Science Olympiad Meteorology Exam Questions And Answers

Science Olympiad Meteorology Exam Questions And Answers air mass - answera huge body of air that has similar temperature, humidity, and air pressure at any given height and a source region. Remember cP, cT, mP, mT, cA continental polar (cP) - answercold, dry stable air mass that forms over land continental tropical (cT) - answerunstable, warm, dry air mass that forms over land Winter - warm and dry Summer - Hot and dry maritime polar (mP) - answerunstable cold, moist air mass that forms over cold oceans-- Winter and Summer- cold and humid maritime tropical (mT) - answerwarm, moist air mass that is formed over water Stable if in Pacific Ocean (weather is warm and humid) Unstable in Atlantic Ocean(weather is warm and humid continental arctic (cA) - answervery cold, very dry stable air mass front - answerthe atmospheric phenomenon created at the boundary between two different air masses. Shown on map by colored lines with shapes cold front - answerforms when cold air moves under warm air which is less dense and pushes air up (produces thunderstorms heavy rain or snow) Blue line with triangles pointed towards where the front is going. Everything behind line is cold. warm front - answera front where warm air moves over cold air and brings drizzly rain and then are followed by warm and clear weather. Red line with half circles pointed towards where the front is going. Everything behind the line is cold. occluded front - answera front where a warm air mass is caught between two colder air masses and brings cool temperatures and large amounts of rain and snow. Purple line with half circles and triangles facing the same way stationary front - answerweak cold and warm air masses meet, but neither can move the other. Line with red half circles, blue triangles facing opposite directions. thunderstorm - answerthe most common severe storm, formed in cumulonimbus clouds. 3 ingredients needed are MOISTURE, UNSTABLE AIR, AND LIFT! Can produce lightning and hail. hurricane - answera severe storm that develops over tropical oceans and whose strong winds of more than 120 km/h spiral in toward the intensely low-pressure storm center (eye) tornado - answera localized and violently destructive windstorm occurring over land characterized by a funnel-shaped cloud or violent rotating airextending toward the ground from the thunderstorm. Need two different air masses clashing. weather station model - answera group of symbols used to communicate weather at a given place on Earth's surface; Data includes temperature current precipitation, pressure and pressure change, dew point, etc. It is the circle with readings listed around it. Coriolis effect - answerThe way Earth's rotation makes winds in the Northern Hemisphere curve to the right and winds in the Southern Hemisphere curve to the left. Helps define global circulation. trade winds - answerPrevailing winds that blow northeast from 30 degrees north latitude to the equator and that blow southeast from 30 degrees south latitude to the equator horse latitudes - answerare regions of high pressue and gentle winds at about 30 degrees north and south latitude/because of no wind, horses were thrown overboard in olden days doldrums - answera belt of calms and light winds between the northern and southern trade winds (equator area) of the Atlantic and Pacific, ALSO KNOWN AS ITCZ-Intercontinental Convergence Zone=moves with seasons westerlies - answerprevailing winds that blow from west to east between 30 degrees & 60degrees latitude in the hemisphere polar easterlies - answerprevailing winds that blow from east to west between 60 degrees and 90 degrees latitude in both hemispheres sub-polar low - answera low pressure area formed sixty degrees N when the prevailing westerlies rise above the polar easterlies jet stream - answera high-speed high-altitude airstream blowing from west to east near the top of the troposphere (There is a polar and subtropical) Has ridges (rises) and troughs (dips) isobar - answera line drawn to connect points of equal atmospheric pressure - closer the lines, the more wind air pressure - answerthe measure of the force with which air molecules push on a surface pressure gradient - answerthe amount of pressure change occurring over a given distance