ATMO 105/106 Introductory Meteorology - Notes (Vocabulary Flashcards)

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• Course: ATMO 105/106 Introductory Meteorology

• Instructor: David A. Rahn

• Office: Malott 3021

• Email: darahn@ku.edu

• Office Hours: TR 1:00–2:00 pm (by appointment, or stop by)

• Date reference: May 28, 2019

• Example event: Lawrence/Linwood Tornado

• Note: A tornado event is mentioned for context in the introductory material

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• Logistics overview:

  • Canvas is used to distribute the syllabus, lecture notes, test reviews, weather discussions, and other material

  • If you have trouble with Canvas, you’ll need it for course access

• Textbook options:

  • Optional books:

  • Meteorology Today or Essentials of Meteorology (any edition) by Ahrens

  • A free PDF of Introduction to Meteorology/Weather works as well

• Assessments:

  • Quizzes/Activities about once a week

  • Activity participation = 100%

  • Quiz topics are provided during the preceding lecture

  • Quizzes and activities help prepare for tests and set expectations

• Labs:

  • Get the lab guide if you haven’t

  • Lab instructor is the main contact for their section; the course instructor oversees all labs

  • Labs reinforce lecture topics or provide additional detail

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• Schedule: subject to change

• Course Objectives:

  • Understand fundamental meteorological principles and be able to communicate these concepts

  • Learn about weather phenomena and their impact on everyday activities

  • Gain a basic knowledge of weather forecasting tools and techniques

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• Weather and Climate concepts:

  • Intraseasonal, El Niño, Decadal Oscillations, and Climate Variation

• Example event: El Reno Tornado (31 May 2013)

• Remark: Largest tornado on record in that event; reported as 2.6 mi (4.2 km) in width

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• Weather vs. Climate definitions:

  • Weather: the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time

  • Climate: the accumulation of daily and seasonal weather events over a long period, including mean, variation, and extremes

• Examples:

  • Weather example: Tornado

  • Weather example: Cold Front

  • Climate example: Mean precipitation in Kansas

  • Climate example: Average global temperature

• Visual reference: Right panel shows Average Surface Temperatures (°C)

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• Daily Temperature data for Lawrence, KS:

  • Period of Record: 1868-10-01 to 2025-08-12

  • Normals period: 1991-2020

  • Observed temperature range (2025)

  • Normal temperature range

• Data presentation:

  • Temperature (°F) on the vertical axis

  • Temperature (°C) on the horizontal axis

  • Source: http://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/

• Example values (illustrative): 48.9, 37.8, 26.7, 15.6, 4.4 (illustrative daily figures)

• Note: The chart shows Daily Temperature Data for Lawrence, KS, highlighting long-term data, normals, and observed ranges

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• Global perspective on temperature:

  • Land & Ocean Temperature Departure from Average for July 2025 (vs. 1991–2020 base)

  • Data Source: NOAAGlobalTemp v6.0.0-20250806

  • Map projection: Robinson

  • 1 °C = 1.8 °F

• Range on color bar: approximately -8.0 to +8.0 °C (anomalies)

• Purpose: illustrate regional/global temperature anomalies relative to a modern base period

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• Our Atmosphere:

  • The atmosphere is thin/shallow

  • It exhibits distinct layers

• Spatial framing:

  • Outer Space → Stratosphere → Upper Atmosphere → Earth → Troposphere → Horizon → atmospheric column

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• The Troposphere (the lowest layer):

• Air composition:

  • Permanent gases: well-mixed with small concentration changes (approximately the majority of the air composition)

  • Variable gases: heterogeneous distribution with more readily changing concentrations

• Overall composition reference: ~99% of the atmosphere is made up of permanent gases

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• Water vapor (H2O):

  • By far the most important, relevant, and variable trace gas

  • Concentration ranges:

  • Maritime/tropical locations: up to ~4%

  • Arctic areas: a fraction of a percent

  • Role: Most effective greenhouse gas

  • Complexity: The topic is substantial enough to have its own section and lab

  • Relevance to course: Explores how water vapor condenses into clouds and forms precipitation

• Note: The course will cover components of water vapor in more depth

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• Carbon Dioxide (CO2):

  • Small but crucial component of the atmosphere

  • Concentration: ~0.037%

  • Important greenhouse gas

  • Sources: both natural and anthropogenic

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• Ozone (O3):

  • Near-surface ozone:

  • Bad: highly reactive, can destroy biological compounds (e.g., lungs) on contact

  • Stratospheric ozone (high-level):

  • Good: blocks ultraviolet (UV) radiation, preventing surface damage

  • Ozone Hole:

  • A minimum concentration of ozone centered over the Antarctic

  • CFCs (chloro-fluorocarbons): used as propellants; harmful to ozone

  • UV radiation:

  • High-energy photons can alter chemical bonds and harm biological compounds (e.g., skin)

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• Fundamental variables: qualitative vs quantitative

• Kelvin quote (Lord Kelvin):

  • "It is windy vs. Winds are 30 mph from the northeast. When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind: it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely, in your thoughts, advanced to the stage of science."

• Basic physical quantities:

  • Mass: the quantity of matter in an object

  • Density: mass per unit volume

• Related reference: Rayleigh/Kelvin (historical terminology associated with the slide)

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• Temperature (definition):

  • A measure of the average kinetic energy (movement) of atoms/molecules; higher temperatures mean faster average speeds

• Temperature Scales:

  • Kelvin (K): Absolute zero

  • Fahrenheit (°F)

  • Celsius (°C)

• Conversions:

  • ^{
    circ}C = \frac{5}{9}({}^{
    circ}F - 32)

  • K = {}^{
    circ}C + 273.15

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• Pressure (concept):

  • The amount of force per unit area

• Conceptual questions:

  • How can we decrease the pressure?

  • How can we increase the pressure?

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• Air Pressure (details):

  • Units:

  • Millibar (mb)

  • Hectopascal (hPa) (100 × Pa) [equivalently 1 mb = 1 hPa]

  • Inches of Mercury (Hg)

  • Standard sea-level values:

  • 1013.25 mb = 1013.25 hPa = 29.92 inHg

  • Molecular motion:

  • Air molecules are in constant motion (temperature > 0 K)

  • On the surface, a single air molecule may collide ~10^10 times per second with other molecules

  • Pressure generation:

  • Each collision with a surface yields a tiny push (force); summing these forces over an area gives pressure

  • Relationship with temperature and density:

  • If Temperature increases or density changes, pressure changes accordingly

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• Vertical structure of the atmosphere (title only in slide):

  • Sets up the concept that the atmosphere is stratified in vertical layers

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• Altitude–density–pressure relationships:

  • Density and pressure decrease roughly exponentially with altitude

  • Graph-like depiction: low density and pressure at high altitudes, higher near the surface

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• Representative altitudes/pressures (global examples):

  • Laramie, WY: ~780 mb

  • Commercial aircraft flight altitude: ~200 mb

  • Summit of Mt. Everest: ~300 mb

  • Lawrence, KS: ~980 mb

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• Identifying atmospheric layers when pressure does not show distinct breaks:

  • Conceptual reminder that layers may not be defined by sharp pressure boundaries

  • Visual cues and temperature profiles help locate layers

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• Temperature profile of the atmosphere (layers):

  • Average temperature profile with altitude

  • Key features:

  • Tropopause: boundary between troposphere and stratosphere

  • Ozone maximum: around ~20–25 km

  • Mesopause and Stratopause: boundaries for mesosphere and stratosphere, respectively

  • Notable reference points:

  • 0.001 mb to 1000 mb scale on pressure axis (illustrative)

• Note: The slide emphasizes temperature variation with altitude and layer boundaries

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• Troposphere:

  • Contains all weather

  • Lapse rate (average rate of temperature decline with height):

  • \frac{dT}{dz} \approx -6.5\ \degree\mathrm{C}\ \mathrm{km}^{-1}

  • In non-technical terms: about 6.5°C cooler per kilometer of altitude

  • Tropopause height variability:

  • Higher over equatorial regions

  • Lower in polar regions

  • Higher in summer

  • Lower in winter

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• Temperature and Tropopause variation with latitude (illustrative data):

  • Tropopause height by latitude shows variability

  • Latitudinal bands mentioned: 20° annual mean, 10S–10N, 40N–50N, 70–84N

  • Plot indicates how temperature and tropopause height correlate with latitude

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• Stratosphere:

  • Temperature increases with height (inversion relative to troposphere)

  • The inversion suppresses vertical motion; the stratosphere is a relatively stable layer that caps the troposphere

  • High ozone concentration plays a major role in heating the air in this layer

  • Ozone maximum near ~25 km altitude

  • Ozone layer absorbs most solar UV radiation

• Note on higher layers:

  • Layers above stratosphere are important for space weather but are not covered in depth in this course

• Ozone (summary): essential for shielding life from UV, but depleted by certain chemicals

Key Formulas and Constants (recap)

• Temperature conversions:

  • ^{
    circ}C = \frac{5}{9}({}^{
    circ}F - 32)

  • K = {}^{
    circ}C + 273.15

• Lapse rate (troposphere):

  • \frac{dT}{dz} \approx -6.5\ \degree\mathrm{C}\ \mathrm{km}^{-1}

• Global sea-level standard pressure:

  • P_0 = 1013.25\ \mathrm{mb} = 1013.25\ \mathrm{hPa} = 29.92\ \mathrm{inHg}

• Temperature anomaly convention:

  • 1 °C corresponds to 1.8 °F: 1\,^{\circ}\mathrm{C} = 1.8\,^{\circ}\mathrm{F}

• Global temperature anomaly scale:

  • 1 °C = 1.8 °F (for cross-scale interpretation)

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