Weather and climate exam 2

Latent Heat

- heat absorbed in evaporation - breaks molecular bonds of liquid - cannot be felt or measured - released when condensation occurs.

W. impervious surfaces

- i mainly artificial structures—such as pavements that are covered by impenetrable materials such as asphalt, concrete, brick, stone—and rooftops. Soils compacted by urban development are also highly impervious -more example roofs, decks, patios, and paved, gravel, or crushed stone driveways, parking areas, and walkways

Factors that moderate temperatures at maritime locations

- influence by a large body of water 1. surrounded by water- high specific heat S.H= amount of heat per unit mass require to raises temp by 1 c 2. transparency- water below surface 3. ocean current - mix heat allow more

Temperature unit with an absolute 0

- its called Kelvin - scientific uses - C + 273.5 - example: 20c + 273.5= 293.5 K

frictional force

- near surface, friction (f) work against preassure gradient force (pgf), so resulting wind direction is between preassure gradient force and coriolis force (cf)

Air Pressure

- weight of air exerting pressure on surface of earth - air pressure decreases with altitude - warm air is lighter than cool air, so i tends to rise - cool air sinks lower density, lower pressure - sky higher density, higher pressure - ground

coriolis force

-due to the rotation of the earth - pulls wind to right in northen hemisphere - pulls wind to left in southern hemisphere - strongest at poles - none at at equator

Why is the sky blue?

Due to Rayleigh scattering

Sweat evaporates more readily when humidity is low

True

What layer of the atmosphere contains the ozone layer?

stratosphere

Y. Sprawl

- "Sprawl is defined as the process in which the spread of development across the landscape far outpaces population growth. - Urban sprawl or suburban sprawl mainly refers to the unrestricted growth in many urban areas of housing, commercial development, and roads over large expanses of land, with little concern for urban planning.

Heat Index

- How warm air feels to human in hot, humid environment - uses air temperatures and humidity to determine the temperature the body feels on very hot days. the heat index temperature assumes shady conditions. - higher humidity -> higher heat index

How does sweating cool the body?

- Sweat is water based. Now, to evaporate water—you'll need heat. When your body produces too much heat it will start releasing the sweat to absorb that heat. - In order for water to evaporate from the surface of the body, it must draw thermal energy from somewhere. It draws thermal energy from the surface of the skin, thus cooling the body.

Troposphere (temperature trend)

- The lowest layer of atmosphere, to ~ 12 km - thicker over equator - most organism and weather here - cools with rising altitude at environmental lapse rates, 3.5f/1000 ft avg - upper limit- troposphere- cooling stops - environmental lapse rate, temps vs altitude - ELR= 3.5 f/1000 ft - Colder

Layer of the atmosphere where weather occurs

- Troposphere - altitude 80 - 480 km - warms dramatically with rising altidude, up to 1200 c in upper reaches - few oxygen molecules to transfer heat - radio waves bounce off this layer from surface

X. Pervious Surfaces

- a surface that allows water to percolate through. example grassy land, anything that water can absorbs

BB. Urban Heat Islands and factors that create them

- darker surface- less reflection - less forest cover - less vegatation -> evapotranportation - less water on surface take away natural soils - heat from human energy use - plane, cars, fabrites - wind blocked - low albedo surface - building block the cooling wind

Maritime vs. continental effects

-The difference between maritime and continental climate is that there is less of a temperature variation in a maritime climate, while in a continental climate the climate does fluctuate, such that summers can be hot and winters very cold. In a maritime climate, summers can be cool, and the winters are not very cold.. - The reason for this is that maritime climates are located near the coast of water sources like the sea. Water bodies tend to retain their heat during winter, which causes temperature near coastal areas to be warmer in winter. Continental climate are found away from bodies of water, so temperature extremes between the summer and winter seasons are more noticeable. - Another difference in these two climate types is in the amount of precipitation. In maritime climates, precipitation amounts are greater than in continental climates because there is more moisture due to its location near a body of water.

doldrums

-a frequently windless area near the Equator -a colloquial expression derived from historical maritime usage, which refers to those parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean affected by a low-pressure area around the equator where the prevailing winds are calm

About what percent of sunlight (on average) makes it directly to the surface of the earth?

28

Q. Approximate Percent direct radiation at surface

28 %

The environmental lapse rate is _______degrees F per 1000 ft.

3.5

A. Convert from degrees C to degrees F.

40 c to F (1.8 x 40) + 32= 104 f

If it is 50°F at the surface (assume height=0ft), estimate the temperature at 1400 ft (assume average conditions).

45.1 deg. F How to solve: top height = 1400 ft bottom height =0 ft 1400-0=1400 ft 1400 ft X (3.5F/1000ft)= 4.9 deg. F Starting temp=50 deg F 50-4.9=Temperature at 1400 ft

If it is 20 degrees F at the surface, estimate the temperature at 3000 ft elevation. -use the ELR to solve this problem

9.5 deg. F

B. Convert from degrees F to degrees C.

90 f to c (90 - 32) / 1.8 = 32.22

D. How are winds named?

A wind is always named according to the direction from which it blows. For example, a wind blowing from west to east is a west wind.

Albedo

Ability of a surface to reflect light the more light the highest albedo the more dark the lowest albedo

The movement of air horizontally is known as

Advection

E. How does atmospheric pressure change with height? Where does it change the fastest?

At an elevation of 10 km (6 miles or about 30,000 feet), roughly the height of Mt. Everest, pressure drops to 265 millibars. That's less than 30% of the pressure at sea level! Both atmospheric pressure and the density of air decrease with altitude. above thermosphere

P. difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit degrees

Celsius - Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius, and boils at 100 degrees C -Celsius has 100 degrees between the freezing and boiling point -One degree Celsius is 1.8 times larger than one degree Fahrenheit. - to convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit, multiply the Celsius temperature by 1.8 or 9/5, then add 32. - F = (1.8 x C) + 32 Fahrenheit -in Fahrenheit, water freezes at 32 degrees F and boils at 212 degrees F. -whereas Fahrenheit has 180 degrees between these two points - Fahrenheit temperature, first subtract 32, then divide the result by 1.8 or 9/5 -C = (F - 32)/1.8

Wind is stronger where isobars are

Closer together

What type of uplift are urban heat island areas most likely to generate?

Convective

The change of liquid water to water vapor by absorption of heat is _______.

Evaporation

Copper has a higher specific heat than water.

False

The troposphere is thicker around the poles than at the equator.

False

Which of the following is NOT a contributor to urban heat island development?

High Albedo

Anticyclones (surface pressure)

High preasure - also called anti cyclones - circulating body of air - descending air - clockwise circulation in northern hemisphere

What can be done to reduce the heat island effect (see Heat Island Mitigation strategies)?

Increasing tree and vegetative cover creating green roofs (also called "rooftop gardens" or "eco-roofs") installing cool—mainly reflective—roofs using cool pavements

ITCZ

Intertropical Convergence zone. Belt of low pressure around the equator. formed by the vertical ascent of warm, moist air from the latitudes north and south of the equator. Lots of precipitation. - zone of low pressure around the equator - warmed by direct sunlight - converging surface air called the trade wire - from NE and SE trades wind from tropical Esterline

U. isobars

Line of equal air pressure on a map

______ pressure systems are associated with cloudy conditions, and ______ pressure systems are associated with fair weather.

Low, High

In what layer of the atmosphere do you find the ozone layer?

Stratosphere

Layer of the atmosphere with ozone layer

Stratosphere - Immediately above the troposphere - altitude ~ 12km- ~50km - contains ozone layer - filters UV radiation - warms with rising altitude due to uv absorption - upper limit - stratosphere, where warming stops

Evaporation

The process through which water change to liquid to vapor phase

Specific heat of water

The specific heat of water is 1 calorie/gram °C = 4.186 joule/gram °C which is higher than any other common substance. As a result, water plays a very important role in temperature regulation.

What mitigation strategy is being used in Columbus?

Trees and Vegetation

In what layer of the atmosphere does most weather occur?

Troposphere

In the Northern Hemisphere, low pressure systems rotate counterclockwise?

True

Temperature increases with height in the stratosphere.

True

Temperatures change more rapidly in continental locations that maritime ones.

True

global circulation models

Used to predict atmospheric changes on a global scale.

Westerlies

Winds that blow from west to east

T. Convection

a circular cell of moving matter that contain warm material moving up and cooler matter moving down

convergence

a location where airflows or ocean currents meet, characteristically marked by upwelling (of air) or downwelling

Isobars on a surface weather map that are far apart indicate

areas of light winds

In a low pressure system in the Southern hemisphere, the surface flow of air ________ in a ____ direction

converges; clockwise

Daily air temperature patterns vs. insolation patterns

daily temp - lowest temp at 6 am, highest temp at around 4 insolation temp pattern - u curve

Convective Loops

develop over tropic and mid latidute

F. What are some differences between Tornado Alley and Dixie that may contribute to unique risks for

dixie alley have greatest risk because -in high population -mostly during night -more moisture bc near ocean - more tree or hills tornado alley less risk because -mostly in less population - not much moisture - in dessert -not much treee

C. Use the average environmental lapse rate to determine temperature changes with altitude near the surface.

elr= 3.5f/1000f if its is 20 f at the surface, appt what is the temp at 4000 ft in elevation? (3.5f/1000f) x 4000 = 14 f 20f - 14f = 6f

R. Radiation

energy that is transmitted in the form of rays or waves

Geostrophic flow occurs when the pgf and Coriolis are not in balance.

false

Latent heat can be measured with a thermometer.

false

Temperature increases with elevation in the troposphere.

false

Sensible Heat

heat that can be felt and measured with a thermometer

pressure gradient force

high pressure to low pressure, perpendicular to isobars

The wind chill index and heat index are measures of

human comfort

Average Environmental lapse rate (3.5 degrees F/1000 ft)

if it is 20 degree F at the surface, Approximately what temp at 4000 feet in elevation? 3.5/1000 x 4000 = 14 F 20 F- 14 F = 6 F

On an idealized day, when does the high temperature occur?

in the afternoon

Wind Chill Index

is a measure of how cold it feels when exposed to cold temperature and wind. the windchill temperature is also a measure of how quickly someone may get frostbite- based on air temp, windspeed, etc. - higher wind speed -> lower windchill

Z. Evapotranspiration

is the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration from the Earth's land and ocean surface to the atmosphere. Evaporation accounts for the movement of water to the air from sources such as the soil, canopy interception, and waterbodies

polar jet stream

jet stream that can bring down cold weather conditions from the north

Tradewinds

located 30^o to the equator, blow east to west.

Cyclones (circulation)

lower preasure system - also called cyclones - circulating body of air - rising air - counterclockwise circulation in northern hemisphere

barometer

measure air pressure in millibars

Air Pressure changes rapidly

near the Earth's surface

The gradient pressure force pushes air

perpendicular, straight across the isobars

Which surface will likely have the highest albedo?

sidewalk

Coriolis force (where is it strongest/weakest)

strongest - at the poles weaknest- equator

Temporal lag between insolation peak and high temperature

temperature lag is when change in temperature lags change in radiation -Diurnal temperature variation: peak daily temperature typically occurs after noon - seasonal lag: peak annual temperature typically occurs after the summer solstice

Condensation

the process through which water change from the vapor to liquid phase

Which of the following is a direct measure of sensible heat?

the temperature as measured by a thermometer

S. Conduction

the transfer of heat energy from one substance to another by direct physical contact

Advection

the transfer of heat or matter by the flow of a fluid, especially horizontally in the atmosphere or the sea

Rossby waves

upper troposphere waves that play a large part in the formation of cyclones and anticyclones