Chapter 1 Flashcards
Middle Latitudes
Areas from 30 to 50 degrees
Middle-Latitude Cyclonic Storm
Extra tropical storms that form in mid latitudes. Tend to be larger than tropical cyclones
Low Pressure Air Flow
Counterclockwise towards the low
High Pressure Airflow
Clockwise away from the High
Mapping a Cold Front
Drawn in blue with arrowheads facing the direction the front is moving
Mapping a Warm Front
Drawn in red with half circles pointing towards the general direction of movement
Occluded Front
When a cold front catches up and overtakes a warm front
Mapping an Occluded Front
A purple line is drawn with alternating half moon and arrowheads
Mapping a Stationary Front
Alternating red half circles and blue arrows
Chinook Wind
Warm dry wind blowing down a mountain
Impacts of Chinook Winds
Can cause forest fires and dry crops
Average annual deaths due to heat exposure
300
Downburst
Strong downdrafts originating inside a thunderstorm
Top 5 Elements in the Atmosphere
- Nitrogen (78.08%)
- Oxygen (20.95%)
- Argon (0.93%)
- Neon (0.0018%)
- Helium (0.0005%)
Latent Heat
Heat released when water vapor condenses
Chemical Weathering
When rain and snow react with silicate materials in rocks to remove CO2 from the atmosphere
Photochemical Smog
An irritant primarily composed of ozone that can cause eye and throat irritation
Air Pressure
The amount of force exerted over an area of surface
Measures of Pressure
Millibar (mb), Hectopascal (hPa), Inches of Mercury (Hg)
Order of Atmosphere
- Troposphere
- Tropopause
- Stratosphere
- Stratopause
- Mesosphere
- Mesopause
- Thermosphere
Temperature Change Troposphere
High moving low
Temperature Change Stratosphere
Gradual increase
Mesosphere
Decrease to lowest
Thermosphere
Increase to warmest
Lapse Rate
The rate at which temp decreases with height
Standard Lapse Rate
6.5C for every 1000m or 3.6F for every 1000ft
Temperature Inversion
When the temperature in the Troposphere increases with elevation
Radiosonde
The instrument that measures the vertical profile of air temperature up to 100,000 feet
Tropopause Characteristics
- Higher elevation at equator than poles
- Higher in summer than winter
- Can be broken by a jet stream
Why does the temperature increase in the stratosphere?
Ozone absorbs the sunlight and heats the layer
Why does the temperature increase in the thermosphere?
The minimal oxygen atoms absorb heat more quickly as they don’t share the wealth with so many atoms
Homosphere
Areas where there stays 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen because of constant mixing
Heterosphere
The area beginning in the thermosphere where the lighter gases like helium float up and leave oxygen and nitrogen at the bottom
Ionosphere
The area where there are more ions in the atmosphere. Begins at 60km
