Meteorology Final

Heterosphere

above 80 km, gases separate based on weight = stratified layers

Hemisphere

lower atmosphere up to 80km, circulates and maintains uniform ration of gases

thermosphere

upper most atmospheric level, above 80km

mesopause

break between mesosphere and thermosphere

mesosphere

second upper atmospheric level between 49-80km

stratopause

break between stratosphere and mesosphere

stratosphere

level 2 of atmosphere from 13-49 km

tropopause

break between troposphere and stratosphere

troposphere

surface level to 12 km, our familiar atmosphere

stratosphere

the region of greatest ozone concentration and the atmospheric layer in which it resides

3 principle gases of Earth’s atmosphere (chief constituents)

Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon

Greenhouse effect

Heating of Earths surface and lower atmosphere caused by absorption and emission of infrared radiation

Ozone is destroyed by

Chorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and photo association (UV energy)

Height of Polar Tropopause

6-8km

Height of Equatorial Tropopause

18-20km

7 parameters of weather data collection

dew point/humidity, temperature, visibility, sky coverage, barometric pressure, wind speed, wind direction

Air Masses take on the characteristics of their

source regions

Anticyclone

high pressure rotating clockwise

Cyclone

Low pressure rotating counterclockwise

Incoming solar radiation is depleted by

absorption, reflection, backscattering

ALBEDO

combination of reflected and backscattered solar radiation

Heat is transported from equatorial latitudes to polar latitudes by

ocean currents and atmospheric circulation (winds)

a belt of ____ pressure surrounds the vicinity of the equator

low

Stratus

a cloud in contact with the ground

incoming solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere is _____ incoming radiation at the earth’s surface

greater than

direction the Coriolis force acts to in northern hemisphere

right

instruments used to gather atmospheric information

satellite, radiosonde, radar, dropsonde, rocketsonde

T/F infrared satellites sense reflected sunlight

false

T/F the stratosphere is a layer of the atmosphere where the temperature decreases with increasing altitude

false

TF a front is a separation between air masses

true

TF the dry adiabatic lapse rate (temp decrease with height in dry air) in the troposphere for earth at standard sea level temperature and pressure is 9.8ºC per kilometer

true

TF water reflects most of the spar radiator which strikes it when the sun is high in the sky

false

TF the creation of ozone in the upper atmostphere is carried out to a large extent by the absorption of infrared radiation

false

TF absorbed solar radiation is greatest at the equator where earths planetary or terrestrial radiation is minimized

true

TF radiant energy or heat increases proportionately toward shorter wavelengths

true

TF the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum lies between 0.4-0.74 micrometers, where violet-blue is found at short wavelength and orange/red is found at long wavelength

false

TF terrestrial or planetary radiation is short wave radiation

false

TF the earth is closest to the sun during the norther hemisphere winter solstice

true

TF at the pole 90N and 90S terrestrial radiation emitted to space is greater than the solar radiation absorbed

true

TF a city is an island of warmth surrounded by cooler air, a so called urban heat

true

TF isotherms are constant lines of pressure

false

TF isobars are lines of constant temperature

false

TF the doppler effect refers to a frequency shift between sound waves or electromagnetic waves emanating from a moving source— change in pitch

true

RADAR

radio detection and ranging

TF a visible satellite image sense heat energy emitted from cloud tops

false

TF water vapor is an invisible gas

true

TF in general atmospheric motion flows from low to high pressure

false

TF aerosols are largely responsible for haze layers near industrial centers, photochemical smog and heat islands associated with large population centers (cities)

true

TF electromagnetic energy contains both electrical and magnetic energy fields and interacts with all things within the Earth-Atmospheric System

true

air mass

huge volumes of air covering thousands of sq. km horizontally relatively uniform with temperature and humidity

temperature

measure of hotness and coldness in scale of celsius or Fahrenheit

dew point

temperature at which air becomes saturated with water vapor, can no longer hold in gas form

air has to be cool to retain saturation

barometric pressure

weight per unit area of overlying air in a column of air from Earths surface to top of atmosphere

Cumulus development

vertical

Cirrostratus development

high

altocumulus development

middle

cumulonimbus development

vertical

stratocumulus development

low

cirrus development

high

what kind of front is this

cold front

what type of front

warm front

what kind of front is this

stationary front

what kind of front is this

occluded front

Cumulus stage (1) of air mass thunderstorm

all updraft

no precipitation

occurs for 10-12 minutes

mature stage (2) of air mass thunderstorm

both up and down drafts

heavy precipitation

occurs for 15-25 minutes

stratus stage (3) of air mass thunderstorm

all downdraft

little to no precipitation

occurs for 10-15 minutes

Baroclinic Pressure

density varies with pressure and temperature

TF air pressure drops more rapidly with altitude within a cold/denser column of air than in a warm/less dense column of air

true

the greater concentration of water vapor means the air is

less dense

Ideal Gas Law

states the pressure exerted by a gas is directly proportional to the product of its density and temperature

Collision-Coalescence

the primary precipitation mechanism in warm type clouds

TF freezing rain and drizzle is precipitation that freezes before hitting the ground

false

Bergeron-Findeisen ice crystal process

the primary precipitation mechanism in cold type clouds

TF readout obtained by doppler radar (weather echoes) are a power spectrum

true

Ground Clutter

a form of anomalous propagation (AP)

average standard sea level atmospheric pressure

980-1050 millibars

cold air advection

the horizontal movement of cooler air by the wind, resulting in a decrease in temperature at a specific location

warm air advection

the horizontal transport of warm air into an area where cooler air was previously present, causing a temperature increase at that location.

compressional warming

air pressure moves together to create temp change

expansional cooling

air pressure moves separate to create temp change

humidity

amount of moisture air is holding compared to max amount

cloud condensation nuclei (CCN)

water in clouds working with particles to precipitate

orographic lifting

a meteorological process where wind is forced to rise up a mountain or other topographic barrier

virga

rain or snow that evaporates before reaching the ground due to dry air below a cloud

supercooled water droplets

liquid water droplets that exist below their normal freezing point (0°C or 32°F) without freezing

barotropic atmosphere

temperature, pressure, density are in phase

geostrophic winds

wind flowing directly from west to east

planetary boundary layer

the lowest part of the troposphere that is directly influenced by the Earth's surface

vapor pressure

partial pressure contributed by water vapor molecules on the atmosphere

mixing ratio

the ratio of the mass of water vapor to the mass of dry air (g water vapor/kg of dry air)

dew point temperature

the temperature to which air must be cooled at constant pressure to attain saturation

conditional instability

the atmospheric lapse rate is less than the dry adiabatic lapse rate but greater than the moist adiabatic lapse rate

relative humidity

the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere relative to what the atmosphere can hold at a given temperature (vapor pressure/saturated vapor pressure x 100%)

absolute stability

the temperature of the air drops more slowly than the moist adiabatic lapse rate or the temp does not change with altitude (isothermal) or the temp increases with with altitude (inversion)

point of occlusion

where the occluded, cold, and warm fronts meet

cold fronts typically move ___ than warm fronts

faster

the jet stream is stronger in ____ (summer/winter)

summer

what kind of jet is most often found in the proximity of the mid latitude cyclones

polar jet

there may be as few as __ troughs in the long wave (Rossby) trough pattern

2

there may be as many as __ troughs in the long wave (Rossby) trough pattern

5