Name Lauren Attardi Learning Unit 6 Extreme Weather Review Questions This assignment is designed to assess your understanding of Unit 6 and includes some of the Questions for Review at the end of Chapters 10 15 and 14 from your text plus a few additional questions Each question can be answered in one to two sentences Please limit yourself to a maximum of three sentences Access the assignment complete it with ANSWERS IN A DIFFERENT COLOR FONT as a separate file and send it back for evaluation and grading through the assignment tab by or before the due date 1 What causes the Earth s seasons such as winter and summer The tilt of the Earth is what causes seasons as the Earth revolves around the sun 2 How do greenhouse gases warm the Earth s atmosphere They permit radiant energy from the sun to heat the Earth s surface but prevent that heat from rising back into space and out of our atmosphere 3 An area of low atmospheric pressure is characterized by what kind of weather Low pressure systems tend to result in unsettled weather such as clouds rain and storms 4 What is the equation for calculating relative humidity and how to changes in water vapor content and temperature effect relative humidity Relative Humidity percentage actual vapor pressure saturated vapor pressure x100 Rela tive humidity can be changed by changing the water vapor content and changing the tempera ture by either an increase or a decrease in levels 5 What processes force air aloft Convergence lifting when flowing air masses of equal density converge and are forced up ward Convective density lifting when warm low density air rises convectively and displaces cooler denser air Orographic lifting when flowing air is forced upward over a mountain range frontal lifting when two flowing air masses of different densities meet 6 What is the main distinction between a cold front and a warm front Why are storms found at both warm fronts and cold fronts In a warm front the warm air mass moves in and rises over the cold air In a cold front the cold air mass moves in under and lifts a warm air mass 7 What causes adiabatic lapse rate and what effect does the adiabatic lapse rate have on a rising parcel of air The dry adiabatic lapse rate is characteristic of dry air In general as a parcel of air rises the water vapor in it condenses and heat is released The rising air will therefore cool more slowly as it rises the wet adiabatic lapse rate will in general be less negative than the dry adiabatic lapse rate 8 Why do clouds have a fairly well defined base at a particular altitude The base of the cloud forms at the altitude at which the rising air cools and condensation starts 9 What causes the Coriolis force and what effect does it have on free moving objects includ ing wind in the northern hemisphere Because the Earth rotates on its axis circulating air is deflected toward the right in the North ern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere This deflection is called the Coriolis effect 10 Which way does the air rotate or circulate around a low pressure area Because of Earth s spin and the Coriolis Effect winds of a low pressure system swirl counter clockwise 11 Why do you see lightening before you hear thunder How far away is lightning if you hear the thunder 3 seconds after you see the flash of lightening We see lightning before thunder because light at a speed of around 300 000 000 meters per second travels much faster than sound which moves at 340 meters per second The lighting would be a little less than a mile away due to the 5 second rule that states for every 5 seconds in between the lightning and thunder is one mile away 12 What causes the loud boom that we hear as thunder The loud boom that we sometimes hear is created by the main lightning channel as it reaches the ground 13 What can you feel that is a sign that you are at high risk of being struck by lightning What should you do to avoid being killed by lightening if caught out in the open with no place to take cover You may also feel a physical tingling sensation throughout your body especially in your ex tremities when you are at a high risk of being struck by lightning If you find yourself in the open with no place to take cover to avoid being killed by the lightning you should lie flat on the ground so you are as low as possible 14 What process permits hailstones to grow to a large size Strong updrafts in the cloud lift the hailstones so they bob up and down within the ground 15 When is tornado season in the central United States Tornado season usually runs from March until June 16 What is a wall cloud and what is its significance A wall cloud is a portion of a thunderstorm and indicates the area of the strongest updraft within a storm It is significant because strong tornadoes typically form from these 17 In what direction do most mid continent tornadoes travel along the ground and how fast do tornadoes move along the ground Most mid continent tornadoes travel northeastward along the grounds and tornadoes move anywhere from 50 to 80 km per hour along the ground 18 What is the greatest danger what causes the most deaths from a tornado The greatest danger from a tornado is the flying debris and extreme winds 19 What is used to classify the severity of tornadoes and what is the severity based on Tornadoes are classified within the Enhanced Fujita Scale or EF Scale and it is based on esti mated wind speeds and related damage 20 How do weather forecasters watching weather radar identify an area that is likely to form tornadoes Tornadoes form in the hook of a rainstorm in the tailing part of the area of heaviest rain so forecasters are able to predict 21 If you do not have a tornado shelter where in a home is the safest place to be If you do not have a basement where in the home is the safest place to be If your home does not have a tornado shelter the safest place for you would be the base ment If you do not have a basement the safest place would be on the lowest floor in a room with no windows like a closet 22 When is hurricane season Why then In the North Atlantic hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30 but most hurricanes happen during the fall This is because the oceans have been warmed during summer months 23 Why do hurricanes track west from Africa towards North America rather than from North America towards Africa And why do hurricanes generally curve northward as they ap proach the east coast of North America Wind flowing east to west off
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