Meteorology Unit 1 - Atmospheric Properties

Weather

describes conditions in the atmosphere that are happening right now, short term or daily measurement, daily decisions to make

Meterology

the study of things high up

Weather Measurements

wind speed, types of clouds, temperature, average rainfall

Climate

long term weather patterns over a specified time frame or specific area, it takes 30 years before the climate is solidified in a place

Climate Measurements

measure the weather for an extended period of time

Cause of weather

temperature, humidity, density, and pressure

Temperature

measure of thermal energy (heat), includes Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin

Humidity

measure of the amount of moisture in the air, measured in the amount of water vapor (in grams) present in each kilogram of air (humidity ratio)

Relative Humidity

take humidity ratio and include the air temperature and the maximum amount of water the air can hold- displayed as a percentage, if the temperature goes up, relative humidity goes down and vice versa, weather station

Absolute Humidity

the actual amount of water vapor present in the air, moisture per cubic meter of air, totally independent of temperature

Density

related to both the type of material that an object is made of and how closely packed the material (kg/l) or (k/m³)

Pressure

the force exerted over a given area or object, either because of gravity pulling on it or other motion the object has

Pascal

force per unit of surface area

Atmosphere (ATM)

equal to the average air pressure at sea level at a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius

Height

as pressure decreases, what else decreases?

Temperature and density

as pressure increases, what also increases?

density

As temperature increases, what decreases?

lower

When air is at at higher temperatures, relative humidity is

higher

when air temperature is lower, relative humidity is

pressure and density

As humidity increases, what factors decrease?

Insolation

the exposure to the sun’s rays, the smaller the amount of area it strikes, the more energy is given

Effects of Insolation

distribution of sun’s energy leads to seasons and the creation of biome’s, the equator always has the average amount of insolation

Atmosphere

The envelope of gases surrounding the Earth or another planet

Atmosphere’s 5 layers

Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exposhere

Troposphere

the closest layer to the ground, this is where weather happens, temperature generally decreases with height, the upper boundary is called the tropopause, includes the jet stream

Stratosphere

houses the ozone layer at the bottom part, the temperature increases with height, relatively calm

Mesosphere

colder and lower density layer with about 0.1% of total atmosphere, temperature decreases with height, contains ratios of Nitrogen and Oxygen similar to the troposphere, except the concentrations are 1000 times less, little water vapor and the air is too thin for weather to occur, meteors break and burn up here

Ozone Layers

blocks UV-A (lowest layer), UV-B, UV-C

Thermosphere

the largest and uppermost layer, the air is hot but very thin, temperature increases with height due to direct heating from the Sun, most of the Ionosphere (northern lights) regions are located here, the ISS is located within the upper range along with other satellites, region containing Aurora Borealis and Australis

Exosphere

atmosphere vs. space, there are gases gravitationally bound in this region, but the area is so thin that they are considered collisionless.

78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 0.9% Argon

Composition of the Atmosphere