Weather Review
Atmosphere Structure
 Troposphere
 Stratosphere
 Mesosphere
 Thermosphere
 Ionosphere
 Exosphere
Wind
 Wind is the horizontal differences
in air pressure.
 Flows from low pressure to high
pressure.
 Measured by an anemometer
 Controlled by
 Coriolis effect (deflection caused
by Earths rotation)
 Friction
 Pressure differences
Land and Sea Breezes
Orographics
 Wind hits mountains and is forced upwards which
causes clouds to form and rain/snow. When the air gets
over the mountains all the moisture is gone because of
the rain/snow. Only dry air remains.
Air pressure and weather
 Rising air creates clouds and rain
 Sinking air creates clear skies
Air Masses
Name
Abbr
Forms over
mT
Temp/moistu
re
Hot, wet
Maritime
Tropical
Maritime
Polar
Continental
Tropical
mP
Cold, wet
Cold water
cT
Hot, dry
Hot land
(deserts)
Continental
polar
Arctic
cP
Cold, dry
Cold, land
A
Very cold, dry
Arctic land
Warm water
Front
 Boundary between two air masses
 Three types
 Cold – rain/storms, cold weather after
 Warm – light rain, warm weather after
 Occluded – thunderstorms, when one air
mass takes over another.
 Stationary – rain for days
Fronts
Precipitation
 Any form of water that falls from a cloud





Rain – liquid water
Sleet – mix of rain and snow
Hail – solid balls of ice
Snow – solid water
Freezing Rain – liquid water that freezes when it hits the
frozen ground
Thunderstorm
Thunderstorms
 Form when air is pushed up quickly
 Rain, thunder, lightening, winds, possible hail
Tornado
Tornado
 Rotating funnel cloud of high winds
 Form when cold dry air meets warm moist air
 Measured by Fujita scale F1-F5
Hurricane
Hurricane
 Forms over warm water
 Low pressure storm center
 Measured by Saffir-Simpson Scale (category 1-5)
Climate Zones
Climate Zones
 Temperatures
warmer at the
equator because it
receives direct
sunlight, the poles
receive sunlight at
an angle, therefore
they are colder.
Solar Heating of the
Atmosphere
Impacts on Climate
 Volcanoes – release gas and ash in the atmosphere
blocking sun, making cooler climate
 Meteorites – burn up in atmosphere or hit earth,
heating climate
 Humans – release air pollution causing global warming
 Humans – burn fossil fuels causing more greenhouse
gases
 Humans – cut down trees which cause less oxygen
heating the climate
Weather Map Symbols
Isobar – line of equal pressure
Isotherm – line of equal temperature