weather and climate
water on earth
70%
reflection
A portion of insolation bounces directly back into space without being absorbed
convergence lifting
Air flowing into same low-pressure area converges and displace air upward
Hadley cell
Air is heated through high solar angles and constant day length → Ascending surface air forms the equatorial low, or intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)
Coriolis force always
Always deflects to right in theNorthern Hemisphere
why is the sky blue at noon and red/orange at dusk and dawn?
At noon, blue light (shorter wavelengths) most readilyscattered That's what you see!!!!• At low sun angles, blue light is so scattered that it is eventually absorbed and only scattering of red light is visible
Ferrel Cell
Cell that moves air form 30 degrees to 60 degrees latitude
Coriolis force
Coriolis deflects (turns)anything that flies or flows across Earth's surface( wind, airplanes, etc.)
The ____ force is an apparent force created by Earth's rotation.
Coriolis effect
This apparent force deflects surface and upper-level winds in the northern and southern hemisphere
Coriolis force/effect
Lapse rate used to describe the warming and cooling of unsaturated parcel of air
DAR
nimbostratus clouds
Dark stratus clouds that usually produce light to heavy, continuous rain.
Rossby waves
Disturbances with waving undulations that bring cold airs outh and warm air north
transmission
Energy that passes through the atmosphere without interacting with the gas or other particles in. the atmosphere
pressure gradient force
High- and low-pressure areas exist because Earth's surface is unequally heated
advection
Horizontal dominant movement (wind)
The acronym used to describe the converging low pressure system that produces precipitation within the equatorial zone of earth
ITCZ cell (intertropical convergence zone)
Acronym used to describe the altitude at which the air parcel becomes saturated-
LCL (lifting condensation level)
isobar
Line of constant pressure value (equal)on weather maps
radiometer
Measures the flux of radiation over aunit area of the surface
jet stream
Most prominent movement in the upper-level westerly wind flows
Polar cell
Polar cell lies poleward of each Ferrel Cell, Circulate air between the polar highs and the sub polar lows
conduction
Process by which energy is transferred through a substance or between objects in direct contact
radiation
Process by which wave energy travels through the vacuum of space or through a physical medium such as air or water
process by which light bounces off an obstacle in many directions
Rayleigh scattering
radiation fog
Results when the ground radiates heat away at night, cooling the air above it to the dew point. Does not happen over water.
ELR
The actuallapse rate at a particular place and time
humidity
The amount of water vapor in the air
absorption
The assimilation of radiation by molecules of matter and its conversion from one form of energy to another
sensible heat
The back-and-forth transfer of energy between air and surface
latent heat
The energy stored in water vapor as it evaporates
frontal lifting
The lifting of air resulting when cold air acts as a barrier over when warmer, light air rises
scattering
The process by which light bounces off (not absorbed )an obstacle in many directions
MAR
The rate of adiabatic warming and cooling of saturated air
DAR
The rate of adiabatic warming and cooling of unsaturated air
convection
The transfer of heat through movement of mass within a fluid
adiabatic
Warming and cooling rates for a parcel of expanding/compressing air (cool by expansion, warm by compression)
convective lifting
When air passes over a warmer surface (air masses, urban heat island, low albedo), the heating causes air to lift
fog
a cloud with its base at or very near the ground
cumulus loads
a floating or puffy cotton appearance, has dome or tower shaped structure
stratus cloud
a uniform gray cloud base, often mistaken for fog
Water molecules join to other objects through
adhesion
meteorologists assume an air parcel expands (cooling) and compressing (heating) by a ______________ process
adiabatic
Time of day when temp is normally at its HIGHEST temperature-
afternoon (1-4)
a middle level cloud commonly referred to as a "watery sun"
altostratus
A high level cloud described by its long streamers and rails appearance
cirrus clouds
The winds around a surface HIGH pressure center in the Northern Hemisphere blow with a ____ rotation and a(an) ____ spiral.
clockwise; outward
Water molecules join to other water molecules through
cohesion
the relatively of an object or type of surface influence by its
color, light color= high albedo, darker color= low albedo
__________ lifting occurs when air flows (merges) into the same low-pressure area at which the air get displaces or ascends upward into the atmosphere.
convergence
A geostrophic wind is a wind that results from a balance between the ____ force and the ____ force in the UPPER atmosphere of Earth.
coriolis; pressure gradient
The orientation or rotation that air flows around a low pressure system in the northern hemisphere
counterclockwise
Pushing down on the sealed glass container causes the volume to ____ and the pressure to ______.
decrease; increase
wind vane
determines wind direction
this is the prevailing wind direction that originates from polar high pressure center
easterlies (east to west)
During the process of adiabatic cooling, the temperature decreases with elevation because the air has ___________.
expanded to a larger volume
A thunderstorm is a wind system that experiences a "reversal" of direction due to seasonal thermal differences between landmasses and large water bodies.
false
frontal fog
forms when warm air is lifted over colder air
evaporation (stream fog)
forms when water vapor evaporates from a warm body of water and condenses in the cool air above
A fog described when warm air is lifted over colder air
frontal fog
Charles' Law
gas changes volume if temp changes
this effect influences or helps regulate the global average temperature of earth
greenhouse
Horizontal pressure variations cause air to move from areas of _____ pressure to areas of ____ pressure.
high, low
surface tension and capillary occurs with because of
hydrogen bonding
Adding more water vapor without changing its temp will cause the relative humidity to
increase
relative humidity
is the ratio of the amount of water vapor that is in the air compared to the maximum water vapor possible in the air at a given temperature
The moist adiabatic lapse rate (MAR) is __________ than the dry adiabatic lapse rate (DAR) because __________.
less, condensation heats the air
barometer
measures air pressure
anemometer
measures wind speed
At the surface, prevailing westerly winds are most often observed in the ________.
mid-latitudes
lowest sensible heat is
moist and vegetation surfaces
An equation that describes the balance between the inputs and outputs of short and longwave energy of earth
net radiation balance
orographic lifting
physical barrier(mountain) forces air upward
Boyle's Law
pressure changes if the volume changes
These THREE variables influence the speed of the direction of how surface winds travel across the earth
pressure gradient force, Coriolis force, and frictional force
Isobars CLOSER together = wind blows FASTER=
pressure gradient is stronger
Isobars FARTHER apart = LITTLE or NO wind=
pressure gradient is weaker
Breeze that forms when the land becomes WARMER than the ocean
sea breeze (ocean)
Tendency of an air parcel to remain in place or to move vertically
stability
The general term that refers to the tendency of a parcel of air to either remain in place or change from its initial position is called _
stability
highest sensible heat
subtropics desert
altocummulus cloud
tend to form in large patches composed of rounded masses of rolls
refraction
the bending of light as it passes through one medium to another
advection fog
the horizontal movement of air, warm wet layer and overlooks the ocean
Hydrogen bonding results from the fact that _____________
the hydrogen end of a water molecule is positively charged and the oxygen end is negatively charged
albedo
the relative quality of a surface
Winds that blow predominantly from the northeast and the southeast are called the "________" winds.
trade
In the field of meteorology, winds are usually named for the direction from which they blow from. (e.g., For a northerly wind, air blows from the north toward the south)
true
a fog described by humid air being pushed along hills and mountains and cools to its dew point
upslope
what is a cloud?
visible collective of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air
warm or cold air? which has a higher saturation vapor pressure value
warm air
Highest rate of evaporation appears where on earth?
warm subtropical waters
The wetter, intercepting slope (left side) of a mountain is termed the __________ slope, whereas the drier, downwind slope (right side) is termed the __________ slope.
windward, leeward