EAW. Atmosphere and Weather Benchmark 3

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EAW. Atmosphere and Weather Benchmark 3
Explain and predict general weather patterns
and storms.
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What is an air mass?

• A giant bubble of air with the same
  temperature and humidity throughout

Earths surface
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Air masses get their characteristics from the
location where they form.

• .
• mT maritime tropical warm, moist air
• mP maritime polar cold, moist air
• cT continental tropical warm, dry air
• cP continental polar cool, dry air

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Name the type of air mass is shown at each of the
following locations
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Location 1
mP
Location 2
mT
Location 3
cP
Location 4
cT
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5
2
Location 5
mT
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What is a front?

• the boundary between 2 different air masses

front
warm, moist mT air
cool, dry cP air
Earth surface
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mT air
cP air
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Cold Fronts storms

• thunderstorms, lightning, and severe weather
• heavy rainfall
• pass quickly
• hail, high winds, and/or tornadoes possible

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Cold Front
A
B
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After a cold front passes you can expect

• Cooler temperatures
• Clearer skies
• Fair weather
• Drier air lower humidity
• Higher pressure
• Rising barometer

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mT air
cP air
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Warm Fronts overcast skies

• Hours to days of gray, overcast skies
• On and off rain gentle rains
• Pass slowly
• NO SEVERE WEATHER!!!

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http//images.usatoday.com/weather/photos/lowpres2
.jpg
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Stationary Fronts
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Key concepts Weather patternscold front, warm
front, stationary front, air mass, high and low
pressure systems. Stormsthunderstorms,
lightning and thunder, tornadoes, hurricanes,
winds, blizzards. Buoyancy, thermal expansion,
convection. See (thermal expansion) and (density).
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Weather Tools
Weather maps - show fronts, temperatures,
isobars, etc. thermometer measures air
temperature hygrometer measures relative
humidity barometer - measures air
pressure anemometer - measures wind speed wind
vane determines the direction of the windrain
gauge records the amount of rainfall Satellite
radar monitoring
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Real-world contexts Observable daily weather
patternsExamples of weather reports from
TV, radio, newspapers, including representations
on weather maps. Reports of local weather
patterns influenced by the jet stream and
prevailing winds.
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Resources

• http//www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/images/atmo
  sphere/pressure_wind/low_pressure_small.jpg
• http//www.traveleye.com/northamerica/images/map.j
  peg
• http//www.islandnet.com/see/weather/graphics/pho
  tos/naairmass2.jpg
• http//members.aol.com/pakulda/images/stpptam.gif