Exam 8: Air Pressure and Winds

Net convergence of air would cause surface pressure to ____ and net divergence would cause surface pressure to ____.

"Barometer" literally means an instrument that measures ____________________.

Another term for isobaric chart is ____________________.

On an upper-level 500-mb map the winds tend to parallel the contour lines in a wavy west-to-east direction, and the contour lines tend to decrease in height from south to north. Explain.

Which of the following instruments measures pressure?

Zonal wind-flow patterns go ___.

If two air parcels at sea level have the same size but different temperatures, the colder parcel of air will have ____.

Newton's first law of motion states that an object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will remain in motion (and travel at a constant velocity along a straight line)as long as no force is exerted on the object.

Atmospheric air pressure always ____________________ with height.

Explain briefly why upper-level winds at middle latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere blow from west to east. In what direction do upper level winds at middle latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere blow?

In middle latitudes, surface pressure changes are primarily the result of large high- and low-pressure areas that move toward or away from a region.

The atmospheric layer that is influenced by friction is called the planetary boundary or the ____________________ layer.

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere and a region of surface low pressure is directly west of you, the surface wind direction at your home would probably be either ____________________ or _____________________.

On a sunny day, an aneroid barometer would indicate "____" weather when carried to the top of a hill or mountain.

Which of the following pairs has the largest differences in air pressure between the two?

In middle latitudes, when an area of high pressure approaches a city, surface pressure usually ____. When it moves away, pressure usually ____.

According to Newton's second law, an object will always accelerate in the direction of the total force acting on it. Therefore, to determine in which direction the wind will blow, we must identify and examine all of the forces that affect the horizontal movement of air. These forces are the ____________________ force, the ____________________ force, and the Coriolis force.

Upper-level winds in the middle latitudes of both hemispheres generally blow from ____.

If upper-level divergence exceeds surface convergence, the air pressure at the center of the surface low will ____.

Most of the time, the atmosphere does not approximate hydrostatic equilibrium.