Question

The upper air station model also gives the air temperature at 500 mb. The plotted station data show that, as latitude increases (i.e. moving poleward), the general decline of 500-mb temperatures is accompanied by a(n) ________ in the altitude of the 500-mb surface.

a) Increase
b) Decrease
c) Fluctuation
d) Stabilization

Answer 1

The decline of 500-mb temperatures with increasing latitude is accompanied by a decrease in the altitude of the 500-mb surface due to denser, colder air.

Step-by-step explanation:

As we move poleward (or toward the poles) from the equator, the general decline of 500-mb temperatures is typically associated with a decrease in the altitude of the 500-mb surface. This is because temperature is one of the factors that affect the thickness of the atmospheric layers. Colder temperatures result in denser air and a lower altitude of pressure surfaces like the 500-mb level.

The concept can be likened to the slope of a line on a graph. If the slope becomes steeper, the line rises more quickly, while a flatter slope indicates a less rapid rise. In the context of the 500-mb level, as we go toward higher latitudes with colder temperatures, the thickness between pressure levels in the atmosphere decreases, resulting in a lower altitude for the same pressure level.