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GEOG 3031 > FINAL > Flashcards

FINAL Flashcards

1
Q

Fahrenheit to Celsius formula?

A

(ºF - 32) x 5/9

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2
Q

conversion of knots to MPH?

A

knots x 1.151

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3
Q

what is Zulu time?

A
  • universal time zone
  • Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
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4
Q

how to convert Zulu time to EST/EDT?

A

STANDARD 4 HOURS
DAYLIGHT 5 HOURS
(SUBTRACT FROM ZULU)

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5
Q

identify the different types of observations discussed in class

A

sky condition, visibility, pressure (sea level), temperature, dewpoint, wind, and precipitation

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6
Q

be able to identify the main observational parameters, such as temp, dew point, wind, etc. on station plots

A

this is simple

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7
Q

pressure: why we measure it and UNITS

A
  • why: identify low/high systems, predict weather patterns
  • units: mb or hPa
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8
Q

radiation: why we measure it and UNITS

A

why: cloud cover, heat index, UV index
units: watts per sq meter - w/m^2

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9
Q

what is the relationship between Relative Humidity and Dew Point?

A

dew point is the temperature the air needs to be cooled to (at constant pressure) in order to achieve a relative humidity (RH) of 100%

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10
Q

what do COOP stand for?
why are they important?
what are their similarities/differences?

A
  • Cooperative Observer Program
  • weather and climate observing network directed by the NWS
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11
Q

what do CoCoRaHs stand for?
why are they important?
what are their similarities/differences?

A
  • Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network
  • anyone can participate
  • started in CO in 1988
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12
Q

what types of people comprise the COOP?

A

volunteers

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13
Q

what are Mesonets?
why are they important?

A
  • a high-density network of weather stations designed to observe mesoscale meteorological phenomena
  • rapid data collection of various weather parameters, localized mesoscale phenomena (thunderstorms, squall lines, dry lines) can be easily spotted
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14
Q

compare/contrast COOP vs. Mesonets.

A
  • mesonets report observations much more frequently and are much more spatially dense
  • human errors are also eliminated; however, technological errors (calibration) can still occur
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15
Q

what are some problems with manual weather observation?

A
  • reports can be subjective
  • could also have inconsistencies
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16
Q

decode a METAR from start to Remarks
(remarks will be worth BONUS points if you can identify them.)

A

fml

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17
Q

decode a TAF from start to finish

A

fml

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18
Q

be prepared to decode/analyze/place isopleths on a station map. BRING COLORED PENCILS FOR THIS!

A

fml

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19
Q

what are the 6 standard atmospheric variables/areas that weather stations measure (covered in lecture)?

A

wind, pressure/tendency, temperature/dew point, cloud cover, present weather conditions

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20
Q

what is the datalogger?

A
  • ‘brain’ of the operation
  • all instruments wired to this device
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21
Q

what is the ultrasonic snow depth sensor?
what’s it look like?
how high up?

A
  • measures snow
  • looks like a shower head
  • HEIGHT NEVER STATED
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22
Q

be able to place these instruments into their proper locations on a tower image

A

yuh

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23
Q

be able to match instruments to their proper titles/parameters

A

mhm

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24
Q

errors that may occur with precipitation measurements?

A

leaves, debris, sideways wind/precip, people peein

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25
Q

conversion of MPH to knots?

A

mph / 1.151

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26
Q

Celsius to Fahrenheit formula?

A

(ºC x 9/5) + 32

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27
Q

what is the barometer?
what’s it look like?
how high up?

A
  • measures pressure
  • tiny box in datalogger
  • 2 METERS UP
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28
Q

what is the thermistor?
what’s it look like?
how high up?

A
  • measures temperature
  • looks like a tornado siren
  • 2 METERS HIGH
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29
Q

what is the electric hygrometer?
what’s it look like?
how high up?

A
  • measures dew point
  • sits next to thermistor
  • 2 METERS HIGH
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30
Q

what are the anemometer/wind vane?
what’s it look like?
how high up?

A
  • measure wind speed/direction
  • airplane thing on top
  • 10 METERS HIGH
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31
Q

what is the tipping bucket?
what’s it look like?
how high up?

A
  • measures precip
  • SNOW/ICE RATION 10:1
  • away from tower at ground level
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32
Q

what is a pyranometer?
what’s it look like?
how high up?

A
  • measures UV radiation
  • security camera thing
  • HEIGHT NEVER STATED
33
Q

what is a pyrgeometer?
what’s it look like?
how high up?

A
  • measures infrared radiation
  • security camera thing
  • HEIGHT NEVER STATED
34
Q

what is a radiometer?
what’s it look like?
how high up?

A
  • measures net radiation
  • security camera thing
  • HEIGHT NEVER STATED
35
Q

how do we get observations of the upper atmosphere?

A

Radiosondes and Rawinsondes

36
Q

what are Radiosondes?
when are they launched?

A
  • track Pressure, Temperature and Relative Humidity as it rises through the atmosphere
  • launched twice per day (00Z and 12Z)
37
Q

what are Rawinsondes?
when are they launched?

A
  • track Pressure, Temperature, Relative Humidity, Wind Speed, Wind Direction
  • launched twice per day (00Z and 12Z)
38
Q

what are isobars?

A

lines of equal pressure

39
Q

what are isotherms?

A

lines of equal temperature

40
Q

what are isotachs?

A

lines of equal wind speed

41
Q

what are isohypses?

A

lines of equal height

42
Q

250/300 mb:
what is the Jet Stream?

A

high velocity river of air that flows “completely” around the Earth at mid latitudes

43
Q

250/300 mb:
define Geostrophic Flow

A
  • an oceanic current in which the pressure gradient force is balanced by the Coriolis effect
  • no friction
44
Q

250/300 mb:
what are the two types of geostrophic flow?
what do they mean for surface weather?

A
  • zonal (west to east)
    > no major troughs/ridges
    > fairly quiet weather and persistent temperatures
  • meridional (north to south)
    > impressive troughs/ridges
    > variable weather/temperatures
    > areas of strong temp advection
45
Q

250/300 mb:
what are Jet Streaks?
what do they do to the overall flow pattern aloft?
where do we expect low pressures associated with Jet Streaks?

A
  • localized regions of intense winds
  • the primary weather makers in a trough
  • capable of amplifying/weakening troughs and ridges
46
Q

500 mb:
what is Vorticity?
what two types of vorticity are there, and what types of pressure are they associated with?

A
  • the clockwise or counter-clockwise spin of the atmosphere in relation to a vertical axis
  • anticyclonic and cyclonic
47
Q

700 mb:
what are Longwave and Shortwave features?
what do shortwave features do to temperature movement?

A
  • longwave = warmer under ridges, cooler under troughs
  • shortwave = “bump” in the height/pressure contours is typically indicative of a shortwave flow pattern
  • barotropic and baroclinic
48
Q

what is barotropic?

A

uniform temperature distribution

49
Q

what is baroclinic?

A

distinct difference in air masses

50
Q

700 mb:
what do we look for regarding Vertical Motion?
what do positive and negative values mean?

A
  • positive = upward motion, low pressure
  • negative = sinking motion, high pressure
51
Q

700 mb:
discuss relative humidity and its role in atmospheric stability

A
  • can be indicative of instability
  • higher RH, more unstable
52
Q

850 mb:
where are areas of cold and warm air advection on a map?
how can you tell?
what’s it mean to weather features or surface weather in general?

A
  • areas of red (warm) and blue (cold)
  • idk they just b there
  • regions where isotherms cut across isohypses
    = baroclinic environments
53
Q

850 mb:
what is the Low Level Jet?
what does it do to low pressure systems?

A
  • a region of increased winds near the surface located in the warm sector of a mid-latitude cyclone
  • good at transporting warm, moist air northward (aka, can increase severe wx %)
54
Q

what are the 2 main types of clouds?

A
  • stratus (horizontally)
  • cumulus (vertically)
55
Q

clouds:
what does ‘cirro’ mean?

A

high-level

56
Q

clouds:
what does ‘alto’ mean?

A

mid-level

57
Q

clouds:
what does ‘nimbus’ mean?

A

rain-bearing

58
Q

clouds:
what does ‘strato’ mean?

A

layer

59
Q

clouds:
what does ‘cumuli’ mean?

A

heap

60
Q

what is a skew-t?
what basic parameters can you find using a skew-T?

A
  • rawinsonde data (obs from weather balloons) over height
  • lifted condensation level (LCL), wet-bulb temp (Tw), level of free convection (LFC), equilibrium level (EL), convective available potential energy (CAPE), convective inhibition (CINH)
61
Q

be able to label the major layer such as the LCL, LFC, and EL

A

mhm

62
Q

be able to shade in regions of CIN and CAPE

A

mhm

63
Q

what is the moist adiabatic lapse rate (MALR)?

A
  • rate of cooling for a rising saturated parcel of air (rate depends on moisture content)
  • ~6˚C/1km)
  • runs bottom to top left
64
Q

what is the dry adiabatic lapse rate (DALR)?

A
  • rate of cooling for a rising unsaturated parcel of air
  • (~10˚C/1km)
  • curved solid line from bottom right to top left
  • NO change-of-state of water (no evaporation)
65
Q

what are the two main types of orbiting satellites used for meteorological observations?

A

polar orbiting & geostationary orbiting

66
Q

which type of satellite monitors the contiguous United States?

A

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)

67
Q

what two satellite observations do we use to monitor clouds?

A

Visible and Infrared

68
Q

benefits/disadvantages of Visible?

A
  • good = high resolution
  • bad = only during daytime, lower clouds hard to distinguish
69
Q

benefits/disadvantages of Infrared?

A
  • good = available 24 hrs, great for determining cloud height
  • bad = bad resolution, low & warm clouds nearly impossible to detect
70
Q

what is water vapor imagery?
what are some uses of water vapor imagery?

A
  • produces an image based on how much water vapor is present in the air at a given point in time
  • useful for determining locations of middle and upper moisture content and atmospheric circulations
71
Q

is water vapor imagery dependent on clouds?

A

NO

72
Q

which isobaric surface/height does water vapor imagery depict the best?

A

approximately from 15,000 ft to 30,000 ft (?)

73
Q

what is Dual-Polarization?

A
  • works both horizontally and vertically, with oriented beams that are transmitted from the radar
  • helps develop a 3-dimensional representation of the target
  • assists in differentiating rain from hail, wet snow from dry snow, and rain or hail from tornado debris
74
Q

what is Reflectivity?
how do we measure it?

A
  • amount of energy that reflects off of the targets and returns to the radar
  • based on the number of particles or the size of the particles within this area
75
Q

what is Velocity?
how do we measure it?

A
  • estimate wind speeds
  • based on the time shift across multiple pulses
76
Q

what is Correlation Coefficient?
how do we measure it?

A
  • differentiating between meteorological targets vs. other target (biological, ground clutter, debris)
  • compares the horizontal and vertical characteristics between each pulse within a sample volume
77
Q

what is an outflow boundary?
how do we identify this system on radar?

A
  • a storm-scale or mesoscale boundary separating thunderstorm-cooled air (outflow) from the surrounding ai
  • lines on radar
78
Q

what is a supercell?
how do we identify this system on radar?

A
  • thunderstorm characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone; a deep, persistently rotating updraft
  • hook echo, areas of enhanced reflectivity, and a bounded weak echo region
79
Q

be able to draw a supercell and highlight key areas (updraft, RFD and FFD, inflow, where we would expect a tornado to form)

A

RAHHHH

GEOG 3031 (2 decks)

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