ESS 111 Exam 1

Meteorology

the scientific study of the atmosphere and the phenomena that we refer to as weather

Weather

the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place

Climate

The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time (aggregate weather conditions); includes extremes

Elements of weather and climate

air temperature, air humidity, type and amount of clouds, type and amount of precipitation, air pressure - pressure creates wind, speed and direction of wind

Hypothesis

a proposed explanation for a certain phenomenon that occurs in the natural world

Theory

when a hypothesis has survived scrutiny and when competing hypotheses have been eliminated; well tested and widely accepted view that best explains certain observable facts

Scientific Method

process in which scientists gather data through observation and formulate scientific hypotheses and theories

Atmosphere

life-giving gaseous envelope that provides the air we breathe and protects us from the dangerous radiation emitted by the Sun

Hydrosphere

A dynamic mass of water that is continually on the move, evaporating from the oceans to the atmosphere, precipitating to the land, and running back to the ocean again.

Lithosphere

Earth's rocky outer layer; very uneven and contains high mountainous topography as well as low areas; sometimes referred to as the geosphere

Biosphere

Consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.

System

a collection of numerous interacting parts that form a complex whole

Subsystem

part of a larger system

Hydrologic cycle

represents the unending circulation of Earth's water among the hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere

Air

A mixture of many discrete gases, of which nitrogen and oxygen are most abundant, in which varying quantities of tiny solid and liquid particles are suspended.

Humidity

The amount of water vapor in the air

Latent Heat

means hidden heat; when water changes from one state to another, it absorbs or releases heat

Aerosols

tiny solid particles or liquid droplets that remain suspended in the atmosphere for a long time

Ozone

A form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of the usual two.

Atmospheric pressure

the weight of the air above us

Troposphere

the bottom layer in which we live, where average temperatures decrease with an increase in altitude

Environmental lapse rate

the temperature decrease in the troposphere

Radiosonde

an instrument that is attached to a balloon and transmits data by radio as it ascends through the atmosphere; used to measure the actual environmental lapse rate as well as gather information about vertical changes in air pressure, wind, and humidity

Stratosphere

layer above the troposphere; temperature at first remains nearly constant to a height of about 20 kilometers; is encountered at a height of about 50 kilometers; ozone layer is located here

Mesosphere

the third layer in the atmosphere, temperatures decrease with height until about 80 kilometers, leads to abundant vertical mixing

Mesopause

the top of the mesosphere, at a height of about 80 kilometers

Thermosphere

fourth layer of the atmosphere; contains only a tiny fraction of the atmosphere's mass; temperatures increase with elevation

Temperature

defined in terms of the average speed at which molecules moves - the higher the speed, the higher this is

Ionosphere

located between 80 and 400 kilometers; coinciding with the lower portion of the thermosphere; an electrically charged layer; site of the auroras

Ionization

a process in which the affected molecule or atom loses one or more electrons and becomes a positively charged ion

Auroras

a bright and ever-changing display of light caused by solar radiation interacting with the upper atmosphere in the region of the poles

Temperature inversion

a layer in the atmosphere of limited depth where the temperature increases rather than decreases with height

Stratopause

The boundary between the stratosphere and the mesosphere

Tropopause

The boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere.

Particulates

mixture of gases and tiny suspended particles that make up the atmosphere

Hydroscopic

can absorb water/moisture

Homosphere

uniform mixture of the principal gases (troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere)

Heterosphere

heterogenous layering by molecular weights (thermosphere)

Chloroflourocarbons (cfcs)

synthetic organic compounds first created in the 1950s and used primarily as refrigerants and as propellants. The role of CFCs in the destruction of the ozone layer led to the signing of an international agreement (the Montreal Agreement)

Halons

Compounds similar to CFCs, in which bromine or fluorine atoms replace some or all of the chlorine atoms; used in fire extinguishers

Montreal Protocol

phase out of ozone depleting substances.

Main points of scientific method

make observation, obtain facts about observation, share results

Literature search

search for background information that's already known

Rotation

The spinning of Earth on its axis

Orbit

the elliptical path that Earth travels around the Sun once each year

Perihelion

the point in the orbit of a planet closest to the Sun

Aphelion

the point in the orbit of a planet that is farthest from the Sun

Tropic of Cancer

the parallel of latitude, 23.5 degrees north latitude, marking the northern limit of the Sun's vertical rays

Tropic of Capricorn

the parallel of latitude, 23.5 degrees south latitude, marking the southern limit of the Sun's vertical rays

Fall Equinox

occurs of September 22 or 23; in the northern hemisphere; daylight hours and darkness are equal

Spring Equinox

occurs on March 21 or 22; in the northern hemisphere; daylight hours and darkness are equal

Circle of Illumination

boundary separating the light part of the planet and the dark part of the planet

Arctic Circle

66.5 degrees north latitude; experiences the midnight sun, a natural phenomenon in which the Sun is visible at midnight

Antarctic Circle

66.5 degrees south latitude; experiences total darkness on June 21

Energy

the capacity to do work

Kinetic energy

energy associated with an object by virtue of its motion

Potential energy

has the potential or capacity to do work

Heat

energy transferred into or out of an object because of temperature differences between that object and its surroundings

thermal energy

the energy contained in a substance as a result of its temperature

phase change

A change from one state of matter to another

sensible heat

Heat that we can feel and measure with a thermometer; does not involve phase change

conduction

the transfer of heat through molecular collisions from one molecule to another

convection

heat transfer that involves the actual movement or circulation of a substance; takes place in fluids

convective circulation

when water is heated from the bottom and cools near the top, causing it to turn over

thermals

warm particles of rising air

advection

used to denote the horizontal component of airflow

radiation or electromagnetic radiation

the wavelike energy emitted by any substance that possesses heat; energy travels through space at 300,000 kilometers per second (the speed of light)

Wavelength

the horizontal distance separating successive crests or troughs

micrometer

one millionth of a meter; how shortwave radiation is measured

visible light

radiation with a wavelength from 0.4 to 0.7 micrometer; often referred to as white light

Infrared Radiation (IR)

radiation with a wavelength from .7 to 200 micrometers; adjacent to red; cannot be seen by the human eye but is detected as heat

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation

Radiation with a wavelength from 0.2 to 0.4 micrometers; located next to violet; consists of shorter wavelengths that may cause skin to become sunburned

First Law of Radiation

All objects continually emit radiant energy over a range of wavelengths

Second Law of Radiation

Hotter objects radiate more total energy per unit area than do colder objects

Third Law of Radiation

Hotter objects radiate energy in the form of shorter-wavelength radiation than do cooler objects

Forth Law of Radiation

Objects that are good absorbers of radiation are also good emitters

longwave radiation

A reference to radiation emitted by Earth. Wavelengths are roughly 20 times longer than those emitted by the Sun.

shortwave radiation

radiation emitted by the sun

transmission

the process by which energy passes through the atmosphere (or any transparent media) without interacting with the gases or other particles in the atmosphere

absorptivity

a measure of the amount of radiant energy absorbed by a substance

reflection

the process whereby light bounces back from an object at about the same angle and intensity at which it was received

scattering

a general process in which radiation bounces off an obstacle in many directions

albedo

a fraction of radiation that is reflected by an object

diffused

solar energy is scattered and reflected in the atmosphere and reaches Earth's surface in the form of diffuse blue light from the sky

Rayleigh scattering

scattering of visible light by atmospheric gases

Crepuscular Rays

bands (or rays) of sunlight caused by the scattering of sunlight by haze, water droplets, or dust particles

atmospheric window

Terrestrial radiation between 8 and 11 micrometers in length to which the troposphere is transparent.

greenhouses gases

gases that absorb longwave radiation; water vapor and carbon dioxide absorb a significant portion of the longwave radiation emitted by Earth's surface

greenhouse effect

the transmission of shortwave solar radiation by the atmosphere coupled with the selective absorption of longer-wavelength terrestrial radiation, especially by water vapor and carbon dioxide, resulting in warming or the atmosphere

annual energy budget

The annual balance of incoming and outgoing radiation, as well as the energy balance that exists between Earth's surface and its atmosphere

daily mean temperature

determined by averaging the 24 hourly readings or by adding the maximum and minimum temperatures for a 24-hour period and dividing by 2

daily temperature range

computed by finding the difference between maximum and minimum temperatures for the given day

monthly mean temperature

calculated by adding together the daily means for each day of the month and dividing by the number of days in the month

annual mean temperature

an average of the 12 monthly means

isotherm

a line that connects points on a map that have the same temperature

temperature gradient

the amount of temperature changes per unit of distance

meteogram

a graph that shows how meteorological variables change over time

temperature control

any factor that causes temperatures to vary

latitude

the primary control of temperature

specific heat

the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius; more than three times greater for water than for land