Meteorology
Branch of the natural sciences that deals with the Earth’s ___________ & its related ___________.
 The 4 Factors that Cause ___________:
 Temperature
 Air ___________
 Wind
 Moisture
 The Atmospheric ___________
Earth’s Atmosphere:
79___________
20% Oxygen
___________Everything Else
Variable Components
Water ___________
Aerosols--suspended solid & liquid ___________ in the atmosphere
___________--(O3) absorbs harmful UV radiation
Atmospheric ___________
Troposphere - bottom layer where ______________________.
* ___________occurs here.
* Gets colder w/ ___________.
______________—2nd layer
* Contains the Jet ___________& Ozone layer
* Gets ___________ w/ altitude.
Mesosphere—3rd layer
* Gets ___________ w/ altitude.
Thermosphere– 4th layer
* Ionosphere-lower part, made of charged ___________.
* ______________upper part, satellites orbit at this location.
* Van ___________ Radiation Belts-layers of high radiation that help block ___________ particles.
Heating of the Earth
___________Heating of the Earth
Direct Sunlight Energy (comes at a 90º angle) causes more ___________. It occurs most often at the equator.
Indirect Sunlight Energy (comes in at an angle less than 90º) doesn’t ___________ as much heat.
Heat Transfer
Radiation
 Sun gives off light energy because of nuclear ___________. (Fusing of 2 ___________ atoms into a single helium
atom)
 Atmosphere absorbs most of the ___________.
 ___________ absorbs the rest.
 Conduction--the direct transfer of ___________ energy from one substance to ___________.
 **The warmth of the Earth’s surface slightly warms the___________that it comes in contact with.
 Convection--the ___________of heat energy in a gas or liquid
 **___________ air rises, cold air sinks
 “Greenhouse Effect”-- CO2 collects in the atmosphere & traps heat energy at the ___________. (CO2 is 0.036%)
 Air ___________
Air has mass, so its weight (___________) pushes down on the earth causing pressure.
Movement of Air
 Warm air ___________, making it less dense so it rises causing ___________ pressure. Warm air holds more
moisture.
 Colder air contracts, making it more dense so it sinks causing ___________ pressure. Cold air holds less
___________.
 LOW Pressure is usually associated w/ ___________, rainy weather.
 HIGH Pressure is usually ___________ w/ good/fair weather.
 ___________ Pressure
 Barometer (Mercury or Aneroid) measures the change in air pressure in either ___________ or millimeters/inches
of ___________.
Wind
the movement of air from one place to ___________
Air ___________ from an HIGH pressure to LOW pressure.
Global Winds
 Created by the ___________heating of the Earth’s surface, difference in air pressure& the Earth’s rotation.
Coriolis Effect--due to the Earth’s rotation, moving objects such as air and water will ___________in a certain direction.
Global Wind Belts
 ___________ Winds – winds that blow from east to west on either side of the ___________. Separated by the
Doldrums
 Prevailing ___________ – winds that blow from west to east between 30o & 60o north & south latitudes.
 Polar Easterlies - winds that blow from east to west in the ___________regions.
Jet Stream
 A narrow ___________ of high pressure wind found in the lower stratosphere.
 Pushes large air masses across the ___________.
Measuring Wind
 Wind Speed—___________
 Wind Direction--Wind Vane
 Measured in mi/hr, km/hr, and ___________.
Moisture
Humidity
The measure of the amount of water vapor in the ___________.
Specific Humidity--measure of the ___________mass of water vapor in a given mass of air.
___________ Humidity--ratio/percentage of the actual amount of water vapor in a given mass of air compared to the
maximum amount of water vapor that air can hold at a given ___________.
Psychrometer--a type of ___________ that has a wet bulb thermometer & a dry bulb thermometer
Dew Point Temperature--the temperature to which air has to be ___________in order to be completely saturated (filled)
with ___________.
Clouds: Suspended droplets of water that collect on aerosols.
-Formation of clouds depend on the amount of moisture & aerosols in the air, the air temperature, & the stability of the air
(air pressure.)
• Cirrus – high clouds that are thin & ___________. Made of ice crystals.
• Stratus – ___________level clouds that have a layered look.
• Cumulus – large, fluffy clouds of vertical development.
• The prefix ___________is added to the name of clouds formed in the middle cloud layer.
• The prefix/suffix nimbus- is added to the name of a cloud that produces ___________.
Precipitation
Rain
Hailstones
 Form in _______________ clouds
 Strong winds carry rain drops above the freezing ___________.
 Rain drops freeze into ice ___________ & fall.
 ___________ the wind, the larger the hailstone.
Sleet
Rain freezes into an ice ___________ as it falls through a ___________ of freezing air.
Freezing Rain
Rain falls to the ___________ and freezes on ___________with the surface.
Snow
This occurs when cloud droplets freeze in the clouds and stick together forming ___________.
Air Masses: a large body of air that is the ___________ throughout
Types
**Named ___________ on where the air formed, its temperature, and its ___________
Maritime Polar--it forms over the Northern ___________ and Pacific Oceans.
*Brings ___________, MOIST air
Maritime Tropical--it forms near the equator. It brings ___________, MOIST air.
*If it comes in ___________with cooler air from the North, storms will form.
Continental Polar--it forms over northern ___________. It brings COLD, DRY air.
*Causes extremely ___________ temperatures in the United States.
Continental Tropical--it forms over land in Mexico. It brings ___________, DRY air.
Fronts: the ___________ where two air masses collide.
 The front is named for the ___________ air mass.
Cold air ___________and replaces a mass of warm air.
Fast in speed.
Form ___________ clouds.
___________ frontal zone
Short, ___________ weather
Warm Front: Warm air mass ___________ and moves over a cold air ___________.
 Slow ___________
 ___________ stratus clouds
 Wide frontal ___________
 ___________periods of drizzle
 Overcast ___________
 ___________ Front--neither air mass moves
 * No bad weather
 Occluded Front--a cold front ___________ up with a warm front and ___________ it
 * Weather can be ___________ and the conditions can change.
Dry Line: Dry air ___________ moist air.
 Fast moving
 Narrow ___________ zone
 ___________ cumulus clouds
 Severe weather in most ___________
Severe Weather
 Weather that can be considered life ___________ and can cause ___________ to buildings
 Includes thunderstorms, ___________, tornadoes, flooding, hurricanes, etc.
 ___________ and Warnings
 Watches – a watch is issued when the conditions for a certain type of ___________ weather are possible, but not
necessarily occurring at the ___________.
 ___________ – a warning is issued in a specific area where a type of severe weather is ___________ at that given
moment.
Thunderstorms
-Fast moving ___________ that can produce strong winds, ___________, heavy rainfall, lightning & tornadoes.
Lightning – static electricity caused by the ___________ of electrical charges by the collisions of rain drops & strong
winds.
-The positive & negative charges seek each other out. When they connect, an ___________discharge occurs creating a
lightning ___________.
-Thunder – the heat generated by the lightning bolt ___________ the surrounding air causing it to expand so rapidly that it
causes a ___________ boom.
-Tornadoes
 ___________ of high speed circulating winds
 High winds & updrafts ___________ creating a circulating low pressure.
 The cloud begins to lower below the cloud base (___________ cloud.)
 The low ___________ extends to the ground picking up dust & debris forming a tornado.
-Hurricanes
 ___________ cyclone that has a low pressure center (eye) with several ___________ thunderstorms & strong winds
around it.
 Start as tropical ___________ over warm water in the oceans. Storm builds ___________ as it travels over the warm
water.
-Flooding
 Kills more people in the U.S. than any other type of ___________ weather.
 ___________ by too much rain over an extended period of time. It causes lakes, ___________, rivers, etc. to
overflow.
-Flash Flooding
 Flooding that mainly occurs in ___________ or cities.
 A rainstorm that ___________ several inches of rain over a short period of time causes it.
 It is too much for the ground to ___________ up.
 It causes low lying areas to overflow and rushing water in other ___________.