Download Warm Front

Starter
Puzzle in the Air
The jumble of words below makes no sense. But if
you put the words in order, they reveal something
about the atmosphere and its relationship to the
earth. Write the message- a compound sentencein your notebook.
in changed earth’s has changes atmosphere life
affect conditions Life and the for atmosphere
Starter
Bring on the Weather
• Weather is what we call the day-to-day changes in
wind, temperature, humidity, and air pressure.
• In the puzzle below, empty spaces follow some of
the letters in the word WEATHER. Fill in the
spaces with weather-related words that
start with that letter.
W. Wind, water
E.
A.
T. temperature
H. humidity
E.
R.
Starter
• Prepare for your quiz on weather.
Starter Quiz
1. Which layer of the atmosphere do we live in?
2. Which 2 major gases is the atmosphere
composed of?
3. Why do planes fly in the stratosphere?
4. Where would a cP air mass originate?
5. What kind of weather is expected with a cold
front?
Starter Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Troposphere
Nitrogen and Oxygen
To avoid bad weather
Over continental land at the poles
Stormy weather; heavy rains.
Clouds Up Above
• When air is cooled below its dew point, water
vapor becomes liquid water. Condensation
occurs, and clouds may appear. A cloud’s shape
depends on the air moving around it.
Circle the two words next to each basic cloud type that
best describe it.
1. Cumulus
2. Stratus
3. Nimbus
4. Cirrus
puffy
low
dry
ice
icy
thin cauliflower
billowy feathery layers
rain wispy snow windy
low drizzle high desert
heavy
spiky
flowery
misty
Air Masses, Fronts
Air Density
• The amount of air contained in a
specific volume
• Factors that affect it:
▫ Temperature-As temperature rises,
air density drops
▫ Air Pressure-Air density increases
with increased pressure
▫ Altitude-As altitude increases, air
pressure decreases & density
▫ Humidity-The more moisture in the
air the lower the air density
Air Masses
• A large body of air that
takes on the
characteristics of the area
over which it forms
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
Continental Tropical (cT)
Maritime Tropical (mT)
Continental Polar (cP)
Maritime Polar (mP)
Arctic (A)
Where they
originated:
• c- Land
• m-Water
• T- Equator
• P- Poles
Air Masses
• Air masses move when
they encounter a pressure
difference with a
surrounding air mass
▫ When air masses meet
generally severe
weather occurs (ex.
Hurricanes &
tornadoes)
Fronts
• A front is a narrow region separating two air
masses of different densities
▫
▫
▫
▫
Cold Front
Warm Front
Stationary Front
Occluded Front
Cold Front
• In a cold front cold, dense air displaces warm air
and forces the warm air up. As warm air rises it
cools and condenses.
• Clouds,heavy showers and violent
thunderstorms are often associated with cold
fronts.
Warm Front
• In a warm front warm air displaces cold air.
• A warm front is characterized by extensive
cloudiness and precipitation.
Stationary Front
• In a stationary front two air masses meet and
neither advances
• There are rarely any clouds or heavy
precipitation
Occluded Front
• An occluded front occurs when a cold air mass
moves so quickly that it overtakes a warm front.
• The warm air is wedged upward
• The air near the ground becomes cooler. The warm
air cools and its moisture condenses forming clouds
and rain or snow.
Wind Systems
• Wind occurs due to a pressure/temperature
difference between 2 air masses
• There are 3 zones of winds systems in each
hemisphere caused by the Coriolis Effect
Trade Winds
(Located 0-30 N
and S). Blows
East-West
Prevailing
Westerlies
(Located 30-60 N
and S) Blows
West-East
Polar Easterlies
(Located 60-90 N
and S) Blows
East-West)
The Coriolis Effect
Homework
• On page 28 construct a Venn Diagram
Comparing warm and cold fronts!!!!