Unit 3: Meteorology
polar climate
NO summer; tundra (frozen plain); ice caps; warmest month averages below 10 degrees C = 50 degrees F
dark objects
____ _____ like the asphalt can absorb a lot of energy
light objects
____ _____ reflect energy
cyclone
a rotating column of low pressure air
cumulonimbus
a thunderstorm cloud
waterspout
a weak tornado that forms over water
mesosphere
above the stratosphere; where temperatures decrease with altitude, reaching the lowest point at the top of the mesosphere; air pressure is extremely low; protects earth from meteors; coldest region of atmosphere
vegetation
affects temperatures and humidity
precipitation
amount
el nino
an episode of ocean warming that affects the eastern tropical pacific; occur every 3 to 7 years -triggered when surface temps in the eastern pacific are colder than average
land breeze
at night, air over land cools and moves out over water
mountain breeze
at night, cooled air along mountain slopes moves downward
water bodies
changes humidity and temperatures
wind
circulates the different temperatures
fog
clouds at the ground level that reduce visibility
greater
cold air has _______ pressure than warm air, which is less dense.
cold front
cold air moving into warm air
occluded front
combo of warm/cold air; quick combo; produces violent weather
stationary front
combo of warm/cold air; stays still; two masses meet and is slow moving
dry climate
deserts, dry plains, precipitation is less than evaporation -arid or desert -semi-arid or stepp
wind and water currents
distribute heat and moisture
valley breeze
during the day, heated air along mountain slopes rises
sea breeze
during the day, heated air over land rises, allowing cooler air to move in from over water
humid mid-lattitude (severe winters)
farther from the equator; extreme cold winters average below -3 degrees C = 27 degrees F
tropical
form near equator = WARM
polar
form near poles = COLD
continental
forms over land = DRY
maritime
forms over water = WET
altitude
higher= cooler
barometer
instrument measured in millibars (mb)
anemometer
instrument used to measure wind speed
faster
land heats up _____ than water
stratosphere
layer above troposphere; gases don't mix much; highest part of stratosphere is warmer than lower levels; contains ozone layer; where jets and manned balloons have gone
low pressure
less dense= bad weather; cyclone wind blows counter clockwise
isobars
lines of equal pressure
troposphere
lowest layer of atmosphere; directly above the ground; blankets earth's surface and contains the oxygen we need to live; most weather occurs here; convection currents
koppen system
mean (average) monthly and annual values of temperature and precipitation
high pressure
more dense= good weather; anticyclone that wind blows clockwise
highlands
mountain regions -climate is changed by altitude -no defined temperature/precip -cooler and wetter than it's nearby regions
humid tropical
near the equator; tropical, rainy, warm, NO WINTER, above 18 degrees C = 64 degrees F -wet tropics -tropical wet and dry
funnel cloud
rotating cone shaped column of air extending downward from the base of thunderstorm
local winds
small-scale winds produced by a locally generated pressure gradient -causes: either by topographic effects or by variations in surface composition-land and water- in the immediate area
primary driver
sun's energy cause of areas of high and low pressure
prevailing westerlies/jet stream
the US is affected by this; weather moves from the west to the east
humidity
the amount of water vapor in the air
climate
the average weather conditions of an area-daily and seasonal weather events over an extended period of time
eye
the center of a hurricane
ozone layer
the concentration of ozone in stratosphere; 1. ozone is made of 3 oxygen atoms (O3) 2. protects the surface from Sun's UV rays 3. humans are causing ozone depletion
weather
the current atmospheric conditions
storm surge
the dome of water that sweeps across the coast when the center of a hurricane moves over land
solar energy/solar radiation/electromagnetic waves
the energy from the sun
air pressure
the force exerted by air on the area below it
sun's rays
the other things that influences the amount of energy is the angle of the ____ _____. At the equator, the rays are more direct than at other locations.
atmosphere
the thin layer of gases that surrounds the earth
radiation
the transfer of energy through space
convection
the transfer of heat by the movement of currents within a fluid
conduction
the transfer of heat directly between two objects that are in contact with one another
sun and moisture
the two things weather is driven by
hygrometer, barometer, thermometer
the type of instruments that are used to measure the weather of a place
thunderstorms and tornadoes
these are common along cold fronts in the summer
snowstorms
these are common along cold fronts in the winter
thermosphere
top layer; air is very thin, and the thermosphere has only a tiny fraction of the atmosphere's mass; temperature is very high; temps get up to 2000 degrees C; air molecules are 1 km apart
warning
type of tornado announcement issued when a tornado has been sighted
watch
type of tornado announcement issued when there is a possibility of a storm/tornado developing in your area
warm front
warm air is moving into cold air
humid mid-lattitude (mild winter)
warm temps, rainy, mild winters, typically does not go below -3 degrees C = 27 degrees F
air masses
weather conditions change from day to day because of the movement of ___ _____.; large body of air formed in a location with shared temps/ moisture
climate zones
what the earth is divided into based on the amount of radiant energy received by regions of the earth
front
when the masses do not mix, but instead one mass, pushes the other along
prevailing wind
when the wind consistently blows more often from one direction than from any other
high & low
winds always move from areas of _____ pressure into areas of ____ pressure.
magnetosphere
1. earth's magnet field 2. causes aurora borealis (northern lights)
ionosphere
1. lower part of thermosphere 2. radio waves bounce back to earth's surface
exosphere
1. upper part of thermosphere 2. artificial satellites orbit here 3. end of the atmosphere
oxygen
21% of this is in the atmosphere
nitrogen
78% of this is in the atmosphere; most abundant
tornado
-a violent windstorm in the form of a rotating column of air -measured with the fujita scale -winds can reach speeds of 300 mph -each year, there is an average of 1,000 of these in the US -causes: the thunderstorms being extremely large, unstable and with wind shear in the lower region of the atmosphere -effects: rotating wall cloud formed at base of cloud; wind direction and speed change; spiral
thunderstorm
-generates lightening and thunder -the type of storm usually associated with tornadoes -they form when warm, humid air rises in an unstable environment -cumulonimbus cloud -causes: lower pressure zone; instability of air current and moisture formed in and around rain clouds, generates electrical charges -effects: tornadoes, flash-floods; wildfires; death; fire; mudslides; damage; power outages -STAGES: 1. cumulus- updrafts of warm air cause the cloud to grow upward 2. mature- heavy precipitation falls 3. dissipating- the storm cools and dies down
hurricane
-other names are tropical cyclone and typhoon -a storm that is described as a tropical cyclonic storm over water; -cause: warm water and moist, warm air -effect: storm surge, strong wind, inland flooding and tornadoes -measured with the saffir-simpson scale -can be 600 miles across -usually lasts over a week -moves 10-20 mph over the open ocean
blizzard
-winter storm -temps usually below 20 degrees F -winds are at least 35 mph -the snowiest large city in the US is Rochester, New York...... it gets average of 94 inches of snow each year -causes: cold air at the surface; lots of moisture; warm air must rise over cool air -effects: difficult to see or drive; sicknesses; breathing difficulty, hypothermia, and frostbite; destruction of land, & possibly crops
other gases
1% of this is in the atmosphere