Meteorology

What type of radiation is incoming from the sun?

Shortwave radiation (mostly visible)

What type of radiation is reemitted from the Earth?

Longwave radiation (infrared)

What happens to air parcels when they are heated?

They rise and expand.

What percentage of incoming shortwave radiation is reflected?

Approximately 30%

Why is albedo higher at the poles?

Due to ice cover.

How does the pathlength of the atmosphere differ between the equator and the poles?

The pathlength is 45 times longer at the poles than at the equator.

What is the Latitudinal Heat Balance?

The tropics receive a surplus of heating while higher latitudes have a net deficit.

Where is most of the atmosphere's mass located?

Close to the surface.

What is an air parcel?

A box of air imagined to be isolated from its surroundings.

What does the hydrostatic approximation relate?

It relates change in pressure with height.

What is the scale height (H) on Earth?

Roughly 8.4 km.

What is the equation for height from pressure?

ln(pz / p0)H = -z

What controls energy movement and temperature in the troposphere?

Thermodynamic processes, such as ocean and air movements.

What happens to clouds in the boundary layer?

They get stuck under the temperature inversion.

What is the Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate (DALR)?

10 K km-1, assuming no water vapor.

What happens to an air parcel as it cools?

Water vapor may condense into droplets, complicating the system.

What is the Wet Lapse Rate? (Numerical range)

6 - 8 K km-1.

What causes an air parcel to become saturated?

Decreasing the temperature or mixing with another unsaturated parcel.

What is the first law of thermodynamics in relation to an air parcel?

dU = dQ + dw

What is the work done by an expanding air parcel?

dw = -pdV

What is the relationship between molar heat capacity (Cp) and heat capacity for one mole (cp)?

cp = Cp / MW

What is the simplified equation for an expanding adiabatic parcel?

dH = Vdp

What is the impact of water vapor on the cooling of an air parcel?

It releases latent heat, causing the air parcel to cool less quickly.

What is the equation for density in relation to pressure and temperature?

ρ = Mp / RT or ρ = mp / kT

What is the saturation point in cloud formation?

The point where water vapor condenses to form clouds.

What happens to air at the Wet Adiabatic Lapse Rate?

The air cools due to the release of latent heat during condensation.

What does the Dew Point Lapse Rate indicate?

It shows the change in the saturation point over time.

What occurs when air rises over a mountain?

It cools at the wet lapse rate and clouds form; on the other side, it warms at the dry lapse rate.

What is a rain shadow?

A warmer region on the leeward (sheltered) side of a mountain where less rain falls.

What determines the stability of an air parcel?

The temperature of the air parcel relative to its surroundings.

What happens to a warmer air parcel compared to its surroundings?

It is unstable and will rise.

What is potential temperature (θ)?

The temperature a parcel of air would have if brought adiabatically to a pressure of 1000 mb.

What is the Brunt Väisälä Frequency?

The frequency of a standing wave in stable air, calculated using N² = (g / T)(dT/dz + Γd).

What is the significance of the Coriolis Force?

It affects the direction of wind due to Earth's rotation.

What does a Rossby Number (RO) less than 1 indicate?

The Coriolis effect is significant.

What is the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)?

A region where warm, moist air rises, causing high levels of rainfall at the equator.

What causes precipitation at weather fronts?

The mixing of two air masses with different temperatures.

What are the three types of cloud based on height?

High (above 7 km), Middle (2-7 km), Low (below 2 km).

What are Cirriform clouds made of?

Ice crystals and are high and wispy.

What are Cumuliform clouds characterized by?

They are puffy with a flat bottom, formed in unstable atmospheres.

What role do Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) play in cloud formation?

They provide surfaces for water vapor to condense onto, affecting cloud droplet size.

How does air pollution affect cloud formation?

It increases the number of CCN, leading to smaller cloud droplets and whiter clouds.

What is the Pressure Gradient Force (pgf)?

The force that causes air to move from high to low pressure areas.

What is the relationship between the pressure gradient force and the Coriolis effect?

The pgf drives air movement, while the Coriolis effect alters its direction.

What happens to a stable air parcel when it encounters an obstacle?

It rises over the obstacle, then sinks on the other side, fluctuating as a standing wave.

What is the typical upward movement of air in the tropics?

On average, air rises at around 2 mm/s, but can reach up to 10 cm/s in cloud systems.

What is the effect of a cooler air parcel compared to its surroundings?

It is stable and will not rise.