The Atmosphere Flashcards
Atmosphere
the blanket of gases that surround the Earth
Troposphere
layer of the atmosphere closest to Earth surface, where we live
Atmospheric Gases
78% Nitrogen
21% Oxygen
1% Other gases (argon, carbon dioxide and water vapor)
Condensation Nuclei
Solids in the atmosphere such as dust and salt that combine with water vapor to create clouds
Humidity
amount of hydrogen in the air
constantly changing due to temp, altitude, ground features, etc.
Relative Humidity
comparison between how much water vapor is currently in the air and how much it can hold
Warm air holds more
humidity
High temp-
Max saturation-
At 100% relative humidity, current temperature is
high max saturation
100% relative humidity
equal to dew point
Convection currents cause
weather
Lifted Condensation Level (LCL)
height where condensation occurs
Cirrus Clouds
thin, feathery clouds that form at high altitudes
Cumulus
white, puffy clouds usually on fair-weather days
Stratus
low-lying layered sheets of clouds often on drizzly days
Nimbus
low-altitude, gray rain clouds
Coalescence
when clouds droplets collide and join together, eventually getting to heavy and falling (precipitation)
Sleet
pellets formed when raindrops fall through freezing air
Hail
layered lumps of ice created in cumulonimbus clouds, when droplets in the cloud constantly melt and refreeze
Earths temperatures vary due to three things
geographic position, altitude, and surface material
Geographic position
the Earth’s surface unevenly heated by the Sun because the Earth is curved and sits on its axis
Surface Material
water has a higher specific heat than land
Air Pressure
the force exerted on Earth’s surface due to the weight of the air, varies with elevation
High-Pressure Systems
sinking air reaches the surface and spreads from the center, spins clockwise, fair weather
Low-Pressure Systems
air rising and other air flows towards the center to replace it, counterclockwise, clouds and precipitation
Air Mass
large body of air that takes on the characteristics of the land or water under it (the source region)
Maritime
Continental
form over water
form over land
Tropical
Polar
Warm
Cold
Coriolis Effect
the circular motion of air due to the spinning of the Earth, clockwise in Northern Hemi and counterclockwise in the Souther Hemi
Jet-Stream
narrow band of fast, high-altitude winds
Trade Winds
From the East 0-30 N&S
Prevailing Westerlies
From the West 30-60 N&S
Polar Easterlies
From the East 60-90 N&S
Doldrums and Horse Latitudes
areas between wind systems where there is little to wind
Cold Front
where cool, dense air meets warm air, pushing the warm air up steeply
Warm Front
where warm air replaces cooler air and gradually rises
Stationary Front
small differences between the two air masses, so the front does not move or barley moves
Occluded Fronts
when a rapidly-moving cold air mass overtakes a warm front wedging the warm air upward
As latitude increases, temperatures
decrease
As altitude increases (within the troposphere) temperature
decreases
Surface Material
The water remains the same temperature longer than land, harder to change
Wind Speed
Anemometer
Nanometer
Air pressure
Hydrometer
Humidity
Temperature
Thermometer
Ceilometer
Cloud cover and height
Radiosonde
sensor with balloon, measures temp, air pressure, humidity by sent back radio waves
Satellites that orbit earth and take pictures of anything irregular
Weather Satellites
Infrared Imagery
Differences in heat, cloud cover or surface temperature, thunderstorms, severe weather
Doppler Effect
Doppler Radar
the changed in wave frequency that occurs as waves move,
Used to calc speed of raindrops provides good wind speeds.
Isotherms
Same temp
Isobars
Same pressure
Analog and digital forecast
Digital forecast is telling the temp for that day/week/month but the farther away the day is the less accurate so they use analog data to compare it to past temperatures
Tornado season and time of day
Spring and late afternoon
Why do so many tornados occur at tornado alley?
cP and mT collide
Tornado scale
Fujita Tornado Intensity scale F0-F5
Hurricane season
summer and early fall because stored heat
Hurricane related deaths
storm surge
Hurricane Florence originate
Cape verde
Most significant damage hurricane Florence
flooding
Why did Hurricane Florence cause so much damage
Florence stalled and went slower than normal (2-5 mph)
90% of
New Hanover County was out of power
