1 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING 8.

1
1. How does a change in the curvature of airflow affect the speed of the flow as air flows
from a ridge to a trough? A trough to a ridge?
A. Air decelerates from a ridge to a trough and accelerates from a trough to a ridge.
2. What is a jetstreak?
A. A jetstreak is a region of exceptionally strong winds embedded in a jetstream.
3. Where will a low-pressure center form at the surface relative to an upper air trough and
ridge? (Assume a jetstreak is in the base of the trough.)
A. A low pressure center will form on the east side of the trough under the left exit region of
the jetstreak.

2 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING 8.2

1. How does surface friction modify the pressure at the center of low-and high-pressure
systems?
A. Surface friction causes air to flow into lows, increasing the central pressure, and out of
highs, decreasing their central pressure.
2. If an air column is heated through latent heat release, how will the surface pressure
change?
A. The surface pressure will lower when an air column is heated.
3. If an air column is cooled through radiative cooling, how will the surface pressure
change?
A. The surface pressure will increase when an air column is cooled.

1 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING 9.1

1. How large and how deep is a typical airmass?
A. Area is typically over one million square km (> 1000 km1000 km); depth ranges from 1
or 2 km to the depth of the troposphere.
2. What characteristics make a region a good source for airmasses?
A. Good source regions are flat and have relatively homogeneous surface characteristics.
3. What is the relationship between airmasses and fronts?

A. Fronts are boundaries between airmasses.

2 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING 9.2

1. What are the three criteria used to classify fronts?
A. (1) thermal and moisture characteristics of the airmasses, (2) direction and movement of
the airmasses, and (3) whether or not the boundary between the airmasses is in contact
with the ground.
2. What are the six different types of fronts? How are they depicted on weather maps?
A. Warm front, cold front, stationary front, occluded front, dry line, upper-level front. See
Fig. 9A for how they are depicted on maps.
3. For each of the six fronts, which airmass is most dense and which airmass is lifted?
A. For all but dry line: Colder airmass is denser; warmer airmasses is lifted.
For dry line: Drier airmass is typically denser, moist airmass is lifted.

3 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING 9.3

1. List at least five variables that can be used to identify the position of fronts on weather
maps.
A. Temperature, dewpoint, wind speed, wind direction, pressure. Also, characteristic frontal
weather: a line of showers or thunderstorms; a transition from clear to cloudy sky.
2. Where do cold air damming and cold air trapping typically occur?
A. Cold air damming: along east side of Appalachian Mountains. Cold air is also dammed
along Rockies.
Cold air trapping: in Appalachian valleys. Also Columbia River valley.
3. How would you identify a dry line on a map of station reports?
A. A sharp contrast (gradient) of dewpoint temperature. Dryline is located at leading edge
of sharp dewpoint temperature gradient. A wind shift often accompanies dry line (SE or S
ahead of dry line, W or NW behind dry line).