and uplift of warm surface air.
Between 20 degrees to 35 degrees north latitude and 20 to 35 degrees south latitude are
The world's arid and semi-arid desert regions.
Winds that blow predominantly from the northeast and the southeast are the
Trade winds.
The dominant surface winds from the subtropics to high latitudes are the
Westerlies.
If you were between 40 and 50 degrees north latitude and you wanted to stand with the average winds blowing in your face, you would stand facing
West.
Air flow in a northern hemisphere high pressure zone is
Downward, outward, and clockwise.
Within the upper-air westerly wind flow are great waving undulations
Known as Rossby waves that involve contact between cooler and warmer air masses.
The jet streams help control
The movement of high and low pressure systems. The movement of storms. The boundary between cold polar air to the north and warm air to the south.
Land-sea breezes are caused by
Onshore (toward the land) air flows that develop in the afternoon as the land heats faster than neighboring water surfaces.
Mountain-valley breezes are caused by
Warm air rising upslope during the day and cooler air descending the slopes at night.
The winds that blow off the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland are
Called katabatic winds.
Monsoonal winds are
Regional wind systems that seasonally vary.
Ocean currents are produced by
Friction, Coriolis force, and water density differences only.
Which of the following is true of upwelling zones?
They are nutrient-rich. They occur along the west coasts of continents. They are most common above deep basins.
Weather is
The short-term condition of the atmosphere.
Over the last two decades, costs for weather-related destruction has, on an annual basis,
Increased five-fold.
Earth is properly characterized as
The water planet.
Water covers some____ of Earth's surface.
71%.
Water has a density of
1 g/cm.
When water freezes, its density
Decreases.
Which of the following is true of the distribution of land and water on Earth?
The Southern Hemisphere is dominated by water.
The largest portion of fresh water today is located in
Ice caps and glaciers.
Other than ice sheets and glaciers, the largest repository of fresh water is located in
Groundwater.
Water molecules bind tightly to one another. This is a result of
Hydrogen bonding.
Water is a good solvent because
It has an asymmetrical charge distribution (one end is positive and the other is negative).
Surface tension and capillarity are the result of
Hydrogen bonding between water molecules.
The term "deposition" refers to
Water vapor freezing to ice.
What is the heat energy involved in the change of state, or phase, in water?
Latent heat.
Which of the following phase changes involves the greatest number of calories?
Sublimation.
Which of the following is correctly matched?
C to A: Sublimation.
Which of the following is correctly matched?
A to B: 540 calories released by water.
When water condenses, it____ heat energy and____ the surrounding air.
Releases; heats.
When frost forms, it
Warms the air by releasing 680 calories of heat energy to the air per gram of water.
When water evaporates, it____ heat energy and____ the surrounding air.
Absorbs; cools.
In winter, freezing water can break pipes and even crack engine blocks. Why does this happen?
Water expands in volume as it freezes in response to hydrogen bonding.
Water vapor in the atmosphere is called
Humidity.
Relative humidity is
The amount of water vapor in the air at a given temperature expressed as a percentage of the moisture capacity of the air.
The capacity of the air to hold water vapor is basically a function of
The temperature of both the water vapor and the air.
A mass of air always becomes saturated when it reaches the
Dew-point temperature.
A humidity measure that remains constant as temperature and pressure change, and which is expressed as a mass of water vapor per mass (g/kg) of air is
Specific humidity.
As temperature increases during the day, relative humidity usually
Decreases.
The elevation at which the bottoms of clouds begin to form represents the elevation at which
Dew point occurs. Relative humidity reaches 100%.
The general term that refers to the tendency of a parcel of air to either remain in place or change its initial position is_____.
Stability.