ATMO 201 EXAM 1 STUDY FLASH CARDS

What is a diurnal cycle?

24 hour cycle of temperature

What is the atmosphere composed of?

78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% other gases

What is the definition of a blackbody?

A hypothetical body that absorbs all incident radiation and emits the maximum possible radiation at every wavelength

What is the equipment piece that is attached to weather balloons and what does it do?

A radiosonde. It measures Temp, Pressure, Humidity, and Winds.

pileus clouds

A smooth cloud in the form of a cap. Occurs above, or is attached to, the top of a cumuliform cloud. Also called a cap cloud.

cumulus congestus

A towering cloud that has not fully developed into a thunderstorm

What is radiation fog?

Also called ground fog, it is the one we most experience and is caused when saturation can be maintained. Must not be windy.

Which clouds are the lenselike clouds?

Altocumulus lenticularis

What is the newest official cloud?

Asperitas

Why is it that humid and hot feels hotter even though it isn't?

Because there is less evaporative cooling from our skin.

What are contrails made of?

Carbon dioxide and water vapor

What is an aurora?

Charged particle from the solar wind "excites" atoms or molecules in the upper atmosphere

What are the mackrel scale clouds?

Cirrocumulus

What does the latin word "Cirrus" mean?

Curl of Hair

Radiation:

Does not require objects to be touching. Radiation from the sun is an example.

What does the term equinox mean?

Equal night

What is evaporation fog?

Examples are breath and fog from faculty buildings on campus. This is usually short lived

True or False: Air is a good conductor of heat?

False

True or False: Diurnal range tends to be greater in humid regions because of the amount of haze and water vapor?

False. At day the clouds and haze can end up absorbing and at night the water vapor can end up maintaining that temp.

True or False: Heat travels from cold to hot?

False. Hot to cold.

True or False: Conduction is very important high in the atmosphere?

False. Only near the ground.

What is advection fog?

Fog that is caused by warm moist air moving over a cool surface. This is usually found in California.

What does Celcius reference at zero?

Freezing point of water

What is upslope fog?

Goes upslope like on mountains. This is important for aviation and can stay for days.

What does the latin word "Cumulus" mean?

Heap (like heap of cotton)

What does altus mean?

High. Used to refer to midlevel clouds

What is the absolute scale of temperature?

Kelvin scale

What is temperature a measure of?

Kinetic Energy

What does stratus mean?

Layer

What does the latin word "Stratus" mean?

Layer

Altocumulus lenticularis

Lens like

Is hot, humid air, more or less dense than cool air? Why?

Less dense than cool. H2O molecules weigh less

What type of radiation does the earth give off?

Longwave

What are some forms of cirrocumulus clouds?

Mackrel/Fish scales

Growing Degree Day

Mean daily temperature 1°F above the base temperature for a crop

What does altus refer to?

Mid level clouds

Is longwave radiation visible?

Negative ghostrider

What colors are given off in auroras based on type of molecule?

O- Red or green N-Red or violet

What is Kirchoffs law?

Objects that are good absorbers are typically good emitters

Cooling Degree Day

People begin cooling when temp is above 65 degrees

What is a heating degree day?

People begin using heat when the temp falls below 65 degrees.

What are the different types of fog?

Radiation, advection, upslope, evaporation, freezing

What does the latin word Nimbus mean?

Rain

What is the type of radiation does the sun give off?

Shortwave

What are ways to measure humidity?

Sling Psychrometer & Hair hygrometer

What does solstice mean?

Son stands still

When are the usual solstices?

Summer solstice- June 21 Winter Solstice- December 21

What is the term for the space where the mesosphere meets the thermosphere?

The Mesopause

The atmosphere is....

The atmosphere is.... Mostly transparent to shortwave visible radiation and is a selective absorber especially in longwave radiation.

What does mean (average) temperature mean?

The average of high and low temperature for the day

What is the normal temperature?

The average of highs and lows over a 30 year period

Why is convection important in meteorology?

The formation of clouds is largely due to convection

What is a diurnal range?

The range between the highs and lows of the day

What is the definition of lapse rate?

The rate at which temperature changes over height.

What is the term for the space where the stratosphere meets the mesosphere?

The stratopause

What are examples of blackbodies?

The sun and earth

Why is radiation important in meteorology?

The sun heats the earth and causes daily temperature changes and more.

Convection:

The transfer of heat by the movement of a fluid (water or air in this case) This is vertical motion. Advection is horizontal movement.

Define Conduction:

The transfer of thermal energy from molecule to molecule in a substance. An example would be a pan on a stove.

What is the term for the space where the troposphere meets the stratosphere?

The tropopause

What are cirrostratus clouds?

Think and sheet like. Often cause halos. Often precede precipitation.

What are the layers of the atmosphere from ground to space?

Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere TSMTE ToSMTE

True or False: A geostationary satellite is one that stays with the earth's orbit to document the same place all the time.

True

True or False: Everything with a temperature above absolute zero emits radiation?

True

True or False: Mid Latitude cyclones form outside of the tropics and in the northern hemisphere.

True

True or False: Not all TV weatherpersons are meteorologists

True

True or False: The shorter the wavelength, the more energy it has.

True

True or False: The word meteorology stems from the word in greek "meteoros" meaning high in the air?

True

True or False: the higher the relative humidity, the less evaporation?

True

Define Hygroscopic?

Water Seeking

Where on the earth do auroras tend to happen?

Where magnetic field lines intersect at the earth's surface. (higher latitudes)

Cumulus

White puffy clouds

When water becomes ice does it release heat?

Yes

What are some absolute measures of moisture in the air?

absolute humidity, dewpoint temperature, specific humidity, mixing ratio

What are the methods of heat transfer?

conduction, convection, radiation

As temperature goes up relative humidity....

goes down

What are the controls of temperature?

latitude, land and water distribution, ocean currents, elevation

Define Albedo

the reflectivity of a surface (think snow and the sun reflecting it)

What is a temperature inversion?

when temperature increases with altitude