Metr Final: Test 1, Test 2, Test 3

the four layers of the earths atmosphere are

troposphere

stratosphere

mesosphere

thermosphere

air that is saturated will have a measured vapor pressure that is

equal to the saturated vapor pressure at the given temperature

the main source of energy driving climate circulation in the earths atmosphere

the sun

airmasses possessing tropical characteristics are often

warmer to their polar counterparts

airmass source regions often have

flat topography

are geographically similar across their surfaces

the primary location on earth where water is found

oceans

the earths atmosphere is made up of

78% nitrogen

21% oxygen

air parcels are

independent and do not exchange with the environment

raindrops are

<2mm sphere hamburger

air saturation vapor pressure us primarily controlled by

the airs temperature

the density of warm air is

less the density of an equivalent amount of cooler air

what kind of airmass is cold and moist

maritime polar

in general the distribution of energy on earth from the sun is uneven often resulting in

an energy surplus at the equator and a deficit at the poles

if the rate of freezing is greater than the rate of condensation then

liquid water will freeze into ice (freezing)

decreasing the amount of water vapor in the air

decreases vapor pressure

rain that forms from melting graupel in deep (tall) thunderstorms in oklahoma is primarily created

cold cloud process

the average pressure at sea level is

1013.25

farenheit celsius common point

-40

describe the process of cloud formation starting from parcels beginning their ascent from the ground and continuing through growth of cloud droplets remember to include concepts such as air parcel ascent (due to changing density), colling of parcels, CNN, saturation, and ccondensation

how does the sphericity of the earth contribute to the energy distribution commonly observed across the globe? how does this distribution then go on to affect annual average temperatures on the planet

how does the typw of airmass that presides over a location affect the regional climate of that location make sure to discuss both characteristics of airmasses: temperature and moisture content. finally explain how the primary airmass suited over miami florida impacts the annual climate of the city (temperature and rainfall)

what kind of parcels are cooler than the environment they are located in and will halt their ascent and sink when the force causing them to rise is removed

stable parcels

lines of temperature values on surface maps are called

isotherms

cold —> warm

cold front

what is the reason that air accelerates from areas of high pressure towards low pressure

PGF

what two forces act on the air in the free atmosphere leading to the development of circular counter clockwise flow around low pressure in the northern hemisphere

pressure gradient force

coriolis force

key driver of midlatitude cyclones providing the necessary divergence at upper levels to fuel upward motions and sustain parent low pressure centers

warning issued when tornado is indicated by doppler radar or has been spotted and one should immediately take shelter

tornado warning

the location where a dryline intersects any part of a midlatitude cyclone

triple point

in a midlatitude cyclone the sector located to the southeast of the low pressure center behind the warm front and ahead of the cold front is known as the

warm sector of the cyclone

lines of equal height on upper air maps are called

isohypes

what are characteristics associated with the low level jet llj

it carries warm moist air northward

it appears near the top of the boundary layer

it develops at night (nocturnally)

the thickness of a layer of the atmosphere is determined by

the airs temperature

in mature midlatitude cyclones the air behind the cold front is located to the west of the low in the

cold sector

the boundary that separates warm moist air and warm dry air

dryline

the two jet streams that develop on the earth are called

the polar jet

subtropical jet

environmental temperatures that increase with increasing height above the ground indicated the presence of a

temperature inversion

the dry adiabatic lapse rate

9.8 C/km

in the atmospheric boundary layer the forces that act upon the air are

friction force
pressure gradient force

coriolis force

describe what happens when an unstable air parcel is lifted focus your answer on what occurs after the force lifting the parcel is removed

which jet stream is typically the strongest? why is this the case? think about what causes jet streams to form and consider what varies between poles/midlatitudes compared to tropics/midlatitudes

describe the formation of a midlatituted cyclone remember to include conceots such as upper level divergence, jet streams, upward motions, fronts, circulation aroud lows, advection of airmasses and low pressure formation. include the linkages between surface features and upper air features. you may assume that there is already low pressure beginning to form at the surface and that there is a weak trough aloft

what is detrimental to the intensification of tropical cyclones

vertical wind shear

thunderstors that are aligned in a manner which allows them to repeatedly move over the same areas this produces huge amounts of rainfall and contributes to flooding

training thunderstorms

the national hurricane center will name tropical cyclones when

the cyclone reaches the tropical storm stage

deep ridges are a key component in the formation of

heatwaves

the wind chill index is calculated using

temperature and wind speed

in the West Atlantic Caribbean basin tropical cyclones are called hurricanes after

they intensify enough to have wind speeds reaching or exceeding 75mph

urban areas with lots of man made non porous materials

flood often as water is not easily able to drain to rivers or streams

compared to single polarized doppler weather radars, dual polarization doppler weather radar provides much more information about scatterer

shape

size

orientation

composition

flooding intensity and duration is often the result of interplay between

meteorological and geographical features

a thunderstorm is considered severe if it produces

hail larger than 1” in diameter

wind gusts of 58mph or more

a tornado

sinking air associated with high pressure systems can exacerbate droughts because

sinking warms the air

sinking dries the air

winter storms often accompany strong systems called extra tropical cyclones which

are large, swirling low pressure systems that form along the polar jet

in a ppi scan traditional dish antenna doppler weather radar scans the atmosphere in

azimuth and elevation

an x year flood has a chance of

1/x

sue to the combined effects of strong winds circulating around around the cyclone, forward motion, and seal level rise from the cyclones low pressure, storm surge is often worsened on the storm relative

right hand side of the cyclone

flooding that develops rapidly commonly occurs due to heavy rain from thunderstorms and typically lasts for only short periods of time is called

flash flooding

the urban heat island effect

occurs mainly in urban areas

exacerbates heatwaves impacts

raises temperatures compared to surrounding areas

what is primary energy source for tropical cyclones

moisture from warm ocean waters

the main advantage of mobile doppler weather radars

they are mobile and can therefore travel to areas experiencing weather interests

two main ingredients necessary to create lake effect snow events

cold airmass

warm lake

what 3 criteria does a winter storm need to meet in order to be considered a blizzard

falling or blowing snow

low visibility

high wind speeds

explain the development of the eye of a hurricane/tropical cyclone what kind of configuration of pressures are there in the storm that contribute to the formation of the eye

what considerations should be made when determining if a temperature profile will produce freezing rain or sleet?

explain how radar operates when there is precipitation in the atmosphere and is creating a ppi image of reflectivity explain the processfrom the point when the radio wave begins to travel to the reflecting dish atenna and conclude when thesystem creates an image on a screen

explain how a heatwave develops make sure to include concepts like upper air level ridging drying warming and high pressure