Test 1 Flashcards
(129 cards)
1
Q
What is the atmosphere mostly made up of?
A
Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Argon
2
Q
Carbon Dioxide
A
efficient absorber of energy emitted by Earth and thus influences the heating of the atmosphere
3
Q
Water Vapor
A
source of all clouds and precipitation
absorbs heat given off by Earth, as well as some solar energy
4
Q
Aerosols
A
tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere
act as surfaces on which water vapor may condense
absorb or reflect solar radiation
5
Q
Ozone
A
combines 3 oxygen atoms
concentrated in the stratosphere, 10-50 km
absorbs the ultraviolet radiation from the sun
6
Q
Structure of the Atmosphere
A
Bottom: Troposphere; Stratosphere, Mesosphere, and Thermosphere: Top
7
Q
Lapse rate
A
rate at which air temperature changes with height
8
Q
Troposphere
A
temperature decreases with an increase in altititude, average 6.5 degrees Celsius per kilometer
“weather sphere” almost all clouds and precipitation are born here
9
Q
Stratophere
A
temperature at first remains nearly constant to a height of 20 km before it begins a sharp increase tat continues until the stratopause is encountered at 50 km.. Ozone occurs here
10
Q
Mesopshere
A
temperatures again decrease with height until at the mesopause 80 km above the surface
the pressure at the base of mesosphere is only about a thousandth that at the sea level
11
Q
Thermosphere
A
no well-defined upper limit
contains only a minute fraction of the atmosphere’s mass
temperature increases due to the absorption of very shortwave, high-energy solar radiation by atoms of oxygen and nitrogen
12
Q
Meterorology
A
scientific study of the atmosphere and the phenomena that we usually refer to as weather, it is considered one of the Earth Sciences
13
Q
Weather
A
a term that refers to the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place; is constantly changing, sometimes from hour to hour and other times day to day
14
Q
Climate
A
description of aggregate weather conditions based on observations that have been accumulated over many decades, is often summarized by average mean of values of the weather elements, but it also includes the extremes and variations
15
Q
Basic Elements of Weather & Climate
A
- air temperature
- humidity
- type and amount of clouds
- type and amount of precipitation
- air pressure
- wind speed and direction
16
Q
Rawinsonde
A
often used to describe radiosonde systems that measure winds, along with pressure temperature and humidity
17
Q
Energy
A
capacity to work
18
Q
Forms of Energy
A
Kinetic and Potential
19
Q
Kinetic Energy
A
energy associated with an object by virtue of its motion
20
Q
Potential Energy
A
has the capability to do work
21
Q
Temperature
A
quantity that describes how warm or cold an object is with respect to some standard measure
22
Q
Heat
A
transfer of energy into or out of an object because of temperature differences between that object and its surroundings. Flows from higher temperature to lower temperature.
23
Q
Conduction
A
transfer of heat through electron and molecular collisions from one molecule to another
24
Q
Convection
A
transfer of heat that involves the actual movement or circulation of a substance
25
Radiation
transfer of heat that travels through the vacuum of space
26
Reflection
process whereby light bounces back from an object at the same angle at it encounters a surface and with the same intensity
27
Scattering
produces a large number of weaker rays, traveling in different directions
28
Albedo
fraction of radiation that is reflected by an object
29
Why is the sky blue?
gas molecules more effectively scatter the shorter wavelengths (blue and violet) of visible light than the longer wave lengths (red and orange)
30
What makes a red sunset?
the great distance solar radiation must travel through the atmosphere, most of the blue and violet wavelengths will be scattered out leaving light that consists most of reds and oranges
31
Greenhouse
house made of glass; stays warm inside even during winter; sunlight shines in and warms the plants and air inside; heat is trapped and can't escape
32
Greenhouse effect
role the atmosphere plays in heating earths surface
33
Daily mean temperature
averaging the 24 hour readings or adding the maximum and minimum temperatures for a 24 hour period and dividing by 2
34
Daily temperature range
difference between max and min
35
Isotherm
used to examine the distribution of air temperatures over large areas; a line that connects points on a map that have the same temperature
36
Temperature gradient
the amount of temperature change per unit of distance
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The controls of temperature
factors that cause temperatures to vary from place to place and from time to time
1- latitude
2- Differential heating of land and water
3- ocean currents
4-Altitude
5- geographical positioning
6-cloud cover and albedo
38
Why do land and water heat and cool differently?
-water is highly mobile, convection, moderate temperature
-water is more transparent, allows some solar radiation to penetrate to a depth of several meters
specific heat is more than three times greater for water than for land
-evaporation from water bodies is greater than from land
39
Foehn
type of dry,w arm, down-slope wind that occurs in the leeward side of a mountain range
40
Thermisotr
type of resistor that resists the flow of electrical current
41
Traditional standard instrument shelter
instrument shelter, permit the free movement of air through it, while shielding the instrument from direct sunshine, heat from ground, and precipitation
42
Latent Heat
heat relesed or absorbed by a substance without accompanying a temperature change
43
Humidity
amount of water vapor in the air
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Absolute Humidity
mass of water vapor in a given volume of air
| =mass of water vapor(grams)/volume of air(cubic meters)
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Mixing Ratio
mass of water vapor in a unit of air compared to the remaining mass of dry air
=mass of water vapor (grams)/mass of dry air(kg)
46
Vapor Pressure
that part of the total atmospheric pressure attributable to its water vapor content
47
Saturation
number of water molecules returning to the surface balances the number leaving
48
Saturation Vapor Pressure
when air is saturated, the pressure exerted by the motion of the water-vapor molecules
49
Relative humidity
ratio of the air's actual water vapor content compared with the amount of water vapor required for saturation at the temperature (and pressure) it is measured of how near the air is to being saturated
=actual water vapor/saturation water vapor x 100
50
How relative humidity Change?
- adding or subtracting moisture
| - change with temperature
51
Dew Point temperature
temperature to which air needs to be cooled to reach saturation; directly related tot he amount of water vapor in the air; high--moist; low--dry
52
Adiabatic Process
process that occurs without the transfer of heat or matter between a system and its surroundings
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Dry adiabatic rate
the rate of temperature decrease with height for a parcel of dry or unsaturated air rising under adiabatic conditions
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Lifting Condensation elvel
altitude at which a parcel reaches saturation and cloud formation begins
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Wet adiabatic rate
the rate of temperature decreases with height for a parcel of saturated air rising under adiabatic conditions
56
Orographic lifting
air is forced to rise over a mountainous barrier; occurs when elevated terrains act as barriers to the flow of air
57
Frontal wedging
warmer, less dense air, is forced over cooler, denser air
58
Convergence
pile-up of horizontal air flow results in upward movement; air flows from more than one direction
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Localized convective lifting
unequal surface heating causes localized pockets of air to rise because of their buoyancy
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Front
the interface or transition zone between two air masses of different density
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Thermals
rising parcels of warmer air
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Absolute Stability
environmental lapse rate is less than the wet adiabatic rate
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Absolute Instability
the environmental lapse rate is greater than the dry adiabatic rate
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Conditional instability
moist air has an environmental lapse rate between the dry and wet adiabatic rates
65
Stability
- air temperature drops less rapidly with height
- air aloft warms
- surface air cools
66
Instability
- air temperature drops more rapidly with height
- cooling air aloft
- warming surface air
67
Air Pressure
force per unit area exerted against a surface by the weight of the air above the surface
68
inches of mercury
the height of a column of mercury measured in hundredths of inches
69
Aneroid Barometer
measuring air pressure (without liquid)
| makes continuous record of pressure changes
70
Isobars
lines connecting places of equal air pressure; the spacing of the isobars indicates the amount of pressure change occurring over a given distance and is expressed as the pressure gradient
71
Wind
air in motion relative to the surface of the earth; result of horizontal differences in air pressure
72
What causes air to move horizontally?
air flows from areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure; because unequal heating of earth's surface continually generates these pressure differences, solar radiation is the ultimate driving force of wind
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Wind is controlled by these forces
1) pressure gradient force
2) Coriolis Force
3) friction
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Pressure Gradient force
always directed at right angles to the isobars
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Northern hemisphere
all free-moving objects, including wind, are deflected to the right of their path of motion
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Southern Hemisphere
all free-moving objects, including wind, are deflected to the left of their path of motion
77
Coriolis Force
directed at right angles to the direction of air flow; this is why low pressure systems like hurricanes and extra tropical cyclones circulate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere
78
Flow aloft
where the effect of friction is small
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Surface winds
where friction significantly influences airflow
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Geostrophic Balance
when the Coriolis force is exactly equal and opposite to the pressure-gradient force
81
Buys Ballot
relationship between wind direction and pressure distribution was first formulated by them
82
Buys Ballot's law
in the northern hemisphere if you stand with your back to the wind, low pressure will be found to your left and high pressure to your right. In the southern hemisphere the situation is reversed
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Anticyclones
centers of high pressure
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Friction
acts to slow the movement of air; also reduces Coriolis force which makes the movement of wind at an angle
85
Wind Speed
ratio of the distance coverd by the air to the time taken to cover it
86
Wind Rose
graphic tool used by meteorologists to give a succinct view of how wind speed and direction are typically distributed at a particular location
87
Prevailing wind
where the wind consistently blows more often from one direction than from another
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Weather Vanes
the arrow will point to the direction the wind is blowing from so if it is pointing to the east it means the wind is coming from the east
89
Wind Socks
conical textile tube designed to indicate wind direction and relative wind speed
90
Anemometere
device for measuring wind speed
91
Cup Anemometer
mainly used by meteorological station. the rate of rotation is directly proportional to the wind speed and thus the wind speed can be measured
92
aerovane
propeller rotates to a parallel axis
93
Rawinsonde
upper air; used to describe radiosonde systems that measure winds, along with pressure, temperature, and humidity
94
Beaufort scale
developed in 1805 by Sir Francis Beaufort; force from 0 to 12
95
Clouds
visible aggregate of minute droplets of water, or tiny crystals of ice, or a mixture of both
96
adiabatic cooling
rising air expands and cools, at the height of the lifting condensation level, the parcel cools to its dew point
97
Two conditions for condensation to occur
1) the air must be saturated
2) a surface on which the water vapor can condense. when condensation occurs aloft, tiny particles, such as microscopic dust, smoke, and salt particles, serve as surfaces on which water vapor condenses
98
The Cloud forms
1) cirrus
2) cumulus
3) stratus
99
Cirrus
detached clouds composed of white delicate icey filaments; high white and thin
100
Cumulus
principal cloud type in the form of the individual, detached elements that are generally dense and posses sharp non microfibrous outlines; normally they exhibit a flat base and appear as rising domes or towers
101
Stratus
uniform layer that frequently covers much of the sky and on occasion, may produce light precipitation
102
Cirrocumulus
high clouds; appear as white patches composed of very small cells or ripples
103
Cirrostratus
high clouds; transparent, whiteish cloud veil of fibrous that may cover much or all of sky; produces a halo around the sun or moon
104
altocumulus
middle clouds; tend to form in large patches composed of rounded masses or rolls that may or may not merge;
105
Altostratus
middle clouds; formless layer of grayish clouds covering all or a large portion of the sky; the sun is visible as a bright spot; do not produce halos
106
Stratocumulus
low clouds; gray or whitish patch, sheet, or layered clouds which have rounded masses or rolls
107
Nimbostratus
low clouds; continuous rain cloud; in association with stable conditions, air is forced to rise
108
Cumulus
exhibit a flat base and appear as rising domes or towers; form on clear days with unequal surface heating
109
Cumulonimbus
Dark, dense, billowy clouds of considerable vertical extent in the form of huge towers, upward to 12 km; thunderstorm clouds
110
Fog
cloud with its base at or very near the ground; result from cooling or by the addition of enough watervapor to cause saturation
111
Clouds
result when air rises and cools adiabatically
112
Fog formed by cooling
radiation fog; advection fog; upslope fog
113
Fog formed by evaporation
steam fog; frontal fog
114
Radiation fog
results from radiation cooling of the ground and adjacent air; clear sky, light winds, thin fog layer over land, forms before dawn
115
Advection fog
refers to air moving horizontally; when warm and moist air is blown over a cold surface, it becomes chilled by contact and by mixing with the cold air below 300-600 m deep and persistent; moderate winds, thick fog bank, thins inland
116
Upslope fog
created when relatively humid air moves up a gradual sloping plain or the steep slopes of a mountain; air expands and cools adiabatically;
117
Steam fog
cool air moves over warm water, enough moisture may evaporate from the water surface to saturate the air immediately above
118
frontal fog
warm air is lifted over colder air; if the resulting clouds yield rain, and the cold air below is near the dew point, enough rain can evaporate to produce fog
119
Dew
water condensed onto grass and other objects near the ground, the temperatures of which have fallen below the dew point of the surface air due to radiational cooling during the night, but are still above freezing
120
Frost
forms when the dew point of the air is below freezing, water vapor changes directly from a gas into a solid (deposition), without entering the liquid state
121
Rain
drops of water that fall from a cloud and have a diameter of at least 0.5 mm
122
Snow
precipitation in the form of ice crystals or more often aggregates of ice crystals; the shape size and concentration depend to a great extent on the temperature at which they form
123
Sleet
ice pellets; formed when raindrops or melted snow flakes freeze as they pass through a subfreezing layer of air near earths surface
124
Glaze
freezing rain; coating of ice, generally clear and smooth, formed on exposed objects by the freezing of a film of super cooled water deposited by rain, drizzle, fog, or possibly condensed from super cooled water vapor
125
Hail
precipitation in the form of balls or irregular lumps of ice, always produced by convective clouds, nearly always cumulonimbus
126
Hailstones
begin as small ice pellets that grow adding super cooled water droplets as they move through a cloud
127
Rime
white or milk and opaque granular deposit of ice formed by the rapid freezing of super cooled water drops as they impinge upon an exposed object
128
Superooled water
liquid water at a temperature below the freezing point
129
RADAR
radio detection and ranging; detects rain in the atmosphere by emitting pulses of microwave and measuring the reflected signals from the rain drops
