Midterm Study Flashcards
Weather
State of the atmosphere at some place in time
What goes into weather?
Temperature, humidity, cloudiness
Meteorology
study of weather
NOAA Weather Radio
Continuous weather broadcasts
Climate
Weather conditions at some degree averaged over a specfied time period, typically 30 years
Time Zones
Measured east / west of the prime meridian
UTC or Z-Time
Based on Atomic clock, and expressed over 24 hrs.
No daylight savings time.
Pressure system
Features of atmospheric circulation, usually depicted as high or low.
High Pressure System
Anti-cyclones.
Always fair weathered, clockwise air rotation, outward (NH)
Low Pressure System
Cyclones
Wet weather, counterclockwise rotation, INWARD.
Air Mass
Huge volumes of air that cover hundreds of thousands of km2.
Gathers characteristics from the source region, such as temperature and humidity.
Cold Dry AirMass
Higher latitudes, continental
Cold Humid Air Mass
Higher latitudes, maritime surfaces
Warm Dry Air Masses
Over continents in subtropical regions
Warm Humid Air Masses
Near the equator or in the subtropics over maritime surfaces
Polar Air Masses
Colder in winter, milder in summer
Tropical Air Masses
Less seasonal variation due to uniform sunlight
How are air masses determined?
Take characteristics of the areas they pass over
Weather Front
Zone of transition between air masses of density, temperature, humidity, etc.
How do fronts work?
Three dimensional. Where the front intersects the Earth’s surface is shown with the symbols.
Warm Front
Clouds and precipitation occur over a wide band
may occur for 12-24 hrs with light precipitation
Cold Front
Narrow band
Heavy precipitation
Minutes to hours
How does wind affect weather fronts?
Wind directions are different on two different sides of a front.
How do weather systems affect coastal areas?
Lake / seas have lower summer temperatures
Maximum temperature
Happens early to mid afternoon.
Minimum temperature
Occurs around sunrise.
Dewpoint
Temperature when air is cooled at constant pressure so that it is saturated with water vapor and dew forms.
Relative Humidity
Compares the amount of water vapor in the air currently with the amount of water vapor in the SAME AIR if it were fully saturated.
How does RH change?
Through the day as temperature varies.
When is relative humidity the highest?
Around sunrise
When is relative humidity the lowest?
The warmest, so mid afternoon.
Air Pressure
Cumulative force exerted on any surface by the molecules composing the air. Expressed as the weight of a column of air per unit surface area.
Air Pressure Gradient
Change in air pressure over distance. Causes wind.
Wind direction
Direction the wind blows FROM.
West winds blow west TO east
Sky Cover
Fraction of sky covered with clouds
Weather watch
Issued by the National Weather Service when hazardous weather is possible.
Weather warning
Issued by NWS when hazardous weather is happening / imminent.
Geostationary imagery
High orbits, and orbits the planet at the same rate of Earth’s rotation.
Polar orbits
Low orbits, provides overlapping strips of images. Passes over the same point twice every 24 hrs.
Visible satellite image
BW, available during daylight. Reflective surfaces appear bright white.
Infrared satellite
Any time, provides temperature comparisons. Higher cloudtops appear whiter because they’re colder
Water vapor satellite image
Tracks down plumes of moisture, where whiter masses have increased moisture.
Cloud
Aggregates of tiny water droplets and ice crystals.
Atmosphere
Layer of gases and suspended particles enveloping the globe
Half of the mass is found within 5.5k of the Earth’s surface
Nebulae
Rotating interstellar clouds of dust, made of helium and hydrogen
Outgassing
Release of gas from molten rock / volcanic activity. Mainly CO2 , N2 and Water Vapor.
Carbonic Acid
Combination of rainwater in CO2.
Most abundant gas in the atmosphere
N2
then O2
Homosphere
Lower atmosphere
Circulates and maintains the ratios of gasses
Heterosphere
Upper atmosphere, results in layers of gas.
Oxygen and atmosphere stratification
O2 in Homosphere,
O in heterosphere
Split up by UV radiation
Aerosols
Liquid and solid particles
Can be from wind erosion, ocean spray, smoke, etc.
Water vapor
Occurs in the lowest 1km of the atmosphere. Necessary for clouds and precipitation
Carbon Dioxide
Required for life. Keeps the lower atmosphere warm, and can absorb IR radiation.
Air Pollution
Gas or aerosol that occurs at a concentration that can threaten the well being of organisms. Most are human made, but some are natural.
Primary Air Pollutant
Harmful immediately as emitted.
Secondary Air Pollutant
Harmful after combination with one or more substances
Photochemical smog
EPA’s standards for the 6 Air Pollutants
CO, Pb, O3, NO, Particulates, and SO2
Primary Air Quality
Maximum exposure levels humans can tolerate without effects
Secondary Air Quality
Maximum exposure levels able to minimize the impact on crops, visibility, etc.
Attainment areas
Geographic areas where standards are met, or below.
Non-attainment areas
Geographic areas where the primary standard is not met.
Conceptual model
Statement of a fundamental law.
Graphical model
Compiles and displays data in a format that conveys meaning, like a weather map.
Physical model
Miniaturized version of a system, such as a tornado vortex chamber
Numerical system
Mathematical equations help represent relationships among system variables.
Errors with models
Missing data
Accuract
ASOS
Automated Surface Observing System
Consists of sensors, computers, fully automated communication ports
Feeds data to NWS
Advection
Transferring one windmass to another place.
Mesoscale
More localized weather.
Synoptic scale
Wider in time and area.
Law of Energy Conservation
All solar radiation is connected 100%.
% Radiation Absorbed + % scattered + % transmitted = 100%.
Scattering
Small particles in the atmosphere are light or wavelength dependent. You cannot see air molecules, but these molecules scatter blue light.
Why are clouds white?
Clouds are large particles, and scatter all light.
Reflection
Special case of scattering.
Changes in direction of the wavelength as it hits the medium.
Albedo
Reflected sunlight off of a surface
How does albedo work?
The lighter the surface, the higher the albedo. Changes based on solar altitude.
When you have high albedo..
High reflection
Low Absorption
When you have low albedo..
Low reflection
High Absorption
How much does Earth scatter?
~30%
Greenhouse Effect
Heating of the earth’s surface and lower atmosphere by the strong absorption of IR from GH gases.
How does the Greenhouse effect work?
Allows shortwave radiation to pass through, emits IR radiation, being trapped and warms the greenhouse
Atmospheric Window
Radiation can pass into space with no absorption by the atmosphere
Absorption
Converts radiation to heat energy.