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Meteorology > Final Unit > Flashcards

Final Unit Flashcards

1
Q

What are heating-degree-days

A

A metric used to estimate the amount of energy needed to heat a space up to a base temperature based on a daily average

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2
Q

What are cooling-degree-days

A

A metric used to estimate the amount of energy needed to cool down a space to a base temperature based on a daily average

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3
Q

What does N/x mean on a MOS table?

A

The night time minimum and daily maximum

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4
Q

What does CLD mean on a MOS table?

A

Cloud cover total in terms of a percentage

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5
Q

What does WDR mean on a MOS table?

A

Wind direction using degrees relative to true north

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6
Q

What heats faster, land or water surfaces?

A

Land

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7
Q

Why are northern hemispheres thermal gradience more drastic than the southern hemisphere

A

The northern hemisphere has more land

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8
Q

What is continentality?

A

The effect of an inland location that favors greater temperature extremes

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9
Q

What time is it in Arizona if UTC is 1400?

A

2 AM

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10
Q

Why does water heat less?

A

Greater specific heat, transparency, evaporative cooling, horizontal and vertical mixing

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11
Q

What are all the influences on temperatures?

A

Altitude and elevation, Contrasts between land and water, warm and cold ocean currents, local conditions

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12
Q

What is the Bowen Ratio?

A

The ratio of sensible to latent heat loss from a surface

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13
Q

How is pressure measured?

A

Millibars (mb) or pascals (Pa)

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14
Q

Is the pressure decrease in altitude proportionate? why?

A

NO, this is due to compressibility, as altitude increases, the air gets less dense, so each additional meter of height results in a smaller decrease in pressure.

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15
Q

What is a barometer?

A

Any instrument that measure temperature

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16
Q

What is the standard barometer?

A

An inverted tube filled with mercury, the greater the pressure the higher the mercury

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17
Q

What is an Aneroid Barometers?

A

A gauge attached to a lever that reacts to a compressible chamber expanding or compressing depending on the air pressure

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18
Q

What is a barograph?

A

An aneroid instrument that plot continuous values of pressure

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19
Q

What is the equation of state, or the ideal gas law

A

PV=nRT

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20
Q

What do pressure gradients produce?

A

Wind (from high to low pressure)

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21
Q

what is a jet stream

A

Narrow fast-moving wind band in typically troposphere

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22
Q

what is a jet streak

A

a segment of a jet stream that is significantly higher wind speeds than others

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23
Q

What is the partial pressure law called?

A

Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures

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24
Q

Due to the Coriolis effect what direction do atmospheric objects tend to curve in the Northern hemisphere

A

Right

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25
Q

Due to the Coriolis effect what direction do atmospheric objects tend to curve in the Southern hemisphere

A

Left

26
Q

What is the equation for the magnitude of the Coriolis force

A

Fc = 2 * Ω * ν * sin(φ)

27
Q

Where is the Coriolis force the strongest

A

At the poles

28
Q

Where does friction affect wind speed

A

In the Planetary Boundary Layer ( first 1 mi of surface ) otherwise it is negligible

29
Q

What is pressure gradient force?

A

The force that causes fluids and gases to go from high pressure to low pressure

30
Q

What is geostrophic flow

A

The balanced horizontal (parallel to isobars) flow of wind then the Coriolis force and the pressure gradient force even out due to the increasing Coriolis force as the wind picks up speed

31
Q

What is gradient flow

A

When flow changes direction and
height contours curve and flow remains parallel to contours

32
Q

Why are near winds at the surface not parallel to isobar lines?

A

Because it suffers friction, geostrophic flow can only occur on large scales where friction is negligible

33
Q

What is formed as a result of low pressure centers?

A

Cyclones

34
Q

What direction do cyclones spin in the northern hemisphere?

A

Counterclockwise

35
Q

What direction do cyclones spin in the southern hemisphere?

A

Clockwise

36
Q

What direction do anticyclones spin in the northern hemisphere?

A

Clockwise

37
Q

What direction do anticyclones spin in the southern hemisphere?

A

Counterclockwise

38
Q

What direction does air go in a cyclone?

A

Up

39
Q

What direction does air go in an anticyclone?

A

Down

40
Q

What is supergeostrophic flow?

A

Air moving faster than geostrophic flow due to centripetal forces working with pressure gradient forces

41
Q

What is subgeostrophic flow?

A

Air moving slower than geostrophic flow due to centripetal forces working against pressure gradient forces

42
Q

What is a trough?

A

An elongated low pressure area

43
Q

What is a ridge?

A

An elongated high pressure area

44
Q

Where do cyclones and anticyclones happen in the atmosphere?

A

Near surface

45
Q

Where do troughs and ridges happen?

A

Upper atmosphere

46
Q

What gives way to troughs and ridges in the upper atmosphere?

A

Cyclones and anticyclones in the lower atmosphere

47
Q

What is hydrostatic equilibrium?

A

Vertical pressure gradient force is
equal and opposite to the gravitational force

48
Q

Why will pressure drop quicker in colder air?

A

The air is denser so as you go up there is increasingly less air above you to put pressure on you

49
Q

What is Transpiration?

A

Transfer of water through plants

50
Q

What is interception?

A

precipitation that falls onto vegetation and accumulates
as a coating on leaf surfaces, cactus needles

51
Q

What is infiltration?

A

Water (from precipitation) may collect along the surface or
penetrate into the ground and collect within the soil column

52
Q

What is Vapor pressure?

A

the amount of pressure exerted on the
atmosphere by water vapor

53
Q

What is Saturation vapor pressure?

A

the vapor pressure of the
atmosphere when it is saturated

54
Q

What is Absolute humidity?

A

the density of water vapor expressed
as the number of grams of water vapor per cubic meter of air

55
Q

What is Specific humidity?

A

represents a given mass of water
vapor per given mass of total air

56
Q

What is Saturation specific humidity?

A

the specific humidity of
the atmosphere when it is saturated

57
Q

What is Mixing ratio?

A

represents a given mass of water vapor
per given mass of dry air

58
Q

What is Relative Humidity?

A

the amount of water vapor
relative to the maximum that can exist at a particular
temperature

59
Q

What is dew point temperature?

A

the temperature at which saturation occurs in the air and
is dependent upon the amount of water vapor present

60
Q
A

Meteorology (4 decks)

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