Name 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 Seasons result from the tilt of the Earth s axis with respect to its annual orbit around the sun For example summer in the northern hemisphere results from the tilt of the northern hemisphere towards the winter in the northern hemisphere results from the tilt of the northern hemisphere away from the sun in winter 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 3 An area of low atmospheric pressure is characterized by what kind of weather clouds rain storms 4 What is the equation for calculating relative humidity and how do changes in water vapor content and temperature effect relative humidity The ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air at a specific temperature to the maximum amount that the air could hold at saturation at that temperature expressed as a percentage Therefore the equation would be Amount of water vapor in the air the amount of water vapor the air can hold at saturation X 100 RH Relative humidity can be changed by Changing the water vapor content Add water increase relative humidity subtract water decrease relative humidity Changing the temperature Increase temperature decrease relative humidity Decrease temperature increase relative humidity 5 What processes force air aloft Convergence lifting when flowing air masses of equal density converge and are forced upward 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 density 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 In both cases the warm more humid air rises rapidly over cold air cooling condensing and raining 7 What causes adiabatic lapse rate and what effect does the adiabatic lapse rate have on a rising parcel of air The adiabatic lapse rate is the rate of temperature drop as a parcel of air rises to higher elevations or the rate of temperature rise as a parcel of air drops to lower elevations As the parcel of air rises the parcel expands under the lower pressure pressure decreases with altitude As a result the same number of air molecules is spread over a larger volume so the heat from those molecules is spread through a larger volume decreasing its overall temperature 8 Why do clouds have a fairly well defined base at a particular altitude Air adiabatically cools as it rises Eventually it reaches an altitude where the air cools enough that it becomes saturated with water relative humidity inside the parcel reaches 100 At even higher altitudes any excess water vapor condenses to form water droplets creating clouds 9 What causes the Coriolis force and what effect does it have on free moving objects including wind in the northern hemisphere The Coriolis force is due to the rotation of the earth on its axis The Coriolis force deflects all free moving objects to the right of their path in the Northern Hemisphere 10 Which way does the air rotate or circulate around a low pressure area counterclockwise and spiraling inward 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 light from the lightning travels at the speed of light almost instantaneous whereas thunder travels much slower at the speed of sound about 1 3 km per second Therefore if you hear the thunder 3 seconds after seeing the flash of lightening the lightening is one kilometer away 12 What causes the loud boom that we hear as thunder Supersonic expansion of air heated by a lightning bolt 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 When you feel your hairs pulled upward by what feels like a static charge during a thunderstorm To avoid being struck crouch down on the balls of your feet Do not lie down because that increases your contact with the ground Ground conducts electricity 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 Raindrops freeze on the hailstones so they grow larger until the gravitational force overcomes the upward wind force 15 When is tornado season in the central United States Occur mostly in late spring early summer when conditions are best for tornado formation but can occur anytime migrates northward As the season progresses tornado formation 16 What is a wall cloud and what is it s significance A slowly rotating cloud several kilometers across that sags below the main storm cloud base It is the most obvious danger sign for formation of a tornado 17 In what direction do most mid continent tornadoes travel along the ground and how fast do tornadoes move along the ground Northeastward averaging approximately 60 70 mph 18 What is the greatest danger what causes the most deaths from a tornado Flying debris and extreme winds 19 What is used to classify the severity of tornadoes and what is the severity based on The severity of a tornado is categorized based on wind speed estimated from the damage that they cause on the Fujita Scale 20 How do weather forecasters watching weather radar identify an area that is likely to form tornadoes On radar a hook echo enclosing the intersection of two fronts is a distinctive sign of tornado development 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
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