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The reading on a barometer rises when the air

• pressure increases.
• pressure decreases.
• speed increases.
• speed decreases.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is studying the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Loop Current includes warm water flowing at deep depths. Scientists hypothesize that the Loop Current may be the most significant source of energy for hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. Which would be themost likely reason to study the Loop Current?

• to help predict the paths of hurricanes and changes in intensity during their formation over open water
• to help to understand the relationship between deep, warm currents and hurricane intensity
• to help predict the changes in the fish population during hurricane season
• to help to understand the tides during hurricane season

How do the conditions for a tornado differ from the conditions for a hurricane?

• Tornadoes never form when there is rain, while hurricanes always form with rain.
• Tornadoes form under low pressure, while hurricanes form under high pressure.
• Tornadoes form in a stable atmosphere, while hurricanes form in an unstable atmosphere.
• Tornadoes form over land, while hurricanes form over bodies of water.

What major and potentially catastrophic events can be predicted to occur in the Northern Hemisphere between the months of June and November?

• tsunamis
• hurricanes
• asteroid impacts
• volcanic eruptions

What is the primary cause of rainstorms?

• Earth is heated by the Sun.
• Mountains direct moist air upward.
• Water forms droplets when cooled.
• Most of Earth is covered with water.

Which condition is associated with most warm fronts?

• tornado formations
• low temperatures
• violent air mass collisions
• cloud formations bringing precipitation

A model is shown.
The blue water from the jar rises to the top of the bowl. This model is most likely showing which event?

• the way heat is transferred from a gas grill to food
• the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in lungs
• the convection currents that form thunderstorms
• the direction in which a hurricane moves

The arrows represent air rising from the ocean to the atmosphere.
Rising warm air leads to the formation of

• tsunamis.
• high tides.
• hurricanes.
• density currents.

A high-speed wind, called a jet stream, is moving from the west to the east across the United States. Which characteristic of this jet stream is most important in predicting weather patterns?

• The jet stream controls the speed of surface wind.
• The jet stream controls the direction of surface wind.
• The jet stream separates moist northern air from dry southern air.
• The jet stream separates cold northern air from warm southern air.

Hurricanes form over water and lose wind speed when they move over land. What does this pattern best illustrate?

• More solar radiation strikes oceans than land.
• Heat from inside Earth warms oceans more than land.
• Oceans transfer more energy to the atmosphere than land does.
• Oceans transfer both heat and chemical energy to the atmosphere.