STUDY GUIDE – UNIT 8 – METEOROLOGY
ATMOSPHERIC VARIABLES
- temp, pressure, humidity, wind,
- station models: plotting, symbols
TEMPERATURE
- isotherms, changing ºC to ºF, see ESRT
- affected by: latitude, altitude, being near
water, air pressure, humidity
AIR PRESSURE
- barometer, isotherms, millibars
- affected by: temp, humidity, altitude
- changing from in Hg to mb
- changing mb reading to fit station model
- symbols for pressure systems
- direction of winds in H and L
High = out CW , cyclone
Low = in CCW , anticyclone
- weather related to H and L pressure sys.
HUMIDITY
- psychrometer, hygrometer
- relative humidity, absolute humidity
saturation, dew point
- calculating RH and DP using ESRT
- using DP and temp to forecast precip.
(closer = > chance)
- cloud formation, condensation nuclei
- dew, frost (not precipitation)
WINDS
- local winds: sea/land breezes,
- pressure gradient, close isobars,
- wind direction (blows from)
- global winds: convection cells, zones of
convergence/divergence, wet/dry regions - Coriolis Effect, path of global winds
- Trade Winds, Prevailing Westerlies,
Polar Easterlies, Jet stream, Doldrums,
- Global wind diagram (see ESRT)
- major storm paths across the US
- winds that steer US weather systems
- direction of major US weather systems
AIR MASSES / FRONTS
- characteristics of air masses, source
regions and symbols: cP, cT, mT, mP
- characteristics/symbols for fronts:
warm, cold, stationary, occluded
- what causes each type of front
(which one takes over)
- associated weather with fronts
(see chart in notes)
WEATHER FORECASTING
- how to read a weather map
- which instruments read what weather data