Weather Unit: 19-20

ESRT pgs. 1, 12, 13 and 14 – Be able to use all of the diagrams and tables

Be able to label all diagrams you drew in your notes or had in a lab (including Gizmos).

1. What are the top two gasses (by percentage) that we have in our atmosphere?

Nitrogen and oxygen are the most common.

2. What are particulates?

It is the sum of all solid and liquid particles floating in the air.

3. What is ozone? Where is it found in our atmosphere? What is its job?

It is a pale blue ball of gas. It is located in the lower stratosphere and its job is to shield the earth.

4. What are the four layers of our atmosphere?

Troposphere,stratosphere,mesosphere,thermosphere,and exosphere.

5. In which layer is the highest concentration of gases? Where do planes fly?

Troposphere and stratosphere

6. What creates wind and weather?

Wind is created by atmospheric pressure and weather is created by heat and the sun.

7. What are the three different global wind patterns? Which one affects us in PA?

Polar easterlies,prevailing westerlies,tropical easterlies

8. What weather instrument is used to measure wind speed? Wind direction?

Anemometer

9. Describe how a land breeze and a sea breeze form.

Land breeze is created when the land is colder than the water and vice versa for sea breeze.

10. Describe how a mountain breeze and a valley breeze form.

During the day the sun heats up the mountain air rapidly while the valley remains cooler.During the
day the sun warms the air along the mountain and warm air rises up the mountain creating a valley
breeze.
11. What is the Coriolis effect?

It describes the turn off the wind.

12. When an air mass forms, it is named for its moisture and temperature. What are the names of the
5 major air masses of N. America? Which air masses have a higher moisture content? Which air
masses are colder?

Continental Polar

Continental Arctic

Maritime Polar

Maritime Tropical

Continental Tropical

13. What is a front?

A weather front is a boundary separating air masses of several characteristics such as air density,
wind, and humidity.

14. What type of weather is associated with a warm front?

Stormy weather.

15. What type of weather is associated with a cold front?

gusty and heavy rain, sometimes with hail, thunder, and lightning

16. What type of weather is associated with a stationary front?

Rain or snow often falls, especially if the front is in an area of low atmospheric pressure.

17. What type of weather is associated with an occluded front?

Windy weather.Rain

18. What type of weather instrument is used to monitor air pressure? What units are used to record
air pressure? Where can you find this in your ESRT?

barometer

19. What are the names of the two pressure systems? Which way does the air move around each
pressure system? Each of these systems has another name, what is it?

Wind circulation in the northern and southern hemisphere

20. Why does cold air sink from the upper atmosphere down onto the surface of the Earth?

The troposphere undergoes circulation because of convection.

21. Which pressure system is associated with nice, fair, weather? Why does this happen? (Hint:
Which way is the air going?)

high air pressure system

22. Why does warmer air rise off of the surface of the Earth?

Warm air rises primarily due its lower density as compared to cooler air

23. Which pressure system is associated with rain and storms? Why does this happen? (Include
density in your answer.)

Low pressure

24. A low pressure system is spinning counterclockwise, toward the center, and air is rising. Which
side of the low pressure system will have warmer air? Which side of the low pressure system will have
colder air? (Look at the online homework diagram.)

25. What should you do during a thunder and lightning storm? (To stay safe from the lightning and
winds?)

if no shelter is available, crouch low, with as little of your body touching the ground as possible.Stay
away from concrete floors or walls.

26. What safety measures should you follow if your town has a tornado warning?

Go to a safe shelter immediately, such as a safe room, basement, storm cellar or a small interior room
on the lowest level of a sturdy building. Stay away from windows, doors, and outside walls

27. What safety measures should you follow if you think you are experiencing a heat emergency?

Move the person out of the heat and into a shady or air-conditioned place,lay the person down and
elevate the legs and feet slightly,remove tight or heavy clothing,have the person drink cool water or
other nonalcoholic beverage without caffeine.

28. What safety measures should you follow if you think you are experiencing a cold emergency?

wear at least three layers of loose fitting clothing,wear a hat or hood to help keep your whole body
warmer,use a knit mask to cover the face and mouth,use insulated gloves to protect the hands
Can you answer all of the questions at the end of the reading sections without using your notes?

Vocab – know the definitions for these words.

Nitrogen oxygen particulate convection troposphere stratosphere

Mesosphere thermosphere ozone dew point humidity condensation

Evaporation precipitation cirrus barometer millibars inches of Hg

High pressure low pressure wind westerlies trade wind polar easterlies

cP mT cT mP cA all fronts

mesocyclone tornado lightning supercell station model overcast

cumulonimbus