Meteorology Quiz 1

Baseline

Baseline

Mildest year if the past 20 years

Relative Impact

Worst weather year - Baseline year

Sector Most Absolutely Impacted by Weather

Real Estate and Insurance

Sector Second Most Absolutely Impacted by Weather

Manufacturing

Sector Third Most Absolutely Impacted by Weather

Construction

Sector Most Relatively Impacted by Weather

Mining

Sector Second Most Relatively Impacted by Weather

Agriculture

Sector Third Most Relatively Impacted by Weather

Manufacturing

Weather

The condition of the atmosphere at any time and place

Meteorology

The study of the atmosphere and its phenomena

Climate

The average weather; weather elements observed over time

Latitude

Horizontal equidistant imaginary lines across the Earth that run parallel to the equator

1 Degree of Latitude

60 nm/69 mi

GFK Latitude

48 Degrees North

Longitude

Lines that run vertically across the Earth and merge together at the poles, in reference to the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England

GFK Longitude

97 Degrees West

Earth Rotates at

15 Degrees per Hour

GMT

Greenwich Mean Time

GMT is Equal to

Zulu

PST

UTC-8

PDT

UTC-7

MST

UTC-7

MDT

UTC-6

CST

UTC-6

CDT

UTC-5

EST

UTC-5

EDT

UTC-4

Atmosphere

A relatively thin layer of gases consisting mainly of nitrogen and oxygen

Air protects us from ____ and provides a mixture of ____ that allow life to flourish

sun rays, gases

Nitrogen

78.08%

Oxygen

20.95%

Argon

0.93%

Neon

0.0018%

Variable Gases

Water vapor, ozone, clorofluorocarbons, carbon dioxide

Water Vapor Perercentage

Varies by place and time

Water Vapor is Important because

It absorbs and releases latent heat

Which Variable Gas Lives a “Double Life”

Ozone

___ Percent of Ozone is Found in the Stratosphere

97

UV Rays Break CFCs Down Into

Chlorine

The Chlorine From Broken Down CFCs

Destroys ozone

CFCs are Responsible for the

Ozone Hole

The Ozone Hole is Largest in

October

Aerosols

Dust, soil, salt particles, smoke, and volcanic ash

Aerosols are the Opposite of Greenhouse Gases Because

They cool global temps

Aerosols are also known as

Condensation nuclei because they allow water vapor to condense and form clouds

Troposphere

0-11km

Troposphere has an Absence of

Solar absorption

The Temperatures in the Troposphere

Decrease with height

Troposphere Contains

90% of Earths mass and almost all weather

Temp Inversions in the Troposphere

Are possible due to sinking air

Normal Lapse Rate

6.5 Degrees Celsius per Km

Lapse Rate Fluctuates From

Day to Day and Season to Season

Radiosones

Used to measure atmospheric parameters from the surface to ~10mi

Tropopause

~11km

Tropopause Separates

Troposphere from Stratosphere

Tropopause Keeps

Vertical currents of troposphere from spreading to stratosphere

Height of Tropopause is

Higher in winter and equator and lower in summer and poles

Stratosphere

~11-50 Km

Temperature in the Stratosphere

Increases with Height

____ in the stratosphere absorbs UV radiation from the sun

Ozone

Stratopause

~50 Km

Air at the Stratopause

Is very thin- 99% of mass is below this level

Mesosphere

~50-85 km

Air temperature in the mesosphere

decreases with height because of little ozone

Mesosphere temperatures are

The lowest atmospheric temperatures recorded

Mesopause

~85 km

Thermosphere

~85-120 km

Thermosphere is considered

The hot layer

Temperatures in the thermosphere

Increase because of oxygen molecules absorb energetic rays

Molecules in the thermosphere

can travel over 1 km before colliding

Exosphere

500 km

Exosphere is the

Top of the atmosphere

Light and fast molecules in the exosphere can

Escape Earths gravitational pull

Molecules in the exosphere can move

10 km before colliding