grg 301k Exam 1 University of Texas at Austin

what is meteorology?

study of the Earth's atmosphere

T or F? weather forecasting is a subset of meteorology

True

why is meteorology a non-perfect science?

- a non perfect science because it's always changing

what is weather?

the current state of the atmosphere

what is climate?

collective state of the Earth's atmosphere over a long (30 years) period of time

what defines an atmosphere?

gasses that surround the Earth and other planets

weather is produced approximately _______ miles up

4-10

T or F? composition of the atmosphere is constant from place to place and time to time

false. composition is NOT constant

Aristotle

- 340 BC

- father of meteorology

- wrote Meteorologica (a document on weather and how we observe clouds in the atmosphere)

- Largely incorrect; technology corrected him

- mostly theoretical/basic ideas

- developed the first writings and documents of weather

what does a thermometer measure? who invented the first thermometer?

- measures temperature

- invented by Galileo (1593)

how does a thermometer work? how is the thermometer maximum/minimum measured?

- expansion and contraction of liquid on an indexed scale

- maximum measured with mercury

- minimum measured with alcohol

what does a barometer measure? who invented the first barometer?

- measures pressure

- invented by Torricelli (1643)

what does a hygrometer measure? who invented the first hygrometer?

- measures moisture

- invented by Davinci (1660)

why are the 1600's significant?

time of many many advancements in meteorological technology

what does an anemometer measure? who invented the first anemometer (4 cup anemometer)?

- measures wind speed

- invented by Robinson (1864)

when was the telegraph invented and why is it significant to weather?

- invented 1843

- first long distance communication

- Changed the world by giving us the ability to communicate more; made spreading information about weather to different areas possible

who developed the air mass frontal theory and when did the U.S begin to use it?

- developed by Norwegians 1920's

- not used in US until 1940's

what are the 8 elements of weather?

1. air temperature - hotness or coldness of the air dependent on motion of molecules

2. humidity - the moisture in the air

3. clouds

4. precipitation- snow, rainfall, what a weather radar detects

5. wind direction

6. wind speed - gusts of air molecules

7. visibility - the ability to see in the sky depending on the weather

8. air pressure - weight of air

automated systems make this element decreasingly important

visibility

the most abstract element of weather

air pressure

T or F? the wind direction is always stated as where the wind is coming FROM

true

what are clouds called "mother nature's signature"?

- tell us a lot about what is going on in the atmosphere

when were upper air balloons (rawinsonde or radiosonde) developed and what were they used for?

- invented 1940's

- Used in WWII to enable accurate action planning in the air

- first time people needed to calculate atmospheric conditions ABOVE surface

- measures upper atmospheric conditions and transmits to the ground via radio waves

when was the weather satellite invented and what is it used for?

- invented in 1960

- used to see weather above us; mainly used to analyze clouds

when were lightning detection networks invented and what are they used for?

- invented in 1980's

- finds where lightning is occurring

- documents every lightning bolt that strikes in the US

when was the automated surface observing system (ASOS) developed? what is it used for?

- invented in 1990s

- very important in aviation

- used mostly in airports for weather observation; automatic observation of weather for aircraft takeoff

- records every hour

when was the dual pol doppler radar developed? what is it used for?

- invented in 2000's

- uses horizontal and vertical signals

- used to detect precipitation

- measures velocity of raindrops

- senses precipitation by sending out an electric pulse that is reflected off of precipitation

what are buoys and what do they measure?

- similar to a radiosondes except measures the ocean instead of the atmosphere

- measure surface base water temp, air temp, wave height (tsunamis), and detects tsunamis.

how do we determine the average wind-speed?

the average windspeed is determined over a 2 minute minute observational period

what is a human observation network?

- people can go buy their own rain gauge and submit their rainfall

what is the purpose of Coco RaHS? (human observation network)

- Continent wide people report their rainfall

what is the purpose of skywarn? (human observation network)

- storm spotters, storm chasers

what are surface weather maps?

- displays weather at the surface, shows air pressure areas

how do you know if you are looking at a surface weather map or upper air map?

if you can see fronts on the map it is a surface weather map

where is weather measured above the ground for surface weather maps?

5ft above the ground

what is an upper air map used for and what are its characteristics?

- used for weather predictions

- constantly changing

- no fronts are displayed

- lines are at different levels

what are Isolines/isopleths?

lines of equal or constant values of a given property with respect to time and place

what do isobars represent?

lines of equal pressure

- do not connect

what do isotherms represent?

lines of equal temperature

what does an isohyet represent?

lines of equal rainfall; post storms

what does an isallobar represent?

lines of equal pressure change over time

what does an isodrosotherm represent?

lines of equal dew point temperature

what does an isotach represent?

lines of equal wind speed

what type of isoline would be used for analysis of hurricanes?

isotach

what type of isoline would be used for analysis of a flood?

isohyet

what do station models tell us?

Station Models tell us about weather observations for surface air maps and upper air maps

STANLEY GEDZELMANS SEVEN CAUSES OF WEATHER

T or F? the suns heating varies over Earth and with seasons

true

STANLEY GEDZELMANS SEVEN CAUSES OF WEATHER

T or F? the differences in air pressure over Earth causes the wind to blow?

False. differences in air temperature causes wind to blow

STANLEY GEDZELMANS SEVEN CAUSES OF WEATHER

what does the rotation of the earth do to wind patterns? what does the rotation of the earth produce?

- rotation of the earth destroys wind patterns

- it twists the wind

- produces spirals and high/low pressure

STANLEY GEDZELMANS SEVEN CAUSES OF WEATHER

T or F? since less moisture can coexist in colder air, precipitation is generally caused by cooling the air

true

STANLEY GEDZELMANS SEVEN CAUSES OF WEATHER

T or F? pressure in atmosphere increases with increasing height

False. pressure in the atmosphere ALWAYS DECREASES with increasing height

STANLEY GEDZELMANS SEVEN CAUSES OF WEATHER

what happens to temperature in the process of decreasing air pressure? what happens to temperature in the process of increasing air pressure?

- air temperature drops with decreasing pressure

- air temperature rises with increasing pressure

STANLEY GEDZELMANS SEVEN CAUSES OF WEATHER does rising air or sinking air cause clouds/precipitation? what about clear skies?

- rising air causes clouds/precipitation (low pressure)

- sinking airs cause clear skies (high pressure)

what is the hydrosphere?

- the liquid component of earth

- oceans, seas, lakes, ponds, rivers, etc.

what is the lithosphere?

- the land component of earth

what is the atmosphere?

- mixing of gases (composition is not constant)

what is the biosphere?

- the living component of Earth

- the global sum of all ecosystems

what percent of Earths surface is the hydrosphere?

over 70%

what percent of Earths surface is the lithosphere?

approximately 25%

T or F? Weather only exists up to 10-12 miles above the surface

true

T or F? the biosphere includes living members of the atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere

true

what are the two types of gases that make up the composition of the atmosphere?

- variable gases

- permanent gases

T or F? most variable gases do not include greenhouse gases

False. variable gases are greenhouse gases

what percent of volume do variable gases take up in the atmosphere?

2% volume

what percent of volume do permanent gases take up in the atmosphere?

98% volume

what are the variable gases?

- water vapor (H2O)

- methane (Ch4)

- ozone (O3)

- aerosols/particulates

- carbon dioxide (CO2)

- nitrous oxide (N2O)

- CfC's (chlorofluorocarbon)

what is the most variable gas in the atmosphere?

water vapor

why is water vapor the most variable gas?

because there is more water vapor in warm areas and less water vapor in cold areas

where is it near 0% of water vapor by volume?

North & South Pole, because it is too cold for water to coexist

where is it near 4% of water vapor by volume?

Malaysia because of its warmer temp and large amount of rainfall

how do hurricanes play a part in water vapor distribution?

Hurricanes get rid of excess equator moisture and redistribute it

what variable gas is made from decomposition on Earth?

methane

which variable gases reflect solar radiation?

Aerosoles/ Particulare

what is the purpose of the ozone?

helps to absorb damaging UV rays within the atmosphere before it arrives at the Earth's surface

T or F? the ozone filters out all incoming harmful solar rays

false. ozone cannot block all harmful rays. this results in rising temperature in upper 2/3 of the stratosphere

what percent of the ozone is good ozone and where is it located?

- 97% of the ozone is good

- good ozone located in lowest parts of the stratosphere

- just above the troposphere where weather is

what percent of the ozone is bad ozone and where is it located?

- 3% of the ozone is bad

- located in the troposhere (ground level)

- bad ozone reacts with sunrays and forms pollution on surface

what are the most abundant greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?

CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) and H2O (Water Vapor)

which variable gas is responsible for global warming?

CO2 (carbon dioxide)

which variable gas contributes to color found in sunsets?

Cfc's

what are the permanent gases?

- nitrogen

- oxygen

- argon

- neon

what percent of the permanent gases is nitrogen?

Nitrogen- 78.08%

what percent of the permanent gases is oxygen?

Oxygen- 20.95%

what percent of the permanent gases is argon?

Argon- .93%

what percent of the permanent gases is neon?

Neon- .001%

ATMOSPHERIC ORIGINS

how was Earth formed?

particles in solar winds in the solar system formed Earth

ATMOSPHERIC ORIGINS

what process cooled the Earth and caused water vapor to form?

- outgassing process (steaming of Earth; release or give off -a substance- as a gas or vapor)

ATMOSPHERIC ORIGINS

what happened as a result of outgassing?

water vapor formed clouds and rain fell when clouds got heavy

ATMOSPHERIC ORIGINS

what initially happened to the rain that hit the Earths surface? what happened next?

-at first rain boiled away

- but then Earth eventually cooled enough for water to sit

- oceans filled with water

HOW OXYGEN FORMED

how much oxygen did the atmosphere first contain?

little to none

HOW OXYGEN FORMED

how was oxygen produced?

UV radiation produced Oxygen through chemical reactions

HOW OXYGEN FORMED

what chemical reaction is the most abundant source of oxygen?

photosynthesis (at first from bacteria and as Earth matured, from plants)

what is the thermal structure of the atmosphere from low to high?

- troposphere

- stratosphere

- mesosphere

- thermosphere

what does "tropo" mean and what does it hint to us about the troposphere?

- "tropo" means "reaction"

- hints that this is where weather happens in the atmosphere

what does "meso" mean and what does it hint to us about the mesosphere?

- "meso" means "middle"

- hints that the mesosphere is between stratosphere and thermosphere

what does "therm" mean and what does this hint to us about the thermosphere?

- "therm" means heat

- hints to us that the thermosphere is the hottest layer in the atmosphere

where is the troposphere located?

1-15 miles up

where is the stratosphere located?

15-30 miles up

where is the mesosphere located?

30-55 miles up

where is the thermosphere located?

55 miles up