WEEK # 1: ASSIGNMENT

Define Meteorology 
- Meteorology includes the study of natural phenomenas, which include the earth’s climate and
weather. For maritime navigation, this study is necessary to be able to assess situations on board
necessary for safe navigation.

Define atmosphere
- As simply defined, it is the gases that surrounds the earth surface which extends up to
kilometers above the earths surface. With these, it where the main events of changes in climate
and weather occur.

Describe the composition of the earth's atmosphere, mentioning dry air and its constituents,
water  vapour  and  aerosols.
- The composition of earths surface was made by dry air, water vapour and aerosols with their
corresponding percentages. Dry air contains 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon,
0.04% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. Air also contains a variable amount of
water vapor, on average around 1% at sea level, and 0.4% over the entire atmosphere.
 
Explain how to draw a typical vertical temperature profile through the lower 100 km of the
earth's atmosphere.
- To be able to draw a typical vertical temperature profile, one must learn first the temperature
on corresponding parts of the atmosphere. By creating a cartesian plane, the y axis will be
presented by height in kilometers while the x axis will be presented by the temperature in Kelvin.
 
Explain the  typical vertical temperature profile through the lower 100 km of the earth's
atmosphere.
- At the troposphere temperature goes lower, at the stratosphere temperature goes higher, at the
mesosphere the temperature goes lower and upon reaching thermosphere the temperature goes
higher again. This will simply a create zigzag line along the cartesian plane due to the change in
temperature through the different parts of the atmosphere.
 
Draw a typical vertical temperature profile through the lower 100 km of the earth's atmosphere
 
Define 'troposphere', 'tropopause',  'stratosphere','stratopause', ‘mesosphere',  'mesopause'
and 'thermosphere
1.  troposphere' - it is the lowest part of the atmosphere
2. tropopause', - it is the boundary of troposphere and stratosphere
3. stratosphere - this is the part of the atmosphere where jets usually flies
4. stratopause' - this is the blundary of stratosphere and messosphere
5. mesosphere' - - this where mostly the zonal winds, atmospheric tides and gravity waves
propagate.
6. mesopause' - the boundary between mesosphere and thermosphere
 7. thermosphere - the largest layer pf the earths atmosphere

Describe the main features of the troposphere

1. The troposphere is the layer at atmosphere where is it the closest to the earths surface.
2. The troposphere is where the occurrence of weather happen.
3.As the height increases, the temperature decreases.
4. the "tropospheric ozone" at the troposphere was harmful to life on earth as they posess
harmful characteristic that affects plants.
5. By mass, the troposphere takes up 75% of the earths atmosphere.

Describe the importance of the sun as the   principal energy source for atmospheric processes
- Most of the Earth's climate and biological activities are dependent on solar radiation, which is
the primary source of energy in our climate system. Energy from the sun is essential for many
processes on Earth including warming of the surface, evaporation, photosynthesis and
atmospheric circulation.
 
Describe the nature of solar radiation, (scattering, reflection and absorption)
- Since the water droplets and ice crystals that make up clouds are evenly scattered, they seem
white. Radiation from the sun is reflected as it bounces off a surface. As electromagnetic
radiation is absorbed, heat energy is created.

Explain the effect on insolation of a variation in the sun's declination

- As the name suggests, insolation is the quantity of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface
from the sun. depending on the sun's beam angle (direct or indirect) and day duration. When
does maximum insolation occur in each of these locations?

 
Explain the effect on insolation of a variation in the length of  daylight
- In general, there is a clear link between the seasons, day length, and solar radiation levels. Less
daylight means less solar energy in the day as we approach winter.

Define 'water vapour

 - Water in a gaseous form, especially in the atmosphere and at temperatures below the boiling
point. For clouds to form and rain to fall, water vapor in the atmosphere must be present in the
air. It also helps control the Earth's temperature by reflecting and dispersing energy from the Sun
and by absorbing the Earth's infrared radiation.

Describe the properties of water vapour in the atmosphere

- Water in its gaseous form, notably in the atmosphere and at temperatures below boiling point.
Water vapor in the atmosphere is the basic material for cloud and rain production. It also helps to
control the Earth's temperature by reflecting and dispersing solar energy and by absorbing
infrared heat from the Earth.

Define 'evaporation', 'condensation', 'latent heat of vaporization

   Evaporation - is the process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas or
vapor.
 condensation - Condensation is the opposite of vaporization in that it changes the
physical state of matter from the gas phase to the liquid phase.
 latent heat of vaporization - It is defined as the amount of energy necessary to
alter one mole of liquid at its boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure

Define 'saturated air

- Air is considered to be saturated when it contains the maximum quantity of water vapour at a
particular temperature.
 
Describe the processes of mixing, cooling and the evaporation of water vapour, by which a
sample of air maybe brought to saturation
Through cooling the air or by evaporation, it can become saturated with water vapor. After it
becomes saturated, water vapor condenses into condensation nuclei.

Define 'dewpoint', 'absolute humidity', 'relative humidity', 'vapour pressure

  Dewpoint - In order to obtain relative humidity, air must be cooled to the dew point
 Absolute humidity - Despite the air's temperature, absolute humidity measures the
quantity of water vapor in the air.
 Relative humidity - the proportion of moisture in the air compared to the maximum
amount of moisture achievable at a given temperature
 Vapour pressure - As the temperature rises, so does vapour pressure, which is a
measure of a material's potential to transition into a gaseous or vapor state

Explain the  typical vertical temperature profile through the lower 100 km of the earth's
atmosphere.
- Because of the vertical temperature profile, the atmosphere is divided into four different layers:
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere There's a relationship between
pressure, temperature and chemical composition and distance from the planet's core (or height
above the surface) whether these parameters are inferred in part from theory or tabulated as
mean or typical values, which is called the vertical structure.