Chapter 6 final
most abundant greenhouse gas that also influences air density
water vapor
The strength of a hurricane is ranked from 1 to 5 on the
Saffir-Simpson Scale
The average albedo of Earth's surface is about:
30%
The apparent deflection of air masses to the right or left (depending on latitude) as they move from one latitude to another is called the:
Coriolis effect
The intensity of tropical cyclones is measured by meteorologists using the __________ scale
Saffir-Simpson
The percentage of solar radiation reflected from the surface of Earth back into space is known as the
albedo
Inter-tropical Convergence Zone
area where warm, moist air rises close to the equator
Winds blowing out of the north toward the south in the southern hemisphere will appear to
be deflected toward the east.
A zone of high atmospheric pressure results when there is relatively __________ air aloft.
cool, dry
Low-pressure regions in the northern hemisphere rotate:
counterclockwise.
Tropic of Cancer
located at 23.5° N latitude
Earth's polar regions (above 60° latitude) are classified as deserts because
old, dry sinking air in the polar high regions produces little precipitation
Polar easterlies
prevailing wind pattern at polar latitudes
Air warmed by the land that rises and is replaced by cooler air from the ocean may produce a:
sea breeze
The Sun reaches its most northerly point in the sky, directly overhead along the Tropic of Cancer, during the:
summer solstice
The two factors that are most important in determining the density of air are
temperature and water vapor content
The thickness of sea ice is limited primarily by
the insulating nature of the ice itself
The wind belt(s) with strong, reliable, generally easterly winds is (are) the:
trade winds
The boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere
tropopause
The lowermost portion of the atmosphere where most weather occurs is called the:
troposphere
The temperate regions are characterized by:
westerly winds