AMTS: Unit 1 Part 1

What is Temperature defined as?

The measure of molecular kinetic energy

What tools are used to measure Temperature

Thermometers & Thermistors

____________ — average speed of molecules (or kinetic energy) in a substance

Temperature

What are the three scales of Temperature

K,F,C

_____________ are measured in shade to avoid solar radiation interference

Thermometers/Thermistors

___________ is where we live and where (most) weather occurs

Troposphere

The Troposphere has ______% of mass

80

In the Troposphere — T usually ________ w/ height

decreases

___________— occurs where temperature increases with height

Inversions

Which part of our Atmosphere has well mixed air?

Troposphere

Which part of our Atmosphere has poorly mixed air?

Stratosphere

The Stratosphere has _______% of mass

19.9

In the Stratosphere — T usually ________ w/ height

increases

Which part of our Atmosphere has an layer that absorbs UV radiation to break O3 molecules

Stratosphere

Thermal expansions causes __________

tropopause

What is is called when T increases with altitude

Inversions

What is the boundary between the Troposphere & Stratosphere

Tropopause

The tropopause is to be lowest over poles at ______km

8

The tropopause is to be highest over poles at ______km

16-18

when the atmosphere has depth or thickness this is because of

Temperature

Layer mixing occurs at the tropopause ____

folds

Name this Formula

Density

________ has a downward gravity force that compresses air below it

Density

Their is greater _______ near the surface

Density

If the air temperature remains constant, evaporating water into the air will ________ the dewpoint temperature and _________ the relative humidity.

increase, increase

What unit of pressure is most commonly used by meteorologists?

millibar [mb]

True or False: The troposphere is the layer of the atmosphere where most significant weather occurs.

True

What is the typical surface pressure at sea level?

1000mb

The height of the tropopause varies with latitude. As a result, the deepest storms are likely to develop:

near the equator

True or False: The tropopause can be thought of as a “lid” on Earth’s weather.

True

True or False: Pressure decreases with altitude in the troposphere but increases with altitude in the stratosphere.

False

True or False: Pressure is the weight of the air above a unit area.

True

In general, where in the troposphere is temperature the coldest?

tropopause

What atmospheric gases is the most plentiful in the atmosphere, by percent by volume

Nitrogen [N2]

True or False: As you ascend to the top of a skyscraper in an elevator, your ears may pop due to the increase in pressure.

False

A north wind means that the wind is blowing from:

North to South

 What term describes the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere compared to the atmosphere's capacity for moisture at a given temperature?

relative humidity

What term describes the pressure at which the air contains the maximum amount of water vapor possible for the observed temperature and pressure?

saturation vapor pressure

what is saturation vapor pressure

the pressure exerted by a vapor when it is in equilibrium with its liquid phase at a given temperature

What term describes the lowest temperature to which air can be cooled at constant pressure before saturation occurs?

dewpoint temperature

True or False: Relative humidity describes the actual amount of moisture in the air.

False

When dew forms on Earth’s surface, it results in __________ of the air temperature.

decrease

There is more compression and greater density at earths ______

surface

Name this formula (N/m^2)

Pressure

What is the difference between Density and Pressure

Density: how heavy or how much mass something takes up

Pressure: is the force of something (ex. push and pull)

___________— T at which saturation occurs

Dew point

If their is a lot of Air molecules the air is _______

more dense

If their is less of Air molecules the air is _______

less dense

Because of gravity, air molecules are being compressed causing air ________ it to be more dense

below

Pressure is really the ______ of a column of air above a unit area

weight

True or False: force and mass are related

True

The force of an object depends on the:

mass and acceleration of an object

Pressure __________ with increasing altitude

decreases

What are barometers:

Tools used to measure Atmospheric Pressure

What are the types of barometers

Mercury & Aneroid

_________ Barometer: Inverted mercury-filled tube, Higher column indicates greater air pressure

Mercury

_________ Barometer: Collapsible chamber, Expands/compresses proportionally to air pressure

Aneroid

What is the point of Sea Level Pressure Correction

to get accurate reading of the atmosphere

Sea Lvl Pressure is usually ______mb

1013

____mb is added per 100m in elevation when calculating Sea lvl Pressure

10

What is the purpose for Sea Level Pressure Correction:

Enable consistent pressure comparisons across locations, eliminating elevation effect

Surface pressure charts use _________ to plot areas of constant pressure

isobars

___________ Chart: Plot isobars (constant pressure lines), Horizontal pressure variations at sea level

Surface

__________ Chart: Plot isoheights, Identify pressure ridges and troughs, Used above surface level

Upper-Level

________: lines of consistent pressure

isobars

________: lines of consistent heights

isoheights

Upper-Level pressure charts identify _______ of high pressure

ridges

Upper-Level pressure charts identify _______ of low pressure

troughs

What are ridges in pressure charts

high atmospheric pressure

What are troughs in pressure charts

low atmospheric pressure

This is an example of

Ridges & Troughs

Pressure can be increased by:

increasing air T & increasing density of air

Name this formula

Ideal Gas Law

_____ measures wind speed and wind vanes

Cup Anemometers

________: indicate wind sped in the direction wind is coming from on a weather map

Wind barbs

Name this

Wind barbs

_________: measure of how much water vapor the air can hold (saturated)

Relative Humidity