Chapter 1: Weather Variables Flashcards
A variable means?
Variable means that the value can change.
What is Meteorology?
is study of the atmosphere and the processes that cause what we refer to as “weather.”
The atmosphere…
contains matter a mixture of gas molecules, small, suspended particles of solid, liquid and falling precipitation. It contains energy (heat) and is in motion.
Matter, energy, and low motion what?
obey conservation laws. Applying these laws to the atmosphere require us to observe and measure weather variables.
What is climate
is the synthesis of weather. It Is concerned with averages and extreme of weather.
what is Kinetic energy
is energy of motion. A measure of the average kinetic energy is temperature.
What is Heat?
is the amount of energy which flows between bodies (or air parcels from warm to cold. Results in temperature changes.
What is energy?
is not created nor destroyed but only transferred between locations or transformed between different types of energy.
Galileo created the thermometer in what year?
It was in 1593.
When was Fahrenheit’s scale created?
It was in 1714
When was Celsius’ scale created?
It was in 1736
When was Kelvin’s scale created?
It was in 1848
What are the different the types of Thermometers
- Liquid in glass
- Bi metallic strip
- Thermistor
- Radiometer
At the Surface….
the temperature is measured in the shade at a heigh of 2 meters above a vegetated surface.
Stevenson screen protects thermometer from what?
Direct heating by the Sun
When was Torricelli’s barometer created?
It was in 1643
Measures atmosphere pressure…
the weight of the overlaying atmosphere
Sea Level Pressure is
it is 103.25 hPa or 29.92 in of Hg
A Typical range of sea level pressure is
it is 980-1030 hPa.
Hectopascals (hPa) and millibars (mb) are what?
equal and used interchangeably.
What are the different types of Barometers?
- Mercury – most accurate
- Aneroid – small, partially, evacuated chamber.
- Matter (mass) cannot be?
created nor destroyed it can only flow into or out of the system or be transformed within the system/
What is density?
mass/volume
Density is…
Density is approximated by measurements of temperate and pressure using the Ideal Gas Law.
Links pressure, density, and temperature.
p= pR_dT where p is pressure is density, and T is temperature in Kelvins.
R_d is the dry air gras constant.
Density is a what?
it is mass (kg) per unit. Volume (m^3)
Due to compressibility…
near surface air is denser than that above.
What is pressure?
*Pressure at a particular altitude depends only on the mass of air above that altitude.
*Pressure decreases with height in a non-linear fashion because air is compressible.
*in meteorology we refer to standard pressure levels.
Pressure is.
is a result of the atmosphere’s mass.
While Pressure decreases vertically.
but not at a constant rate.
What is wind?
- The flow of air/
- A vector with both magnitude and direction.
- Wind Vane: Direction from which the wind is coming.
- Anemometer: speed m/s, knots, or mph.
- Wind is not continuous but rather gusty due to the effects of turbulence. Report sustained (average) wind as well as the gusts in a one-minute period.
