As always, please plan to complete this material in 3 weeks
Structure of the Atmosphere
Click here to learn about the elements of
weather.
Click here to learn about this the structure
of the atmosphere.
Key Terms:
climate
electromagnetic spectrum
elements of weather
greenhouse effect
mesosphere
ozone
stratosphere
thermosphere
troposphere
weather
Understand:
1) The vertical temperature and pressure profile of the atmosphere.
2) The global distribution of solar energy at the surface and the factors
which influence surface temperature.
Global Winds
Click here to learn about global winds
Click here to learn about how air
moves in isolated pressure systems
Key Terms:
Bermuda High (Also Hawaiian High)
cold front
Coriolis effect
ITCZ (doldrums)
jet stream
monsoons
polar front
prevailing westerlies
Siberian High
subtropical high (horse latitudes)
Tibetan Low
trade winds
warm front
The "BIG PICTURE" is that weather is driven by the unequal heating of the earth at the surface. Global wind patterns are one way of re-distributing energy. They are initiated by vertical temperature differences in the atmosphere and effected by the rotation of the earth.
Realize that nature has primarily 3 ways to create pressure systems from:
Know why there are semi-permanent isolated high pressure patterns (Bermuda High and Hawaiian High) just off each coast of the US (in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans) and why most of the major deserts in the world are where they are. Know that cold arctic systems (in Canada and Russia ...Siberian High ) are associated with high pressure (and that it is reversed in summer ..Tibetan Low). Know what causes mid-latitude cyclones and anti-cyclones (lows and highs) to form and the weather we might expect from each. Learn how air masses interact at a warm and cold front (associated with a low pressure system).
Moisture, Precipitation, Clouds
Click here to learn about making clouds and rain.
Key Terms
collision-coalescence process
condensation nuclei
condensation
cumulus
dew point (temperature)
evaporation
frontal wedging
ice-crystal (Bergeron) process
lake effect snow
orographic lifting
relative humidity
saturation
stratus
thermals
unstable air
Please do not worry about the math presented in the book dealing with the stability of air, but you should understand why air can become unstable and what happen when it does. Also know the mechanisms which can lift air or layers of air.
Severe Weather
Key Terms
air mass (cP, cT, mP, mT)
air mass thunderstorms
squall line
tornado
tornado alley
ŠJim Mihal 2004, 2006 - all rights reserved