Chapter 6-Weather

  • Insolation- heat energy from the sun that reaches the Earth.
  • Atmosphere- all the gasses that surround the Earth
  • Weather- a condition of the ______at a particular time and place.
  • Air pressure-the force put on a given area by the weight of the air above (we use the barometer)
  • What affects air pressure and weather?
  • Volume-how much space an object takes up
  • ______
  • Altitude- height above sea level
  • Humidity- water vapor in the air (we use the hygrometer)
  • Wind-movement of air from high pressure to lower pressure
  • Latitude- a measure of how far North or South from the equator.
  • ______- between 30 degrees N and 30 degrees S
  • Global wind- blows steadily over long distances in a predictable direction
  • Coriolis Effect- change in the direction of something on or above Earth’s surface due to the Earth’s rotation
  • Sea breeze- movement of air from the water to the land
  • Land breeze- movement of air from the ______to the ______
  • Weather vane- instrument that shows which way the wind is blowing
  • Wind sock- an open ended tube of cloth that is attached to a pole and flows with the direction of the wind
  • ______- a tool to measure wind speed
  • Isobar- a line to connect all the places on a map with the same air pressure
  • Air pressure and weather:
  • High pressure systems usually means cool, dry, and clear weather
  • Low pressure systems usually means warm, stormy weather
  • Air mass- a large region of the atmosphere in which the air has similar properties throughout. (in that location, the air is consistent or the same)
  • Front- the boundary line when two air ______meet
  • Cold front-when cold air moves in under a warm air mass (heavy storms then cool dry weather)
  • Warm front- when warm air moves over a cold air mass (light, steady rain or snow then warmer and humid weather)
  • ______-when a cold front catches up with a warm front
  • Stationary front- when the air masses do not move when they come into contact with each other
  • Air masses are moved by global winds (jet stream- high altitude wind)
  • Most air in the US moves from ______to ______
  • Weather map- shows the weather in a specific area at a specific time
  • Meteorologists- ______who study Earth’s atmosphere and weather