Chapter 6 Review
a wind rose points at the the direction From which the wind blow FROM
.
Dust and leaves blowing down street and sidewalk
13-18 mph
Whistling heard in telephone wires
25-31 mph
The "normal" high temperature for a given day is determined from the ____ averaged high temperature for that day.
30-year
Small branches breaking off trees
39-46 mph
Leaves rustling in trees
4-7 mph
If you were looking at a weather map with isobars drawn on it, what would you look for to find the area where the horizontal pressure gradient is the strongest?
An area where isobars are close together.
The ____ force is an apparent force created by Earth's rotatio
Coriolis
Near the Earth's surface, when outgoing infrared energy exceeds incoming solar energy, the air temperature:
Decreases
A wind direction of 315° can also be described as a wind blowing from the _______________ .
Northwest
A wind direction of 180° can also be described as a wind blowing from the _______________ .
South
Suppose a column of air has constant air temperature. What would happen if we force more air into the column?
The air would become more dense, and the surface air pressure would increase.
Upper-level winds blow from west to east in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
True
When air temperature is held constant and dew point temperature increases, relative humidity [a]. When air temperature rises and dew point temperature stays the same, relative humidity [b]. When air temperature is held constant and relative humidity increases, dew point temperature [c]. When air temperature is held constant and relative humidity increases, saturation vapor pressure [d].
When air temperature is held constant and dew point temperature increases, relative humidity increases. When air temperature rises and dew point temperature stays the same, relative humidity decreases. When air temperature is held constant and relative humidity increases, dew point temperature increases. When air temperature is held constant and relative humidity increases, saturation vapor pressure stays the same.
radiosonde
a n instrument package designed to measure the vertical profile of temperature, pressure, and humidity
anemometer
a n instrument that measures wind speed
wind profile
a n instrument that obtains the vertical profile of wind speed and direction up to an altitude of 16 km above the ground
A surface low pressure center is generally associated with ____ on an upper-air isobaric
a trough
wind vane
a very old, yet reliable, weather instrument for determining wind direction
To correctly monitor horizontal changes in air pressure, the most important correction for a mercury barometer measurement is the correction for ____.
altitude
Winds blow slightly inward ____.
around surface low pressure centers in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
The pressure gradient force is directed from higher pressure toward lower pressure ____.
at all places on Earth
In the vertical, the pressure gradient force points ____ and gravity points ____.
away from Earth; toward Earth
Cyclonic flow means ____ in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
circulation around a low pressure center
The wind around a surface low pressure center in the Southern Hemisphere blows ____ the center.
clockwise and inward toward
The wind around a surface high pressure center in the Northern Hemisphere blows ____ the center.
clockwise and outward from
The surface air around a strengthening low pressure area normally ____, while, above the system, the air normally ____.
converges; diverges
The surface pressures at the bases of warm and cold columns of air are equal. Air pressure in the warm column of air will ____ with increasing height ____ than in the cold column.
decrease; more slowly
Suppose that the winds aloft in the Northern Hemisphere are geostrophic and blowing from the north. Low pressure is located to the ____.
east
Which combination produces the strongest Coriolis force?
fast winds and high latitude
A ____ wind blows at a constant speed parallel to straight line isobars, with the pressure gradient force (PGF) and the Coriolis force in balance.
geostrophic
Which force does not have a direct effect on horizontal wind motions?
gravitational force
The atmosphere around Earth would rush off into space if the upward-directed pressure gradient force were not exactly balanced by ____.
gravity
On an upper-air chart, normally we find warm air associated with ____ pressure, and cold air associated with ____ pressure.
high; low
A ridge on an upper-air isobaric chart indicates ____.
higher-than-average heights
When the upward-directed pressure gradient force is in balance with the downward pull of gravity, the atmosphere is in ____.
hydrostatic equilibrium
If Earth's gravitational force were to increase, atmospheric pressure at the ground would ____.
increase
Atmospheric pressure changes ____.
more rapidly in the vertical direction than in the horizontal
On an upper-air chart, the wind aloft tends to blow ____.
parallel to the isobars or contours
The scale on an altimeter indicates altitude, but an altimeter actually measures ____.
pressure
The force that causes the wind to blow is the ____ force.
pressure gradient
We can generally expect the air to be ____ above areas of surface low pressure and ____ above areas of surface high pressure.
rising; sinking
An anemometer measures ______________ and a barometer measures _____________.
wind speed; atmospheric pressure
An object is falling at constant speed. The net force is ____.
zero
aerovane
a n instrument that indicates both wind speed and direction
