Deck 12: Wind and Weather Systems

Question 1

What settings are necessary for the development of a hurricane? Hurricanes are quite rare in South America. Why do you think this is the case?

Answer 1

Hurricanes require specific environmental conditions to develop, including warm ocean waters, moist air, and low wind shear. The warm ocean waters provide the necessary heat and moisture for the storm to form and strengthen, while low wind shear allows the storm to maintain its structure and intensity.

In the case of South America, hurricanes are rare because the region lacks the necessary environmental conditions for their development. The waters off the coast of South America are generally cooler than those in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, which are more conducive to hurricane formation. Additionally, the atmospheric conditions in South America, such as high wind shear, often prevent the development and intensification of hurricanes. As a result, South America experiences fewer hurricanes compared to other regions with more favorable environmental conditions.

Question 2

What are the major air masses that influence North America? What are the general weather conditions associated with each type of air mass?

Answer 2

The major air masses that influence North America are the Maritime Tropical (mT), Continental Tropical (cT), Maritime Polar (mP), Continental Polar (cP), and Continental Arctic (cA) air masses.

1. Maritime Tropical (mT): These air masses originate from the warm tropical waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. They are warm and humid, and when they move over the continent, they can bring warm temperatures and high humidity, often resulting in thunderstorms, heavy rain, or snow if the air is cold enough.

2. Continental Tropical (cT): These air masses form over hot, dry desert regions like the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. They are hot and dry, and when they move over the continent, they can bring hot, dry weather, often resulting in drought conditions.

3. Maritime Polar (mP): These air masses form over the cold ocean waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic. They are cold and humid, and when they move over the continent, they can bring cool, damp weather, often resulting in fog, drizzle, and cool temperatures.

4. Continental Polar (cP): These air masses form over the cold, dry regions of northern Canada and Alaska. They are cold and dry, and when they move over the continent, they can bring cold, dry weather, often resulting in clear skies and cold temperatures.

5. Continental Arctic (cA): These air masses form over the Arctic regions of Canada and Alaska. They are extremely cold and dry, and when they move over the continent, they can bring extremely cold temperatures and very dry conditions, often resulting in frigid temperatures and clear skies.

Question 3

__________ is the average seasonal weather conditions of a place.

Answer 3

Climate

Question 4

__________ is air movement that arises from differences in air pressure.

Question 5

The __________ force results from the drop in air pressure per unit of distance.

Question 6

On weather maps, places of equal air pressure are connected by lines called __________ .

Question 7

Winds that result from a balance between pressure-gradient flow and the Coriolis deflection are called __________ winds.

Question 8

Air spiraling inward around a low-pressure center is called a __________ .

Question 9

The inward spiral flow in a cyclone causes ___________ , which leads to an upward flow of air at the center of the low.

Question 10

A __________ is a seasonally reversing wind system.

Question 11

The __________ Oscillation is a periodic variation in the air pressure differential across the tropical Pacific.

Question 12

The flow of cold, dense air under the influence of _________ is called a katabatic wind.

Question 13

A ___________ is a tropical cyclonic storm with maximum wind speeds that exceed 119 km/hour.

Question 14

Thunderstorms develop when an updraft of warm, humid air releases a lot of __________ heat very quickly and becomes unstable.

Question 15

__________ are small features relative to the thunderstorms with which they are associated.

Question 16

Drought is an extreme-weather phenomenon in which a region experiences __________ average rainfall for an extended period.

Question 17

The surface of a polar desert, unlike the surfaces of warmer latitudes, is often underlain by abundant __________ .

Question 18

__________ storms are most frequent in the vast arid and semiarid regions of central Australia, western China, Russian Central Asia, Kazakhstan, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Question 19

Earth's weather system is full of __________ , both positive and negative.

Question 20

One of the most successful approaches to complex systems has been the application of ___________ theory, which comes from a branch of mathematics that focuses on the study of complex, dynamic systems.

Question 21

The five variables that describe the state of the atmosphere and weather are temperature, air pressure, humidity, cloudiness, and wind speed and direction.

Question 22

The magnitude of the pressure difference in a particular location controls the wind speed.

Question 23

The higher the wind speed, the thicker the boundary layer of still air around the skin.

Question 24

Friction slows airflow over the rough surface of land or water.

Question 25

Winds that result from a balance between the pressure-gradient force and the Coriolis effect are called sea breezes.

Question 26

The major characteristics of an air mass are determined by its source location.

Question 27

The Coriolis effect causes air to flow from the equator to the poles in a straight line.

Question 28

Warm air that rises in the tropics creates the intertropical convergence zone.

Question 29

In each hemisphere, on the poleward side of the Hadley cells, there is a midlatitude circulation system.

Question 30

In the polar cells, warm, moist air uplifts near the poles, creating low-pressure convergence zones.

Question 31

A monsoon is a seasonally reversing wind system.

Question 32

The zone of high rainfall normally situated near Indonesia shifts towards the central Pacific, bringing dry conditions to Indonesia.

Question 33

Land breezes, sea breezes, and katabatic winds are examples of global wind systems.

Question 34

Midlatitude cyclones last for months and are responsible for most everyday weather events in the polar regions.

Question 35

Hurricanes originate as high-pressure centers over the Atlantic Ocean.

Question 36

Thunderstorms develop over land when an updraft of warm, humid air releases latent heat very quickly.

Question 37

Polar deserts experience extremely high precipitation as a result of the rising, warm, moist air.

Question 38

Major dust storms occur in deserts as a result of fine sediment being lifted by turbulent airflow and carried along as the wind's suspended load.

Question 39

The atmosphere is a complex, dynamic system with multiple feedbacks, both positive and negative.

Question 40

What creates the sound of thunder?

A) Strong downdrafts.
B) The collision of hailstones with the ground.
C) Rapid heating of air due to lightning.
D) Strong updrafts.

Question 41

What leads to the rapid dissipation of a hurricane?

A) Collision with cold water.
B) Collision with land.
C) Both of these.

Question 42

Which of the following determines the speed of wind?

A) Tides.
B) Coriolis effect.
C) Pressure Gradient Force.
D) All of these.

Question 43

What is the Pressure Gradient Force?

A) Earth's moving magnetic field.
B) The pressure exerted by the ocean water on the ocean floor.
C) The force which directs winds to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere.
D) The force of air pressure resulting from the change in air pressure over a certain distance.

Question 44

The subpolar low is centered at approximately degrees north and south latitudes.

A) 5 degrees.
B) 45 degrees.
C) 30 degrees.
D) 60 degrees.

Question 45

A surface wind over which of the following surfaces would typically be the fastest?

A) Urban area.
B) Ice-covered lake.
C) Forest area.
D) Rocky covered beach.

Question 46

Where is the Coriolis effect the strongest?

A) At the Equator.
B) At the North and South poles.
C) At the Tropic of Capricorn.
D) At 45 degrees north and south latitudes.

Question 47

When do you think a sea breeze would be the strongest?

A) During a bright winter day.
B) During a bright summer day.
C) At night during the summer.
D) At night during the winter.

Question 48

On a weather map, what do closely spaced isobars indicate?

A) High pressure gradient force and strong winds.
B) Weak pressure gradient force and weak winds.
C) High pressure gradient force and weak winds.
D) Weak pressure gradient force and strong winds.

Question 49

Winds are named for

A) Their apparent destination.
B) The direction from where they came.
C) The scientist who discovered them.
D) Completely random.

Question 50

With decreasing surface friction, the Coriolis effect on wind is

A) Unchanged.
B) Decreased.
C) Increased.
D) Need more information.

Question 51

Most of the United States in influenced by which of the following major wind systems?

A) Monsoonal winds.
B) Northeast tradewinds.
C) Polar easterly winds.
D) Westerly winds.

Question 52

Generally, the Indian Monsoon is attributed to

A) The westerly winds.
B) A seasonal shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.
C) The Polar easterly winds.
D) None of these.

Question 53

In the diagram below, a set of winds are labeled "A". What are these winds called?

A) Westerly winds.
B) Polar easterly winds.
C) Easterly tradewinds.

Question 54

In the diagram below, a set of winds are labeled "C". What are these winds called?

A) Westerly winds.
B) Polar easterly winds.
C) Easterly tradewinds.

Question 55

In the diagram below, a pressure belt is labeled "D". What is this pressure belt called?

A) Polar high.
B) Equatorial low.
C) Subpolar low.
D) Subtropical high.

Question 56

Many of the largest and driest deserts of the world coincide with the position of the

A) Subpolar low.
B) Subtropical high.
C) Equatorial low.
D) None of these.

Question 57

The Indian Monsoon winds in the summer

A) Flow from west to east.
B) Occur only on midlatitude west coasts.
C) Flow from land toward the ocean.
D) Move from the oceans to the land.

Question 58

The highest rates of evaporation typically occur over

A) Deserts.
B) Tropical oceans.
C) Polar regions.
D) Midlatitudes.

Question 59

During a strong El Nino year, if the air pressure is very high over Darwin, Australia, what will the air pressure be like over Tahiti and the eastern Pacific?

A) Low pressure.
B) High pressure.
C) Cannot be determined.
D) Moderate pressure.

Question 60

A La Nina year is the exact opposite to an El Nino year. With this said, during a La Nina condition, what will the weather over the western Pacific be like?

A) Very rainy.
B) Very dry.
C) Moderately wet.
D) Moderately dry.

Question 61

The air in a cP are mass is generally

A) Hot and dry.
B) Warm and wet.
C) Cold and dry.

Question 62

The air in a cT air mass is generally

A) Cold and dry.
B) Hot and dry.
C) Warm and wet.

Question 63

As air in the upper atmosphere migrates toward the poles (which the Hadley Cell), it is forced back down to the Earth. At what approximate latitude does this occur?

A) 30 degrees north and south latitude.
B) 10 degrees north and south latitude.
C) 50 degrees north and south latitude.
D) 60 degrees north and south latitude.

Question 64

The North American Midwest winter has a lot of precipitation. The precipitation is due to

A) Orographic factors.
B) The interaction of cold and warm air masses near the subpolar low.
C) Friction of the air with rough surfaces.
D) All of these.

Question 65

If the Earth was not rotating on its axis (but was stationary instead), how would wind flow?

A) The air would flow straight up.
B) The air would flow very, very fast.
C) Air would flow directly from high to low pressure.
D) The atmosphere would be lost to space, and we would have not wind at all.

Question 66

When does a land breeze usually form?

A) In the evening, flowing toward the water.
B) In the evening, flowing toward land.
C) In the day, flowing toward water.
D) In the day, flowing toward land.

Question 67

What are fast moving "rivers" of air found near the top of the troposphere called?

A) Land breezes.
B) Chinook winds.
C) Jet streams.
D) Pressure gradients.

Question 68

Which of the following do you think should have the highest pressure gradient force?

A) Thunderstorm.
B) Midlatitude cyclone.
C) Midlatitude anticyclone.
D) Tornado.

Question 69

A prolonged drought can lead to trees dying. The loss of vegetation can lead to the exposure of dry and bare soil. The soil can then become more easily eroded. The erosion may lead to dust storms and further erosion. The greater amount of erosion may lead to more vegetation loss, and so on. The above is an example of

A) Positive feedback.
B) Negative feedback.