Monthly mean
Absolute stability
Explain how rain and snow amounts are measured.
Describe the variable components of air.
Sublimation
Explain what is needed in addition to surface heating to develop cumulonimbus clouds (i.e. updrafts)
Explain the conditions that will diminish hurricane strength
Describe the aneroid barometer
Suction vortices
Coriolis effect
Calorie
Thunderstorm
Describe the airflow associated with a low pressure system and a high pressure system
Prevailing wind
Describe the two basic measurements of wind the instruments used to measure these
Explain electromagnetic radiation and how it is classified.
Tropical depression
Wet adiabatic rate
Explain the general characteristics of hurricanes and the correlation between pressure and wind speed
Explain the two principle motions of the Earth.
Latent Heat
Distinguish between rain, drizzle, snow, sleet, glaze, hail, and rime.
Describe the development and general characteristics of tornadoes
Air pressure
Describe the mercury barometer
Describe how relative humidity can be changed by the addition/removal of water vapor and a change in temperature.
Weather
Eye wall
Tornado watch
Daily range
Isotherms
Environmental lapse rate
Adiabatic temperature change
Cyclone
Hygroscopic nuclei
Hygrometer/psychrometric
Condensation nuclei
Tropic of Capricorn
Explain the three factors that develop/control wind
Differentiate between the three general categories of hurricane damage
What are the characteristics used to describe weather & climate?
Dry adiabatic rate
What is standard atmospheric pressure in inches of mercury & milliards of mercury
Differentiate between the summer & winter solstice and autumnal & spring equinox.
Chinook
Describe the layers of the Earth’s atmosphere and the boundaries between each.
Mesocyclone
Describe the classification of air masses based upon their temperatures and moisture content.
Tornado warning
Enhanced Fujita Intensity scale
Fog
What are the three results of solar radiation striking an object?
Deposition
Sea breeze
Track forecast
Pressure gradient
Perihelion
Front
Explain the greenhouse effect.
Describe the Bergeron process and Collision-coalescence process.
Albedo
Dew Point
Geostrophic winds/jet stream
Describe the 4 basic types of fronts
Aphelion
Hurricane
Atmospheric pressure
Explain the 4 common methods that cause air to rise
Tropic of Cancer
Describe the two methods by which thunderstorms develop
Valley breeze
Heat
Land breeze
Discuss the evolution of tropical disturbances into hurricanes.
Absolute instability
Unstable air
Clouds
Describe Doppler radar and its use in tornado detection.
Anticyclone
Wind
Explain the development of midlatitdue cyclones including the weather conditions expected
Cumulonimbus clouds
Differentiate between the three methods meteorologists used to express the water vapor content in the atmosphere.
Atmospheric circulation cell
Describe the three heat transfer mechanisms.
Reflection
Discuss the three factors the generate seasonal temperature changes.
Eye
Conditional instability
Describe the impact of increased CO2 on global climate and the potential outcomes of climate change.
Describe the locations where hurricanes form and list their names in each region
Air mass
Supercell
Describe the idealized global circulation model of a rotating Earth, including each hemisphere’s large atmospheric circulation cells, locations where atmospheric circulation cells converge, and winds within each atmospheric circulation cell
Scattering
Explain the three types of fog formed by cooling and the two types of evaporation fogs
Climate
Specific heat
Temperature
Tornado
Stable air
Cyclone
Monsoon
Discuss how the stability of air is determined
Tropical storm
Mountain breeze
Describe the atmospheric conditions associated with high pressure and low pressure regions
List, in order, the major components of air.
Daily mean temperature
Saffir-Simpson scale
Annual mean
Differentiate between the three basic cloud forms and three cloud heights
Explain the Southern Oscillation and how it develops an El Nino event
Annual temperature range
This instrument employs a partially evacuated metal chamber which changes shape as increases and decreases
it moves over water that cannot supply warm, tropical air, it moves onto land, and when it reaches a location where the large-scale flow aloft is unfavorable
the force exerted by the weight of the air above. At sea level the average pressure is slightly more than 1000 millibars
the transmission of short-wave solar radiation by the atmosphere coupled with the selective absorption of longer-wavelength terrestrial radiation, especially by water vapor and carbon dioxide
visible aggregates of minute droplets of water or tiny ice crystals
if the parcel of air is warmer than the surrounding it will be less dense than the surrounding air will begin to rise
the measurement of energy in the process of changing states
pressures have been estimated to be as much ass 10% lower than the area around them. Since their is such a low pressure gradient, air near the ground rushes into the tornado from all directions. Tornados may consist of a single vortex, but within many strong tornadoes are smaller spins termed suction vortices. They are about 30 ft. in diameter and rotate very rapidly around the central vortex. This explains why some buildings are destroyed while others very near by are barely damaged
Direction : instrument used is a wind vane Speed : instrument used is a cup anemometer
alert the public to the possibility of tornadoes over a specified area for a particular time interval
the horizontal movement of air
calculated by adding together the daily means for each day of the month and diving the number of days in a month
a storm that generates lightening and thunder and frequently produces gusty winds, heavy rainfall, and hail
during the day, the air along the slopes of mountains is heated more intensely than the air at the same elevation over the valley floor, because this air comes less dense, it begins to flow upslope generating a valley breeze
El Nino is when warm water accumulates in the western Pacific can move to the coast of Central and south America. During major El Nino or ENSO events, sea level can rise in the eastern Pacific by 8 inches. Water temps will also rise up to 13 degrees F. Marine and terrestrial habits and organisms are greatly affected by these events.
sometimes called twisters or cyclones, are violent windstorms that take the form of a rotating column of air
1. Some are formed by the unequal heating of the Earth's surface 2. Others are formed due to the unequal heating of the Earth's surface and the lifting of warm air (along a front or a mountain slope)
Hurricanes must have sustained winds in excess of 74 mph, and a rotary circulation. Hurricanes average 375 miles across but can range but can range from 60 miles up to 930 miles across. From the outer edge of the storm to the center, the air pressure can drop from 1010 millibars to 950. This steep pressure gradient (change) generates the rapid, inward-spiraling winds of a hurricane
when sustained winds are between 38 and 74 mph.
calculated by adding the maximum and minimum daily temperatures and diving by 2
the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature 1 gram of a substance
the very center of the system
when the suns vertical rays strike at 23 ½ north latitude
if the parcel of air is cooler than the surrounding air, it will be denser than the surrounding air began to sink
centers of low pressure
produce rain showers and thunderstorms
this device consists of a glass tube (closed at one end) filled with mercury, the tube is inverted into a dish of mercury. The weight of mercury in the tube equaled the weight of the same diameter column of air to the top of the atmosphere. Therefore, changes in the level of mercury in the tube reflect changes in the atmosphere.
occurs when the cooler air from over the sea moves toward land, this is tied to the specific heat of land and water
heat that can be added or removed from water without an accompanying rise or fall in temperature. It also plays a crucial role in the atmosphere
The global temperatures have increased over the years. Weather patterns and other natural cycles cause fluctuation in average temperatures from year to year
centers of high pressures
Rotation - the spinning of the Earth about its axis Revolution - refers to the movement of Earth in its orbit around the Sun
refers to the state of the atmosphere at a given place and time
Summer - June 21 or 22 Winter - December 21 or 22 Autumnal - September 22 or 23 Spring - March 21 or 22
Air is flowing inward at the surface This causes horizontal convergence, resulting in air piling upward, increasing its height This also increases the weight of the air above In order for the low pressure to continue to exist, the amount of air flowing inward at the surface must be equal to the outflow aloft Since air is constantly rising, low pressure systems generally result in clouds and precipitation due to unstable air
STORM SURGE- a dome of water that sweeps across the coast near the point where they eye makes land fall. In the northern hemisphere, the storm surge is always the most intense on the right side of the eye where winds are blowing onshore. -WIND DAMAGE- most obvious of the categories of hurricane damage. Debris from the storm become projectiles during a hurricane. Mobile homes are particularly susceptible to wind damage. Hurricanes can also spawn tornados -HEAVY RAINS AND INLAND FLOODING- can affect hundreds of miles from the coast.
the spacing of isobars indicates the amount of pressure change occurring over a given distance
a pattern of wind circulation that changes with the season
air temperature humidity type & amount of cloudiness type & amount of precipitation air pressure speed & direction of wind
when the Earth is at its furthest point from the sun
a vertical cylinder of rotating air develops in the updraft of a severe thunderstorm and is generally 2-6 miles across
when the suns vertical rays strike at 23 ½ south latitude
develops when moist air has an environmental lapse rate between the dry and wet adiabatic rates
issued by the local NWS offices when a tornado has actually been sighted or is indicated by radar
develops when the environmental lapse rate is less that the wet adiabatic rate
Frontal surface takes on a wave shape with low pressure centered at the apex of the wave. Flow of air is counterclockwise cyclonic circulation. Warm front and cold front form. Cold front catches up to warm font and produces an occlusion. Warm sector is displaced aloft. Pressure gradient weakens and fronts discontinue.
the rotation causes all free-moving objects to be deflected to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere
the conversion of a solid directly into a gas, without passing through the liquid state
commonly used term to express thermal energy. Heat is energy possessed by a material arising from the internal motion of its atom or molecules. When an object is heated the atoms/molecules move faster resulting in an increase in heat content
water vapor aerosols ozone
the reverse process, the conversion of a vapor directly to a solid
Three basic cloud forms: cirrus cumulus stratus Three levels of cloud height: high clouds middle clouds low clouds
Fogs caused by cooling: Advection fog Radiation fog Upslope fog Evaporation Fogs: Stem fog Frontal (or precipitation) fog
within many strong tornadoes are smaller spins
related to the average kinetic energy of a materials atoms or molecules
Conduction Convection Radiation
RAIN- drops of water that fall from a cloud which has a diameter of at least .5 millimeters. DRIZZLE- fine uniform drops of water having a diameter of less than .5 millimeters. SNOW-precipitation in the form of ice crystals or more often, aggregates of crystals. SLEET- refers to the fall of small particles of ice that are clear to translucent. GLAZE- raindrops that fall and, upon impact, freezing resulting in a thick coating of ice on all solid objects. HAIL- precipitation in the form of hard, rounded, pellets and lumps of ice. RIME- deposit of ice crystals formed by the freezing of fog or cloud droplets on objects whose surface temps are freezing.
Most tropical systems develop as a disorganized cluster of clouds and thunderstorms, with a weak low pressure but little to no rotation at the surface. Most of these dissipate before developing into an organized tropical system. When the conditions are favorable for hurricane development, significant latent heat is released from the disturbance and areas within the disturbances get warmer. Air density lowers, generating a weak low pressure gradient steepens. In the upper layers of the system, air is diverging.
is defined as a cloud with its base at or near the ground
it has greatly enhanced the accuracy of tornado warnings. This radar not only detects the intensity of precipitation (reflectivity) but also detects motion (relative velocity) Doppler radar can detect the initial formation of a mesocyclone. Not all tornadoes have clear radar signatures and some storms may produce false tornado signatures. Doppler radar provides research information to help meteorologist understand the development of thunderstorms, the structure and dynamics of hurricanes, and air turbulence that affects aircraft. Doppler radar has greatly improved meteorologist ability to track thunderstorms and issues warnings
a kind of radiation including visible light, radio waves, gamma rays, and X-rays, in which electric and magnetic fields vary simultaneously
if the air is cooler and denser than the surrounding air, it will sink back down t its original location. It resists upward movement.
a doughnut-shaped wall of intense convective activity surrounding the center of the tropical system.
as the storm moves, it may encounter new supplies of warm, moist air that generates new cumulonimbus clouds to replace the one that just dissipated
Hygrometer is used to measure the moisture content of the air. One of the simplest hygrometers is the psychrometric made of two thermometers side by side. One is called the dry bulb, measures the air temp and the other called the wet bulb has a thin cloth that is wet
calculated by finding the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures
when the water vapor is added to a parcel of air, the relative humidity of the parcel increases until saturation occurs. A decrease in temperature results in an increase in relative humidity.
ranks hurricanes based upon their relative intensities form category 1 to a 5
an average of the 12 monthly means
used to classify storms by assessing the damaged produced
the pressure exerted by the weight of air above
a line on a diagram that connect points of equal temperature
the average weather of a location
Global circulation of air is controlled by uneven solar heating and the rotation of the Earth
when the environmental lapse rate is greater than the dry adiabatic rate
calculated by determining the difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures for a given day
-length of daylight -variations in the sun angle -distance the energy travels through the atmosphere
occurs after sunset; the temp of the sea will be warmer than the land
the temperature at which water vapor begins to condense
1. energy may be absorbed by the object 2. energy may be transmitted through the object 3. energy may bounce off an object without being absorbed or transmitted
Warm Fronts Cold Fronts Stationary Fronts Occluded Fronts
good condensations because they absorb water (ocean salt)
boundaries that separates air masses of different densities
29.92 inches of mercury
the slower rate of cooling
geo winds- eventually, the Coriolis effect will balance the pressure-gradient force, which results in the wind flowing parallel to the isobars, these upper air winds are the geostrophic winds. Jet Stream-the most prominent of these upper air streams- fast moving “rivers” of air that travel 75-150 MPH
an immense body of air that is characterized by a similarity of temperature and moisture at any given altitude
the warm, dry winds that occur on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
when the Earth is at its closest point to the sun
a large circuit of air
the process of light bouncing back from an object at the same intensity and same angle at which it encounters a surface
Rain is measured by rain gauge and weather radar Snow is measures by depth and water equivalent RAIN- the standard measurement is to use a funnel to collect the rain fall. SNOW has to measurements by depth and water equal to by using a calibrated stick. Every 10 inches of snow is 1 inch of water.
nitrogen oxygen argon carbon dioxide
Orographic lifting Frontal wedging Convergence Localized convective lifting
to use their tools to judge when the storm is going
the temperature decrease in the troposphere
the process that is responsible for most cloud formation. This is the change in temperature that occurs even though heat is not added or removed
troposphere stratosphere mesosphere thermosphere
Pressure-gradient force Coriolis effect Friction between the moving air and Earth’s surface
the rate of cooling or heating applies applied to unsaturated air
High pressure regions: Subsiding air Divergent winds Dry conditions Low pressure regions: Rising air Converging winds Ample precipitation
the reflectivity of a substance, usually expressed as a percentage of the incident radiation reflected
are the primary weather producers between southern Florida and Alabama
the most intense tornados occur in association with huge thunderstorms
the tiny bits of particulate matter that serve as surfaces for water vapor condensation
Most hurricanes form between 5 and 20 degrees’ latitude in all tropical oceans except the South Atlantic and eastern South Pacific. These immense tropical systems are known by different regions. Typhoons- the western pacific. Cyclones- The Indian Ocean. Hurricanes- Atlantic Basin, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Eastern Pacific.
after sunset, radiation cooling along the mountain slope occurs, producing a cooler layers of air near the ground. Because this air becomes denser, it begins to flow downslope producing a mountain breeze
when winds consistently blow more often form one direction that any other
are intense low-pressure centers that form over tropical waters
when a tropical storm has sustained wind speeds of less than 38 mph
Bergeron- relies on two phenomena. Super cooling (cloud droplets don’t freeze at 0 degrees C; they freeze at -40 degrees C; water in the liquid state below 0 is super cooled. Supersaturation- when air is saturated with respect to water, it is supersaturated with respect to ice.
Mixing Ratio Relative Humidity Dew Point Temperature
occurs when light strikes an object and produces a large number of weaker rays that travel in different directions
Arctic (A) air masses Polar (P) air masses Tropical (T) air masses
