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48 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
What is the most prominent gas in the atmosphere?
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Nitrogen
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Temperature layers in the Atmosphere. What are they?
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Troposphere
~Tropapause~ Stratosphere ~Stratopause~ Mesosphere ~Mesopause~ Thermosphere |
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What are the 7 weather elements?
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Temperature
Precipitation Wind Visibility Pressure Clouds Humidity (Dew point) |
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What are the different types of storms from largest to smallest?
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Mid latitude storms - across the country from west-east 1000's of miles
Hurricanes - 100's of miles Thunder Storms - 10's miles Tornadoes - spawned from thunderstorms |
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List the two most prominent gases in the atmosphere.
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Nitrogen and Oxygen
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Coriolis force
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this force causes moving particles (including wind) to deflect to the right in the Northern Hemisphere.
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Conduction
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Energy exchange through a solid
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Convection
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Energy exchange through air
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Radiation
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Energy exchange though electromagnetic waves
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What are the 4 controls of temperature?
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Latitude
Land and Water Ocean Currents Elevation |
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temp controls - Latitude
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Average temp decrease poleward from the tropics and sub-tropics. With a greater variation in the winter than in summer.
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temp controls - Land and Water Distribution
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Solar energy is absorbed unequally by land and water. Land absorbs through a thin layer of soil but water absorbs deeply.
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temp controls - Ocean Currents
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Along the eastern margins warm ocean currents transport warm water poleward, while, along western margins they transport cold water equator-ward.
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temp controls - Elevation
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Due to less dense air at high elevations the absorption of solar radiation is less and there is a standard temp lapse rate of 3.6F per 1000 ft.
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Dew Point
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The Temperature to which air must be cooled for saturation to occur.
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High clouds
Middle clouds Low clouds |
Cirro (high) 20000ft
Alto (middle) 6000ft Stratus or Cumulus |
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High Clouds
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Cirrus (Ci)
Cirrostratus (Cs) Cirrocumulus (Cc) |
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Middle Clouds
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Altostratus (As)
Altocumulus (Ac) |
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Low Clouds
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Stratus (St)
Stratocumulus (Sc) Nimbostratus (Ns) |
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Clouds with Vertical Development
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Cumulus (Cu)
Cumulonimbus (Cb) |
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What is an Isobar?
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Lines connecting points of equal pressure
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How does wind follow pressure?
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low pressure counter clockwise
high pressure clockwise |
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As you go up in the atmosphere the temperature decreases by how many degrees per 1000ft.?
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5.5F/10C Dry
3.3F/6C Wet (after saturation) |
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What are the 3 different ways to classify the atmosphere?
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Electrical
Gas Temp Profile |
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What is the temperature profile of the atmosphere as you go up?
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Temp goes down in the troposphere
Temp goes up in the Stratosphere Temp goes down in the mesosphere Temp goes way up in the Thermosphere |
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Heterosphere and Homosphere which is which?
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Homosphere is the layer below the thermosphere where the air is mixed (78% nitrogen 21% oxygen)
In the Heterosphere air is unable to keep itself mixed and diffusion takes place. Gasses layer themselves according to molecular weight. |
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When do you get the most radiational cooling?
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At night with no clouds
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If the wind is reported as a NW wind what direction is it coming from?
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North West
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What are the 3 states of H2O?
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Solid Gas Liquid
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What is the primary way you find water in the atmosphere?
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Gas (water vapor)
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What are the different types of fog?
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Radiation
Advection Upsolpe Evaporation |
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The process by which a liquid changes into a gas.
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Evaporation
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The process by which water vapor becomes a liquid.
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Condensation
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When a front moves through what changes?
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Temperature
Wind changes 90degrees Dip in pressure Relative humidity changes |
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How does the wind change when a front moves through?
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90 degrees
SW to NW if cold NW to SW if hot |
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What is the standard pressure at sea level?
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1013 mb/hpa or 29.92 in/Hg
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cPk
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Continental Polar Cold
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mPw
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Martime Polar Warm
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cPw
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Continental Polar Warm
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mPk
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Martime Polar Cold
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cTw
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Continental Tropical Warm
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mTk
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Martime Tropical Cold
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cTk
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Continental Tropical Cold
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mTw
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Martime Tropical Warm
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How are clouds formed?
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Convection
Lifting along topography Convergence of air Lifting along weather fronts |
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Sea Breeze
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Type of thermal circulation caused by the uneven heating rates of land and water. During the day the land heats more quickly than the water and the intensive heating of the air above produces a shallow thermal low over the land. the air over the water remains cooler creating a shallow thermal high. The overall effect of this pressure distribution is a breeze that blows from the sea to land.
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Land Breeze
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at night the land cools more quickly than the water producing a high pressure over land and a Low over water. The high pressure fills in the low causing a breeze out to sea.
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Math problem
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-3 deg F cooling going up wet
+6 deg F warming coming down dry |