PSC1121 (part 2)
Hurricanes and typhoons generally develop within the _________ latitudinal zones
10-20 degrees N and S
Standard sea level atmospheric pressure is _________
1013.2 mb
The tile of the earths axis _________
23 1/2 degrees from a perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic
easterly waves predominantly occur within the _________ latitudinal zones
5-30 degrees N and S
the leading edge of a polar outbreak is _________
a cold front with squalls
The coriolis effect is _________
a result of the Earth's counterclockwise rotation around its axis
minimum daily temperatures usually occur _________
about one half hour after sunrise
_________ temperature changes occur in parcels of air solely as a result of air expansion or compression
adiabatic
_________ fog forms when warm, moist air moves over a colder surface
advection
The percentage of shortwave radiant energy scattered upward by a surface is termed its _________
albedo
Wind speed is measured by an instrument called an _________
anemometer
an _________ is a center of high pressure and is generally responsible for fair weather
anticyclone
the _________ encompasses all living organisms on earth
biosphere
_________ produces the largest greenhouse effect in today's atmosphere
carbon dioxide
the _________ divides the earth into a sunlit side and a night side
circle of illumination
The earths atmosphere is _________
constantly changing
Tropical weather tends to be _________
convective in nature
urban surface temperatures tend to be warmer than rural temps during the day because _________
drier surfaces have less water to evaporate than do moist soils
Relative humidity is usually the lowest during the _________
early afternood
The _________ measures the decrease of air temperature with increasing altitude at a given location and time
environmental lapse rate
The largest u.s. death toll in a natural disaster occurred from a hurricane that struct _________
galveston, texas in 1900
Global surface ocean currents are dominated by huge, wind driven circular _________ centered near the subtropical high pressure cells
gyres
hadley cells are driven by _________
heat from the sun
A northern hemisphere anticyclone is a _________
high pressure system that rotates clockwise
during the winter in the midlatitudes, we expect to find _________ surface pressures over the land and _________ surface pressures over the ocean. This _________ in the summer.
high; low; switches
The northern lights occur due to the excitation of charged particles in the _________
ionosphere
On weather maps, _________ connect lines of equal atmospheric pressure
isobars
_________ are lines of equal temperature drawn on a weather map
isotherms
The _________ is the metric unit for mass
kilogram
a _________ forms between two high pressure cells
low pressure trough
A system for changing the geographic grid to a flat grid is a _________
map projection
The _________ lapse rate is in effect when a parcel of air rises above the condensation level
moist adiabatic
_________ is the difference between all incoming radiation and all outgoing radiation
net radiation
during an equinox, the circle of illumination passes through the _________
north and south poles
relative to adjacent ocean surfaces, isotherms over a large continental land mass tend to shift _________ in latitude during the winder and _________ in latitude during the summer
north; south
poleward heat transfer involves the flow of heat by _________ and _________ from the lower latitudes to the polar regions
oceanic currents; atmospheric currents
_________ precipation is a result of air being lifted over a highland area
orographic
Upper air disturbances and midlatitude storms form near the _________
polar fronts
_________ mark the boundary between cold polar air and warm tropical air
polar fronts
The _________ projection centers on the North or South pole and displays the meridians as _________ lines
polar; straight
_________ are an unfavorable condition for the initial stages of tropical cyclone formation
presence of subsiding or sinking air
A parcel of air at the surface is subjected to three forces, and the balance among the _________, coriolis and frictional forces determines the direction of motion of the parcel of air
pressure gradient
In the case of electromagnetic energy, an object that is hot _________
radiates much more energy than a cool object
Destruction from tropical cyclones is not associated with _________
rapid temperate drops.
the intensity of tropical cyclones is categorized based on the _________
saffir-simpson scale
_________ is the process responsible for the turning aside of light rays in the atmosphere
scattering
a _________ is a suden rise of water level caused by a tropical cyclone
storm surge
the ozone layer is located in the _________
stratosphere
most of the worlds great deserts are located near the _________
subtropical high pressure centers
The closer together isobars are, _________
the higher the pressure gradient
jet streams are NOT due to _________ but they ARE a narrow band of high velocity winds located near the tropopause characterized by westerly winds in the subtropic and polar regions
the temperate difference between oceans and alnd
in the ocean, the boundary between warmer surface water and colder subsurface water is marked by the _________
thermocline
The annual revolution of earth around the sun generates a natural rhythm, or _________ of incoming solar energy flow
time cycle
The highest energy, shortest wavelength form of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun is _________
ultraviolet radiation
The ground can only radiate long wave radiation _________ but the atmosphere radiates long wave radiation _________
upward; in all directions
_________ concentration varies highly in the atmosphere
water vapor
A _________ system generates similar changes in the atmospheric state of a given region
weather
an occluded front occurs within a midlatitude cyclone _________
when a cold front has overtaken a warm front