Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
81 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Weather
|
the condition of the atmosphere at a particular time in terms of temperature, moisture, wind, and pressure__meteorology is the study of weather.
|
|
Climate
|
the long-term (many year) condition of the atmosphere at a particular location including averages and extremes__climatology is the study of climate.
|
|
Gravity
|
tends to pull particles towards the earth's surface
|
|
Diffusion
|
cause particles to move from areas of high to low concentration
|
|
Weather (large-scale circulation)
|
causes gases/particles to mix
|
|
Transformations
|
chemical change, changes of state
|
|
Which is heavier? Dry air or moist air? Why?
|
Dry air; because Avogadro's Law states that there is constant number of molecules in a given volume of gas.
|
|
General Atomic Masses
|
N2, 28; O2, 32; H2O, 18.
|
|
Source
|
mechanism that supplies a gas to the atmosphere.
|
|
Sink
|
mechanism that removes a gas from the atmosphere.
|
|
Hydrologic Cycle
|
Water is first evaporated from the ocean to aid in condensation and formation of clouds. Then, precipitation occurs, raining the water onto forrest life and river flow, where transpiration takes place. It then starts from the beginning.
|
|
Atmospheric Pressure (measured in)
|
101.3 kPa, 1013mb, 14.6 psi, 29.92 in of mercury
|
|
Ideal Gas Law
|
As pressure increases--tempreature increases (air heats as it sinks, cools as it rises)
As temperature increases--density decreaes. As density decreases--volume increases (air expands and rises as it is heated). |
|
Isobars
Isotherms Isotachs |
pressure
temperature wind speed |
|
Parcel of air
|
mass of air of any arbitrary size and shape that has uniform characteristics in terms of pressure, temp, humidity, etc.
|
|
Kinetic Energy
Potential Energy |
work done by a body as a result of its motion.
work that can be done by a body as a result of its position. |
|
Temperature
|
average kinetic energy of the molecules in a substance
|
|
Heat
|
total kinetic energy of the molecules in a substance
|
|
Specific Heat
|
the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of substance by 1 degree Celsius
|
|
Power
|
rate of transfer of energy. One Watt (W) = 1Joule/sec
|
|
Heat Energy Transfer
|
Conduction
Convection Advection Radiation |
|
Forms of Heat
|
Sensible Heat: experienced as a temperature change that would register on a thermometer
Latent Heat: heat absorbed or released as water changes state |
|
Adiabatic Warming/Cooling
|
temperature change with no actual gain or loss of heat energy
|
|
Interaction of Radiation with Objects
|
Absorption: energy transfrered to object
Reflection: energy sent back Transmission: energy passes through with little interaction |
|
The Greenhouse Effect
|
absorption of longwave radiation from the Earth's surface by certain gases in the atmosphere
|
|
Surface Temperature
|
air temperature in the shade, meausured 1.5m above the ground
|
|
Earth's Surface Temperature
|
Mean global surface temp: 59 degrees Fahrenheit
|
|
Factors Affecting Temperature Cycles
|
latitude
surface type elevation and aspect effect of large bodies of water cloud cover |
|
Latitude
|
more extreme temperature ranges at higher latitudes
|
|
Surface Type
|
surfaces store and reradiate energy back to the atmosphere:
increas. vegetation-decreasing temp increas. moisture-decreasing temp increas. specific heat of surface materials-decreasing temp |
|
Neutral Atmosphere
|
if a parcel of air is released and sinks, it is stable. Conversely, if it rises, it is unstable
|
|
Valley Inversions
|
air near ground cools, cold air will drain down hills creating a cold pool of air
|
|
Factors Affecting the Rate of Evaporation
|
temperature, wind, antecedent humidity
|
|
Vapor Pressure
|
portion of atmospheric pressure provided by water vapor (0-4 kPa)
|
|
Relative Humidity
|
100% (vapor pressure / saturation vapor pressure)...
the amount of vapor actuallyin the air, relative to the amount of vapor the air could hold |
|
Dew Point
|
the temperature to which the air must be cooled to become saturated (without changing the pressure)
|
|
Cloud Formation
|
nucleation, condensation, and deposition of vapor into cloud droplets and ice crystals
|
|
Nucleation
(almost always?) |
Homogeneous: water droplet serves as condensation nucleus
Heterogeneous: small, non-water, particles serve as condensation nuclei (heterogeneous) |
|
Hydrophobic Nuclei
|
resist condensation, but may serve as nuclei as RH approaches 100%
|
|
Hygroscopic Nuclei
|
attract water droplets, and may serve as nuclei even when RH < 100%, due to the solute effect
|
|
Supercooling
|
The greater the quanity of molecules, the greater the chance of initial crystal formation--therefore, very small drops take more time/lower temp to freeze
|
|
Advection Fog
|
movement of warm air over cooler surface
|
|
Radiation Fog
|
forms when land surface cools as a result of outgoing radiation and in turn, cools over lying air
|
|
Upslope Fog
|
forms when adiabatic processes cool air as it moves upslope
|
|
Steam Fog (evaporation)
|
forms when cold air moves over warm water
|
|
Cumlulus
|
heap
|
|
Stratus
|
layer
|
|
Nimbus
|
rain
|
|
Cirrus
|
curl
|
|
Cirr
|
high altitude
|
|
Alto
|
mid altitude
|
|
Virga
|
precipitation that evaporates before reaching the ground
|
|
Do clouds cool the planet, or warm it?
|
Both. Clouds absorb longwave radiation from below, and also reflect solar radiation. Additionally, they emit longwave radiation in all directions
|
|
Reflection
|
angle of incidence = angle of refelction of a surface
|
|
Refraction
|
when the light ray bends toward the normal when entering the water
|
|
Scattering
|
the change of direction of light rays when they encounter foreign particles
|
|
Dispersion
|
seperation of light into its component wavelengths
|
|
Diffraction
|
the bending of light around small particles
|
|
Why is the sky blue?
|
white light comes directly from the sun, so the blue appearing is from scattered light coming from the sun
|
|
Why are sunsets orange/red?
|
molecules scatter and dust reflects the sunlight. also, light from the sky near the sun automatically appears red, not to mention the light coming directly from the sun.
|
|
Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS)
|
measures cloud height, visibility, pressure, precipitation, wind velocity, temperature, and dew point at hundreds of nationwide locations
|
|
Psychrometer
|
measures the temperature difference between a wet and dry bulb thermometer
|
|
Radar Sensor
|
active sensors that emit radio waves and measure their return
|
|
Doppler Radar
|
measures velocity of particles through the resultant frequency shift
|
|
Speed
|
distance traveled in a given time
|
|
Velocity
|
speed and direction of motion
|
|
Acceleration
|
change in velocity in a given amount of time
|
|
Wind Direction
|
compass direction from which the wind is blowing
|
|
Windward
|
compass direction or side from which the wind blows
|
|
Leeward
|
compass direction or side toward which the wind blows
|
|
Cyclone
|
low pressure system associated with counterclockwise wind circulation
|
|
Anticyclone
|
high pressure system associated with clockwise wind cirulation
|
|
Prevailing Wind Direction
|
direction from which the wind most often blows
|
|
Wind Gusts
|
variations in wind speed above the mean
|
|
Newton's First Law of Inertia
|
objects in a state of uniform motion (including rest) remain in that state of motion unless acted upon by an external force
|
|
Newton's Second Law of Momentum
|
the relationship between an objet's mass m, its acceleration a, and the applied force F, is F=ma.
The momentum of an object (p) is equal to its mass multiplied by its velocity: p=mV |
|
Gravitational Force
|
G(f)=gM
g=9.81, M=mass |
|
Pressure Gradient Force (PGF)
|
change in pressure over a specified distance
|
|
Coriolis Force
|
causes an apparent change in direction of anything on earth moving with repect to the ground.
caused by the fact that moving objects carry with them the momentum they aquired from the rotating earth at their previous latitude |
|
Frictional Force (FF)
|
force that opposes motion. with respect to wind, it results from the roughness of the Earth's surface
|
|
Buys Ballot's Law
|
low pressure is always on the left of the wind (in Northern Hemisphere)
|