weather/climate Flashcards
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is conditions over a shorter period of time, climate is behaviour of the atmosphere over long periods of time
Name all the Climate Control contributors
Mountain Barriers, Altitude, Latitude(variation in radiation inputs), Proximity to water, ocean currents, global wind systems
Explain: variation in solar radiation inputs(latitude) climate control
Lower of higher latitude areas on earth are cooler than those close to the equator because the sun hits equator areas more dead on and closer, but higher and lower latitudes are hit on an angle and further away so they aren’t as hot
explain the climate control of global wind systems
winds from other regions can blow into another region, and the characteristics of that air mass can alter the weather of the affected area
explain the climate control of ocean currents
regions near large bodies of water can be affected by ocean currents, can blow warm or cool air into land
explain the climate control of altitude
temp. drops by 1 degree celsius for every 150m elevation gained. so higher altitude generally means colder. regions close to sea level have milder climates than high altitide (ex. flagstaff gets super hot and super cold)
explain the climate control of “proximity to bodies of water”
water can regulate the temperature of surrounding areas of land because water temperature stays relatively constant year round. regions further from oceans will have more extremes in weather, close to ocean = moderate weather year round.
explain the climate control of mountain barriers
mountains are obstacles for air masses. warm/moist air that runs into mountains have to go over the mountains, but they need to be lighter, so the clouds release their water so they can pass, and on the leeward side of the mountain the air lowers and is warmer.
what characteristics do High pressure air masses have?
Clear skies, stable air, dry weather, cooler nights
what characteristics do low pressure air masses have
cloudy skies, unstable air, precipitation
What is the troposphere?
where nearly all water vapour, clouds and weather occur in the atmosphere
What is shortwave radiation?
Solar radiation that comes FROM the sun, TO earth
What is longwave radiation?
energy that is emitted from within the earth’s atmosphere, NOT directly or indirectly from the sun. Solar radiation absorbed by the earth, is reradiated back into the atmosphere.
explain the two types of Shortwave radiation
Direct & Indirect
Direct: energy that travels through our atmosphere and directly his the earth’s surface without being altered
Indirect: energy from the sun that goes through the atmosphere and is scattered off particles, clouds etc, before it reaches earth, so it changes to wavelength
How much solar radiation is absorbed by earth? and what happens to the rest
2/3 of solar radiation is absorbed by earth, the other 1/3 is reflected back into space/atmosphere and has little affect on our temperatures
What is albedo
albedo refers to the reflectivity of a surface. So surfaces like water and ice that are more reflective, will reflect solar radiation back into the atmosphere
why does water stay cooler than grass on a hot day
water is more reflective, so is unable to absorb as much energy as quick as grass, requires way more energy to heat up.
How are air masses related to their source regions
air masses reflect characteristics of their source regions. example: if an air mass originates over a hot, wet area, the air mass will pick up moisture, and warmer temps. if its over an icy cold area, the mass will be dry and cold
what are the four main Air masses that affect north america, and their abbreviations
Continental Polar (cP) Continental arctic (cA) Maritime polar (mP) Maritime tropical (mT)
what are characteristics of maritime regions and continental regions
maritime regions: wet
Continental regions: dry
Continental Arctic (cA) characteristics? and where it travels
dominates extreme north in winter
colder than polar air with lower dew point
little solar radiation (far north)
abundance of snow/ice, causes air mass to be even colder
comes from way up north, travels down canada
continental polar characteristics and where it travels?
only in northern hemisphere in cold or winter conditions
cold, dense air
stable air, clear skies, high pressure
displaces moist warm air in its path
exists in mid canada, travels down to north USA
maritime polar characterisics and where it goes
exists over oceans in NE and NW north america
wet and cold
cool, moist unstable, low pressure, frequent precipitation
goes from oceans into coastal land
maritime tropical characteristics and where it goes
two types: gulf/atlantic mT, or Pacific mT
pacific: stable or unstable, lower moisture content, weaker air mass, less energy
gulf/atlantic: more energy, stronger air mass, high moisture, very active
why does temperature drop more on a clear night vs a cloudy night?
Because the hot air from the day rises up into the atmosphere, but since there are no clouds, there is nothing to stop the heat from leaving the atmosphere. Clouds trap earths hot air in.
Can clouds prevent shortwave solar energy from reaching earth? explain
Clouds can absorb radiant energy and reflect it, so the cloud is holding the energy and can reflect it back into space
Explain convectional lifting
occurs when air masses pass from maritime source region, to a warmer continental source region.
heating causes air lifting and convection.
Clouds and rain develop if lifting continues
explain orographic/relief lifting
mountains act as barrier to migrating air mass.
air forced up mountain slope to rise over, and cools adiabatically.
moisture in air condenses as is rises over windward side, and releases rain.
leeward side sees warmer and dryer weather.
explain frontal lifting
Area of warm air meets an area of Cold air
Warm air is Less Dense , is forced to go over the cold air
Where the air meets, the warm air is cooled and water vapour Condenses
Clouds begin to form and precipitation occurs
explain a cold front
cold air masses moves quickly to a warm air mass,
cold air is denser and lower to ground, so it goes underneath warm air, abruptly forcing warm air up.
clouds build along the front, temp. drops, air pressure decreases, precipitation occurs due to warm air condensing.
often times hail, thunder, and storms
explain a warm front
warm air mass advances towards cold air mass, but cannot displace cool dense air, so it pushes cool air into a wedge shape and slides up it. clouds form along the “slide”
winds travel slower, temperature rises, becomes humid
explain occluded front
cold front takes over a warm front going in same direction (cold is faster)
pushes warm air off ground and up
creates mix of warm/cold front weather
precipitation may be heavy but die out as warm air goes higher
moderate precip. cool, warm, and light winds
explain stationary front
stalemate between cool and warm air masses, both heading towards each other collide.
neither air is strong enough to displace other
slight air lifting and gentle precipitation
becomes cold or warm front once one regains dominance and takes over
how would this barometric air pressure read on a station model? : 1014.9 mb
149
how would this barometric air pressure read on a station model? : 987.6mb
876
how would this barometric air pressure read on a station model? : 960.0 mb
600
what is the barometric air pressure if the weather station reads: 842
984.2 mb
what is the barometric air pressure if the weather station reads: 731
973.1 mb
what is the barometric air pressure if the weather station reads: 406
1040.6 mb
if the air pressure tendency is rising by 12, what is the exact pressure tendency in mb?
1.2 mb
how would a pressure tendency of 0.9mb be represented on a station model?
09
what does the temperature need to be for the air to be 100% saturated?
the temperature has to be equal to or colder than the dew point temperature to be 100% saturated
