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meteorologist
What is a scientist
who studies
weather?
sun
What is the basic
cause of all weather?
greenhouse
effect
What term describes the
trapping of heat by the
earth s atmosphere?
ground
From what does the
air receives most of
its warmth?
axis
What is the imaginary line
running from North Pole to
South Pole around which the
earth spins?
equator
What is the imaginary
circling the earth midway
between its poles?
hemisphere
What is one-half of
the earth s surface?
tilt
What is the cause of
the earth s different
seasons?
wind
What is moving air created by
temperature differences as
the sun warms the earth?
warm
What temperature of
air rises, expands,
and is lighter?
cool
What temperature of
air sinks, contracts,
and is heavier?
air pressure
What is the weight of the
atmosphere pushing
down on the earth?
cold air
What type of air increases
air pressure at ground level
and pushes up?
warm air
What type of air reduces air
pressure at ground level and
shields the air below it from the
full weight of the atmosphere?
barometer
What instrument does
a meteorologist use to
measure air pressure?
1,000 mph
How fast does the
earth spin on its
axis?
66,600 mph
How fast does the
earth travel on its
orbit around the sun?
low pressure
What type of air pressure
does the warm air above
the earth s equator have?
high pressure
What type of air pressure
does the cold air above
the earth s poles have?
Coriolis Effect
What is name given to the
curling of wind by the Earth s
rotation on its axis?
trade winds
Which wind system bends
winds so that they blow from
the east near the equator?
polar
easterlies
Which wind system bends
winds so that they blow from
the east near the earth s
poles?
prevailing
westerlies
Which wind system is caused by
collisions of warm tropical and cold
polar airflows causing wind out of the
west in the middle latitudes?
humidity
What is the amount
of water vapor in the
air?
relative
Which term means that
different temperatures of air
can hold different amounts of
water vapor?
saturated
Which term means that the
humidity of the air is 100 percent
or holding the greatest amount of
water vapor that it can hold?
more
Warm air will hold
___ water vapor.
less
Cool air will hold
___ water vapor.
dew point
What is the temperature
at which cooling air
becomes saturated?
condensation
What is the process by which
released water vapor leaves
the air and changes back into
liquid water?
dew
What are droplets of water
that form on cool surfaces
when water vapor from the air
condenses?
frost
What are tiny crystals of ice
formed when water vapor
freezes onto a cold object?
cloud
What is made out of
tiny water droplets,
rising air, and dust?
solar heating
What causes warm
air to rise when the
sun is shining?
mountains
What obstacles
cause warm air to
rise?
front
What is the boundary
between two air masses that
can cause warm air to rise?
air mass
What is a single large unit of
air with uniform temperature
and humidity?
warm front
What type of front occurs when a
warm air mass flows over cold air
mass and creates cloudy, rainy
weather?
cold front
What type of front occurs when a
cold air mass bulldozes a warm
air mass up rapidly creating
severe weather?
cumulus
What type of cloud is
a puffy, bulgy, white
heap?
stratus
What type of cloud is a low
grayish-white flat layer
bringing a light drizzle?
cirrus
What type of cloud is
a high wispy curl?
nimbus
Which term indicates
a cloud from which
rain is falling?
cumulonimbus
Which puffy cloud is also
called a thunderhead and is
tall with a dark bottom and
anvil top?
cirrocumulus
Which clouds are very high,
small-looking puffy clouds
which indicate a change in
weather?
cirrostratus
Which clouds are very high
thin sheets which indicate wet
weather is approaching?
altostratus
Which clouds are
medium-height flat sheets
which allow little sunlight
through?
altocumulus
Which clouds are
medium-height groups of
puffy clouds blown into rows
by the wind?
fog
Which cloud is a
stratus-like cloud which
forms at ground-level?
nimbostratus
Which dark gray clouds
covering the sky bring heavy
rain for long periods?
stratocumulus
Which clouds are masses of
puffy clouds bunched
together and are often
followed by heavy rain?
radiation fog
What type of fog forms on
cold clear nights when air is
cooled below its dew point by
contact with the cold ground?
sea fog
What type of fog forms
when warm air moves
over cold water?
steam fog
What type of fog forms in cold air
above hot pavement when water
vapor condenses immediately
after evaporating?
rain
What precipitation forms when an
ice crystal in a cloud becomes
too heavy, falls, melts, and land
on earth as water?
wet snow
What precipitation forms
when falling ice crystals melt
slightly, stick, and freeze
together?
dry snow
What precipitation forms
when ice crystals fall through
air that is well below
freezing?
sleet
What precipitation forms when
falling ice crystals melt into
raindrops then refreeze and land
on earth as tiny pieces of ice?
freezing rain
What precipitation forms
when falling ice crystals melt
into rain, but refreeze as soon
as they land on cold earth?
hail
What precipitation forms when a
small piece of ice gains layers of
ice as it is tossed up in a cloud
before falling to the earth?
lightning
What occurs when opposite
electrical charges build up in
very tall clouds?
thunder
What is caused by shock
waves produced by the rapid
expansion of superheated
air?
step leader
What is the thin channel of
charged air through which a
lightning bold can travel?
sheet
What is a lightning bold that
remains in the cloud and
does not come into contact
with the ground?
squall line
What is the row of
thunderheads that builds up
in front of advancing cold air?
tornado
Which type of severe weather
produces the most
destructive power in the
smallest space?
warning
What news bulletin is
given when a tornado
is spotted?
watch
What news bulletin is given
when conditions are right for
a tornado to form?