Air Masses and Fronts

Which direction does air flow within a cyclone?
a.
Air rises.
b.
Air sinks.
c.
Air flows laterally.
d.
Air does not move in a cyclone.

A. air rises

How does a warm front form?
a.
Warm air becomes caught between cold air masses.
b.
Two air masses meet and stay separated.
c.
Warm air moves over cold air and replaces it.
d.
Cold air moves under warm air and pushes it up.

C. warm air moves over cold air and replaces it

A continental polar air mass forms in
a.
the Pacific Ocean.
c.
the Gulf of Mexico.
b.
northern Canada.
d.
the desert Southwest.

B. Northern Canada

Which describes both cyclones and anticyclones?
a.
Both produce wet, stormy weather.
b.
Both are measured by changes in air pressure.
c.
Both move air in an upward direction.
d.
Both occur at the same time in the same location.

B. Both are measured by changes in air pressure

Which of the following describes an air mass with the symbol cT?
a.
it is a cold air mass over an ocean
c.
it is a warm air mass over an ocean
b.
it is a warm air mass over a continent
d.
it is a cold air mass over a continent

B. It is a warm air mass over a continent

area in which two types of air masses meet is called what?

Front

What is an area of high pressure where air moves apart and sinks?

Anticyclone

What causes changes in weather?
a.
Air masses move and meet.
c.
Water evaporates.
b.
The air gets more humid.
d.
Clouds form.

A. air masses move and meet

What kind of weather does a stationary front bring?
a.
drizzly rain followed by clear weather
c.
many days of cloudy, wet weather
b.
severe storms
d.
cold, dry weather

C. many days of cloudy, wet weather

What kind of weather would an anticyclone likely bring?
a.
stormy
c.
dry and clear
b.
cool and wet
d.
changeable

C. dry and clear

What is an air mass?

A large body of air where temperature and moisture content are similar throughout.

What is a front?

The boundary between air masses of different densities and usually different temperatures.

What is a cyclone?

An area in the atmosphere that has lower pressure than the surrounding areas and has winds that spiral toward the center.

What is an anticyclone?

The rotation of air around a high-pressure center in the direction opposite to Earth’s rotation.

Which of the following statements describes an anticyclone?
a.
It is an area of low pressure.
b.
It is an area of high pressure.
c.
It has air masses that meet and rise.
d.
It moves in the direction of the Earth’s rotation.

B. It is an area of high pressure

area of low pressure where air masses meet and rise is called what?

Cyclone