Meteorology 4/21/24 Flashcards
whats the relationship between density and air pressure?
the denser of an atmosphere, the greater the air pressure. directly related.
What’s a barometer?
An instrument that measures air pressure
Whats the relationship between temperature and air pressure?
as temperature of air increases, the pressure decreases. Reverse effect.
Whats the relationship between water vapor and air pressure?
the greater the amount of water vapor in the air, the lower the air pressure
Whats the relationship between altitude and air pressure?
as altitude increases, air pressure decreases
air pressure
air pressure is the weight of air surrounding an object
whats the relationship between elevation and air pressure?
as elevation increases there is a decrease in air pressure because gravity is stronger and the air is less dense which increases pressure
Why is air pressure almost always changing?
air pressure is almost always changing because it is caused by changes in air density, and air density is related to temperature
Warm weather causes pressure to?
decrease
What does rising pressure and falling pressure both indicate?
a change in temperature
As altitude increases pressure…
decreases
whats the difference between weather and climate?
measure of time, weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time, climate is how the atmosphere acts/behaves over a relatively long period of time
radiation
how the Earth receives solar energy, it is energy that moves from one place to another
conduction
energy flows through solids by conduction
convection
distributes heat through fluids
humidity
the water vapor content of the air is called humidity
relative humidity
a comparison of the actual water vapor content of air with the maximum amount of water vapor air can hold at a given temperature
as temperature increases, relative humidity…
decreases
dew point
may be used as an indication of absolute humidity
how is the dew point related to humidity?
when the dew point is reached, the air is 100% relative humidity, the air is full of water vapor, so condensation occurs.
condensation
the process where water vapor becomes liquid
absolute humidity
refers to the measured amount of moisture in the air
relative humidity
refers to how full of moisture the air is
precipitation
is any liquid or frozen water that forms in the atmosphere and fills back to the earth
cloud formation (windward side)
1) air hits the mountains and rises air rises because it warms up and it is less dense. 2) As air rises it expands due to less air pressure, it is able to expand due to a decrease in air pressure with an increase in altitude. 3) air cools because it expands. 4) the expansion caused the air to cool to its dew point.
little/no cloud formation (leeward side)
1) the air sinks because it is more dense. 2) as air sinks, it compresses due to more air pressure with lower altitude and warms. 3) air compresses because it condenses and warms and gets further from the dew point. 4) little to no condensation happens due to warmer, condensed air because it cannot cool to the dew point.
cold air holds less water vapor then..
warm air
cooler air holds less water vapor because
when temperature decreases, the air cools to its dew point (the temperature at which the air is saturated/full of water vapor)
psychrometer
is an instrument that can be used to determine the dew-point and humidity
dry-bulb temperature
is measured air temperature
wet-bulb temperature
is the temperature of evaporation cooling
air cools due to…
expansion
air warms due to…
compression
rising air on the windward side of a mountain…
compresses and cools
sinking air on the leeward side of a mountain…
expands and warms
the climate on the windward side of a mountain is usually…
cool and wet
the climate on the leeward side of a mountain is usually…
warm and dry
what happens to air on the windward side of the mountain range?
air is rising, expanding, cooling and condensing on the windward side
why does the windward side of the mountain have a wetter climate?
because the air cools which brings the air temperature closer to the dew point and causes precipitation
what side of the mountain is the dew-point reached?
the windward side of the mountain
what side of the mountain receives the least amount of average yearly precipitation?
the leeward side of the mountain
global winds
winds that occur in belts that go all around the planet, caused by unequal heating of the atmosphere
prevailing winds
the winds that flows from high to low pressure zones (they are permanent winds) are called prevailing winds, surface winds that blow predominantly from a certain direction
trade winds
winds that blow east to west just north and south of the equator
polar easterlies
dry, cold, prevailing winds that blow from the east
prevailing westerlies
winds that blow from the west
local winds
are winds that blow over a limited area, caused by unequal heating of the atmosphere
where does air sink ?
air sinks at the poles because it is cold
where does air rise?
air rises at the equator because it is hot
sea breeze
is a wind that blows from sea to land in the day or in summer when the land is warmer than the ocean
land breeze
is a wind that blows from land to sea at night or in winter when the ocean is warmer than the land
valley breeze
an uphill airflow
mountain breeze
is a downhill airflow (mountain to valley) when air is cooler (at night typically)
jet streams
are wandering currents of air far above earth’s surface (they circle the globe from west to east, usually in the upper part of the troposphere)
when does wind occur
wind occurs when air moves from high pressure to low
air near the equator is heated by the sun and becomes less…
it becomes less dense and rises
near the poles it is cold so dense air…
sinks down towards the earth
Coriolis effect
the Coriolis Effect is the turning of wind belts because of Earth’s rotation
what is wind formed by?
wind is formed by the uneven heating of earth’s surface
energy of wind comes from?
energy of wind comes from the sun.
