Deck 5: Atmospheric Pressure, Winds, and Circulation Patterns

Question 1

Earth's wind systems migrate with the seasons.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Air pressure differences from one place to another can have thermal and ____ causes. ​

A)dynamic
B)doldrum
C)static
D)geothermal
E)ionic

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The subtropical high pressure regions are centered on approximately ____ degrees north and south latitude. ​

A)10
B)​30
C)​45
D)​60
E)​75

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The subtropical high pressure regions, generally located between latitudes 25° and 35° N and S, are belts of variable or calm winds called the "horse latitudes". ​

Question 5

Closely spaced isobars on a map indicate a strong pressure gradient. ​

Question 6

Weather conditions associated with subtropical highs are usually cloudy and rainy. ​

Question 7

Surface winds tend to blow from high pressure to lower pressure. ​

Question 8

Ocean currents play a significant role in helping to equalize the heat imbalance between the tropical and polar regions. ​

Question 9

A wind is named for the direction toward which it blows. ​

Question 10

In the Northern Hemisphere, the wind circulation in a low is clockwise, spiraling outward. ​

Question 11

Earth's system of winds and pressure cells is a response to the differential heating of Earth's regions by insolation. ​

Question 12

A "cyclone" is also a general term for a(n)____. ​

A)low pressure area
B)high pressure area
C)El Niño
D)Santa Ana wind
E)jet stream

Question 13

A geostrophic wind will flow perpendicular to isobars. ​

Question 14

The ____ is a semi-permanent pressure system characterized by sinking air. ​

A)equatorial low
B)subtropical high
C)Icelandic low
D)westerly
E)Gyre

Question 15

The high pressure over the North Pole weakens during the summer. ​

Question 16

The Pacific High develops during the winter. ​

Question 17

The polar jet stream flows in the tropopause, near the polar front and follows a curved path in the form of long waves. ​

Question 18

The phenomenon of monsoon winds and their seasonal shifting can be fully explained by the differential heating of land and water. ​

Question 19

Elevation usually refers to a height in the air, and altitude refers to a height on the surface above (or below)sea level. ​

Question 20

Standard sea level pressure is equal to ____. ​

A)76 millibars
B)1013.2 millibars
C)108 bars
D)15.3 kilobars
E)7.6 megabars

Question 21

The ____ side of a hill is the sheltered, down-wind side that faces in the direction the wind is blowing toward. ​

A)geostrophic
B)windward
C)prevailing
D)leeward
E)divergent

Question 22

Chinook (or foehn)winds are ____. ​

A)cold, moist, upslope winds
B)warm, dry, downslope winds
C)cold, dry, downslope winds
D)warm, moist, upslope winds
E)the same temperature as their surroundings, but especially high velocity

Question 23

The broad circulatory patterns of the major surface ocean currents are called ____. ​

A)streamlines
B)gyres
C)eddies
D)Rossby waves
E)jet streams

Question 24

The ____ exists where the westerlies and polar easterlies meet. ​

A)doldrums
B)polar front
C)middle latitude convergence zone
D)Icelandic front
E)Southern Oscillation

Question 25

The first belt of wind you encounter moving north or south from the equator is the ____. ​

A)polar easterlies
B)Aleutians
C)westerlies
D)tropical divergents
E)trade winds

Question 26

Which of these features form because, at high altitude, air pressure differences above cold and warm air regions cause air to move from warm regions towards cold ones? ​

A)El Niño
B)Azores high
C)jet streams
D)polar easterlies
E)gyres

Question 27

The zone of low pressure and calm winds located near the equator is referred to as the ____.

A)horse latitudes
B)doldrums
C)easterlies
D)westerlies
E)jet stream

Question 28

At a latitude of 80 ° S, the prevailing surface winds would be ____. ​

A)easterly
B)southerly
C)westerly
D)northerly
E)unpredictable

Question 29

When winds blow toward the center of a cyclone, this is called ____. ​

A)collection
B)compression
C)divergence
D)collision
E)convergence

Question 30

El Niño conditions are characterized by ____. ​

A)stronger westerlies over the northern Atlantic Ocean
B)monsoon winds over India
C)strong upwelling along the western coast of South America
D)a warm countercurrent that replaces cold coastal waters
E)unusually large Rossby waves over the northern Pacific Ocean

Question 31

The monsoon winds in summer ____. ​

A)move from the oceans over the land
B)occur only on middle latitude west coasts
C)flow from land toward the oceans
D)are a main feature of the world-wide zonal pattern of circulation
E)form where air moves over mountain ranges

Question 32

Average temperatures in Great Britain would be colder if it were not for the ____. ​

A)Kurushio Current
B)Humboldt Current
C)North Atlantic Drift
D)Agulhas Current
E)North Pacific Drift

Question 33

The westerlies and the trade winds both have their origin in the ____. ​

A)polar highs
B)subtropical highs
C)equatorial lows
D)subpolar lows
E)doldrums

Question 34

On a map showing barometric pressure around an anticyclone, the values of isobars will ____ as you move towards the center of the anticyclone. ​

A)decrease
B)stay constant
C)increase
D)increase and then decrease
E)decrease and then increase

Question 35

El Niño is a time of ____. ​

A)warmer than normal ocean water in the Pacific Ocean west of South America
B)colder than normal ocean water in the Pacific Ocean west of South America
C)strong upwelling off the west coast of South America
D)abnormally fast ocean currents worldwide
E)stronger than normal currents carrying warm water towards Western Europe

Question 36

Where does the Coriolis effect have the greatest impact? ​

A)at the equator
B)at the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer
C)at thepoles
D)at 45 degrees latitude in each hemisphere
E)in the Northern Hemisphere

Question 37

One reason land masses affect the development of belts of atmospheric pressure is because ____. ​

A)land masses are consistently warmer than the oceans year-round
B)of the evaporation from lakes and streams
C)land masses cause Coriolis deflection
D)land masses are drier
E)of the differential heating of land and water

Question 38

What is the primary factor in the flow of the surface ocean currents? ​

A)sea level differences
B)the jet streams
C)evaporation patterns
D)surface winds
E)Rossby waves

Question 39

When cold, dense air accumulates in a high valley, plateau, or snowfield within a mountains area, and flows strongly down slopes to pour out onto the land below, these winds are called ____. ​

A)land breeze
B)katabatic (or drainage)winds
C)Santa Ana winds
D)chinook (or foehn)winds
E)valley breeze

Question 40

The transport of heat along Earth's surface by winds is an example of which type of energy transfer? ​

A)radiation
B)latent heat exchange
C)conduction
D)advection
E)convection

Question 41

Why are precipitation and cloud associated with low pressure systems, and clear conditions associated with high pressure systems? ​

Question 42

The side of any object that faces the direction from which a wind is coming is called the _______________ side. ​

Question 43

Winds that blow from the north are called _______________ winds. ​

Question 44

The seesaw pattern of atmospheric pressure between the eastern and western Pacific Ocean is called the _______________ Oscillation. ​

Question 45

How can you tell if the winds entering a cyclone will be fast or slow on a particular day?

Question 46

During Northern Hemisphere winter, _______________ pressure cells develop over the land areas. ​

Question 47

At or near the surface, where winds encounter obstacles such as trees, building, topography, and slower moving layers of air, _______________ reduces the wind speed. ​

Question 48

Rainfall is heaviest during the _______________ season in a monsoon circulation system. ​

Question 49

An elongated belt of low pressure is referred to as a(n)____. ​

Question 50

In the Northern Hemisphere, winds appear to be deflected to the ____ by the Coriolis effect. ​

Question 51

Why is it hard to breathe at the top of Mt. Everest? ​

Question 52

Why do winds move parallel to isobars high above Earth's surface, but angle across the isobars near the surface? ​

Question 53

Lines displayed on maps that connect location points of equal pressure are called _______________. ​

Question 54

In an anticyclone, the winds _______________ at the surface. ​

Question 55

A wind blowing north-to-south is called a(n)_______________ wind. ​

Question 56

From time to time, the upper air westerlies and the associated polar jet stream develop meanders called long waves or _______________ waves. ​

Question 57

The instrument used to measure atmospheric pressureis called a(n)_______________.

Question 58

Explain the causes of land breezes versus sea breezes.

Question 59

Air that moves in response to atmospheric pressure differences is called _______________. ​

Question 60

The _____ winds converge at the Intertropical Convergence Zone. ​