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Review Questions: Atmospheric Pressure & Wind

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Definitions

1. What is density?
2. What is the atmospheric pressure?
3. What are millibars?
4. What are isobars?
5. What is coriolis?
6. What is a cyclone?
7. What is an anticyclone?

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Content

1. Where are global wind speeds generally highest, and where are they generally lowest?
2. How are density and atmospheric pressure related?
3. What is the spatial (latitudinal) pattern to atmospheric pressure?
4. How does atmospheric pressure vary with altitude?
5. What causes the wind to blow?
6. What determines what direction the wind blows in?
7. What determines how fast the wind blows?
8. How does unequal heating of the atmosphere create differences in pressure?
9. How are air temperature and the density of molecules in the air related? Why are they related in this way?
10. Is warm air associated with rising or sinking air? Why?
11. Is cold air generally associated with high or low pressure? What about hot air? Why?
12. Is high pressure associated with rising or sinking air? Why? Is this always the case, or are there exceptions?
13. What kinds of mechanical actions in the atmosphere can create differences in pressure?
14. In what direction does Coriolis cause winds to curve in the northern hemisphere? What about in the southern hemisphere?
15. What type of rotation is associated with cyclones in the northern and southern hemispheres?
16. What type of rotation is associated with anticyclones in the northern and southern hemispheres?
17. Is air in cyclones rising or sinking? What about air in anticyclones?
18. What type of isobar pattern on a map represents a cyclone? An anticyclone?
19. What type of isobar pattern is associated with high wind speeds? Low wind speeds?