Weather chapter 1

What does NOAA stand for?

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

What federal agency includes organizations such as the National Weather Service and National Climatic Data Center?

NOAA

What 2 major factors determine how much damage a weather disaster causes?

Severity of hazard and population of the affected area.

What weather hazard is deadliest in the U.S.

Extreme Heat

Why does extreme heat get less attention than hurricanes or tornadoes?

It is less dramatic and harder to show in news.

What are the basic weather variables measured at weather stations?

Temperature, humidity, cloudiness, precipitation, air pressure, and wind speed and direction of wind.

Which variable did the professor specifically describe as the most important?

Air Pressure

What is remote sensing?

Gathering or sensing information without having to be physically present at the location being measured.

What are the 2 major types of weather satellites discussed?

Polar-orbiting and geostationary.

What is a major advantage of Polar-Orbitting satellites?

They are closer to Earth and provide higher resolution images of smaller areas

What is a major advantage of Geostationary satellites?

They are farther away and can observe a much larger portion of Earth at once.

Are weather satellites active or passive sensors? 

Passive sensors; they observe conditions rather than sending out energy. 

Is weather radar an active or passive sensor? 

Active. It sends out pulses of energy and measures the energy that returns. 

How does radar determine how large an object or precipitation particle is? 

By measuring how much energy is reflected back to the radar.

What does a weather balloon measure as it rises through the atmosphere? 

Temperature, humidity, and pressure. 

What is a dropsonde?

An instrument dropped from an aircraft that collects atmospheric measurements as it falls, often used in hurricanes.

What can dual-polarization/Doppler radarhelpmeteorologists identify? 

Storm structure, tornado debris, hail, and different types or sizes of precipitation particles. 

What are the four major parts of the Earth system discussed in the lecture?

Atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere.

What key idea should you remember about the Earth system? 

Its components are interconnected; changes in one part can affect the others. 

Give examples of factors that can affect the atmosphere and climate. 

Ocean circulation, volcanoes, solar energy, and human activities. 

What question did the professor use to demonstrate the scientific method? 

Whether jet contrails can affect surface temperature. 

What was the hypothesis about contrails and daytime temperatures? 

Contrails may lower daytime temperatures by blocking some incoming sunlight.

What was the hypothesis about contrails and nighttime temperatures? 

Contrails may keep nighttime temperatures warmer by trapping outgoing heat. 

What would happen to the daily temperature range if contrails disappeared? 

The range should increase: daytime highs become higher and nighttime lows become lower. 

What real-world event provided an opportunity to test the contrail hypothesis? 

The grounding of most U.S. air traffic for several days following September 11, 2001. 

What happened to the daily temperature range during the period with very few contrails? 

It increased substantially, supporting the hypothesis that contrails influence surface temperatures.