Exam 10: Wind: Global Systems

A condition where the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean turns cooler than normal is called ____.

At the equator, Earth rotates toward the east at a speed close to 1000 knots. On a windless day, the air above moves ____ at ____ speed.

In terms of the three-cell model of the general circulation, areas of surface low pressure should be found at ____.

How does El Niño change the weather where you live?

During the positive (warm)phase of the ____________________, higher pressures to the south and lower pressures across the Arctic produce strong westerly winds aloft. These winds wrap around the semipermanent zone of upper-level low pressure over the North Pole that is sometimes referred to as the ____________________.

The polar front is a boundary separating the cold polar air to the north from the warm subtropical air to the south, hence the greatest contrast in air temperature occurs along the frontal zone. Therefore, the polar front has a lot of influence on the development of the polar jet stream.

The formation of the tropical easterly jet stream appears to be, at least in part, related to the cooling of air over large elevated landmasses, such as Tibet.

Over the Atlantic, a periodic reversal of pressure called the ____________________ has a substantial effect on the weather in Europe and along the east coast of North America, especially during the winter.

Explain why summers along the west coast of the United States tend to be dry, whereas along the east coast summers tend to be wet.

An increase in either the mass or the velocity (or both)produces a decrease in momentum.

Which statement describes the polar front jet stream?

Describe how the conservation of angular momentum plays a role in the formation of a jet stream.

Which of the following would NOT be an example of a thermal anticyclone pattern? On a surface weather map during the month of July, one would expect to find what type of pressure system over the desert southwest of the United States?

The world's deserts are found at 30 degrees latitude because

Each Pacific Decadal Oscillation phase tends to predominate for 20 to 30 years before switching to the other phase.

The El Niño event of 1972-1973, one of the first to be studied in depth, reduced the annual Peruvian anchovy catch by more than ____ percent.

You are given an upper-level map that shows the position of two jet streams. You would be able to tell which is which, because the subtropical jet stream forms to the ____________________ of the polar-front jet.

Off the west coast of the United States, the _______________ is a major semipermanent subtropical high that influences weather patterns in North America.

During the negative cold phase of the Arctic Oscillation, when Greenland is experiencing mild winters, northern Europe usually experiences ____ winters.

What is the polar jet stream and where is it found?