Meteorology Pt.

1
Meteorology is the study of atmospheric phenomena
The root word of meteorology is the Greek word meteoros,
which means high in the air.
Short-term variations in atmospheric phenomena that
interact and affect the environment and life on Earth are
called weather.
Solar radiation is unequal partly due to the changing angle of
incidence of the sunlight. The greater the area covered by
solar radiation, the smaller the amount of heat per unit of
area.
The constant movement of air and water redistributes
thermal energy around the world.
An air mass is a large volume of air that has the same
characteristics, such as humidity and temperature, as its
source region.
A source region is the area over which an air mass forms.
1.The origins of maritime tropical air are tropical bodies of
water.
2.The southwestern United States and Mexico are the source
regions of continental tropical air, which is hot and dry,
especially in summer.
3.Maritime polar air masses form over the cold waters of the
North Atlantic and North Pacific.
4.Continental polar air masses form over the interior of
Canada and Alaska, and carry frigid air southward in the
winter.
5.Earths ice- and snow-covered surfaces above 60 O N
latitude in Siberia and the Arctic Basin are the source regions
of arctic air masses.

 When an air mass travels over land or water that has

characteristics different from those of its source region, the
air mass can acquire some of the characteristics of that land
or water and undergo modification.
As the cold, continental polar air moves over the warmer
Great Lakes, the air gains thermal energy and moisture. This
modified air cools as it is uplifted and produces lake-effect
snows.

Meteorology Pt. 2
The directions of Earths winds are influenced by Earths
rotation.
This Coriolis effect results in fluids and objects moving in an
apparent curved path rather than a straight line.
The directions of Earths wind systems, such as the polar
easterlies and he trade winds, vary with the latitudes in
which they occur
The polar easterlies are the wind zones between 60 N
latitude and the north pole, and 60 S latitude and the
south pole.
The prevailing westerlies are the wind systems on Earth
located between latitudes 30 N and 60 N, and 30 S and
60 S.
Between latitudes 30 N and the equator is a circulation
belt of wind known as the trade winds.
Trade winds from the North and the South meet and join
near the equator. The air is forced upward, which creates an
area of low pressure
called the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)

 A large temperature gradient in upper-level air combined

with the Coriolis effect results in strong westerly winds called
jet streams.
A jet stream is a narrow band of fast, high-altitude, westerly
wind.
The major jet streams, called the 1.polar jet streams,
separate the polar easterlies from the prevailing westerlies.
The minor jet streams are the 2.subtropical jet streams. They
occur where the trade winds meet the prevailing westerlies.
Storms form along jet streams and can generate large-scale
weather systems.
Jet streams affect the intensity of weather systems by
moving air of different temperatures from one region of
Earth to another.
Storms form along jet streams and can generate large-scale
weather systems.
Jet streams affect the intensity of weather systems by
moving air of different temperatures from one region of
Earth to another.
A collision of two air masses forms a fronta narrow region
between two air masses of different densities.
When cold, dense air displaces warm air, it forces the warm
air, which is less dense, up along a steep slope. This type of
collision is called a cold front.
o Intense precipitation and sometimes thunderstorms.
Advancing warm air displaces cold air along a warm front. A
warm front develops a gradual boundary slope.
o Widespread light precipitation
When two air masses meet but neither advances, the
boundary between them stalls. This stationary front
frequently occurs between two modified air masses that
have small temperature and pressure gradients between
them.
o Sometimes light winds and precipitation

 Occluded front - Sometimes, a cold air mass moves so

rapidly that it overtakes a warm front and forces the warm
air upward. As the warm air is lifted, the advancing cold air
mass collides with the cold air mass in front of the warm
front. A warm air mass is squeezed upward between two cold
air masses
o Strong winds and heavy precipitation
Sinking or rising air, combined with the Coriolis effect, results
in the formation of rotating high- and low-pressure systems
in the atmosphere.
In surface low-pressure systems, air rises. When air from
outside the system replaces the rising air, this air spirals
inward toward the center and then upward.
o Clouds and precipitation
In a surface high-pressure system, sinking air moves away
from the systems center when it reaches Earths surface.
o Clear skies and fair weather.
In the northern hemisphere, winds move counterclockwise
around a low-pressure center, and clockwise around a highpressure center.

Meteorology Pt. 3&4

A thermometer measures temperature using either the
Fahrenheit or Celsius scale.
A barometer measures air pressure.
An anemometer measures wind speed.
A hygrometer measures relative humidity.
The Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) gathers
data in a consistent manner, 24 hours a day, every day. It
provides essential weather data for aviation, weather
forecasting, and weather-related research.
The instrument used for gathering upper-atmosphere data is
a radiosonde.

 A radiosondes sensors measure the airs temperature,

pressure, and humidity.
Also wind speed and direction( by its movement)
A weather radar system detects specific locations of
precipitation.
The Doppler effect is the change in pitch or frequency that
occurs due to the relative motion of a wave, such as sound
or light, as it comes toward or goes away from an observer.
Analysis of Doppler radar data can be used to determine the
speed at which precipitation moves toward or away from a
radar station.
Some weather satellites use infrared imagery to make
observations at night.
Objects radiate thermal energy at slightly different
frequencies. Infrared imagery detects these different
frequencies, which enables meteorologists to map either
cloud cover or surface temperatures.
Another type of satellite imagery that is useful in weather
analysis and forecasting is called water-vapor imagery.
Water-vapor imagery is a valuable tool for weather analysis
and prediction because it shows moisture in the atmosphere,
not just cloud patterns.