* * 0 Weather and Climate Power

Point

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Atmospheric CompositionOur “air” is made up of:

78% Nitrogen21% Oxygen0-4% Water Vapor0.93% Argon.038% Carbon Dioxide0.01% Trace Gases

(Carbon dioxide has increased from 0.028% over the past 150 years)

Our Atmosphere From Space

* * 0Layers of the Atmosphere:Exosphere- the traditional boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space.Thermosphere: The layer has extremely low density which causes the temperature, temp is more than 1000°C.This layer also contains the Aurora from solar wind!

Mesosphere: This layer actually decreases in temperature. This is the layer that protects us from meteoroids!

Stratosphere- Here temperature increases with altitude, especially in the Ozone Layer. The UV absorption of UV radiation in the ozone causes the temperature to rise.The OZONE layer protects humans from the extremely dangerous UV waves from the Sun.

Troposphere – The layer we live in. All weather happens here.

Last/Outer Layer of our

Atmosphere

Surface of EarthAtmospheric Layers

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Air Pressure• Air Pressure is the weight of the air pressing

down on you.• Air Pressure and Elevation- As you go higher in

elevation, the air molecules are more spread out, therefore the air is less dense. Also, there is less air above you being pulled down on you by gravity.

• Air pressure and Weather:

Sunny Weather= High Pressure (approx the weight of a school bus!)

Cloudy/Rainy Weather = Low Pressure (approx the weight of a Volkswagen beetle)

Why don’t humans crush if we are always under such extreme pressure? Air Pressure is measured

with a barometer.

* * 0 Heat Transfers-

The way heat is exchanged on Earth.

Radiation: The direct transfer of heat through the air.

Ex: sunlight, heat given off from a fire or stove

Conduction: The transfer of heat from one object to another.

Ex: heat from the hot pot to your hand

Convection: The circulation of heat through a liquid or gas.

Ex: Convection currents in the mantle or a boiling pot of water.

Why does warm air rise?

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Cirrus tell that there will be a

storm in a couple of days

These are the only vertical clouds and

are the huge thunderstorm and tornado

clouds.Fair

sunny weather

Rain but not thunderstorms

Flat/Low overcast clouds

Dew point is the temperature at which the air can no longer hold all of its water vapor, and that vapor begins to condense into liquid water.

* * 0 CLOUD NAMESShape

Height

Precipitation-Cirrus means curly or thin.-Stratus means layered.-Cumulus means lumpy or piled up.

-Cirro are clouds above 6,250 meters.

-Alto clouds are between 1,875 and 6,250 meters.

-There is no prefix for clouds below 1,875 meters.

Clouds containing precipitation will have the word Nimb somewhere in the name.

* * 0 Cloud Formation- clouds form by tiny water droplets attaching to dust

particles in the sky. Eventually the drops will build up on the dust until it becomes heavy enough for gravity to pull it to the Earth’s surface as precipitation.

Cloud Formation Time Lapse

1. Evaporation fills the air with water vapor (gaseous water)

2. Air rises away from the surface, carrying the moisture upward.

3. As it rises, the temperature drops causing the water vapor to condense into tiny droplets.

4. Water molecules attach to condensation nuclei (tiny dust particles that cloud droplets form around).

5. Coalescence - The droplets continue to grow in size as condensation continues. Most droplets will eventually collide with another droplet, increasing size.

6. Once they become heavy enough, gravity will pull them to the ground as precipitation.

* * 0 Types of Precipitation

A. Rain- liquid precipitation

B. Sleet- frozen ice pellets (less than 5mm)

C. Freezing Rain- comes down as a liquid by freezes on contact leaving a glaze of ice.

D. Snow- frozen, six-sided crystals.

E. Hail- (only forms in cumulonimbus clouds) ice pellets that circulates vertically in the clouds and forms layers as it grows bigger.

http://dsc.discovery.com/search/results.html?query=hail

* * 0 The Water Cycle

* * 0Global Wind Systems:

Polar Easterlies

Prevailing Westerlies

Northern Trade Winds

Southern Trade Winds

Prevailing Westerlies

Polar Easterlies

ITCZ Low Pressure Intertropical

Convergence Zone

* * 0 WHY DO THESE WINDS CURVE???

The Coriolis Effect causes global winds and ocean currents to curve. This is due to the Earth’s rotation.

**In the northern hemisphere, winds and currents rotate clockwise.**In the southern hemisphere, winds and currents rotate counter-clockwise.

How come an airplane you are travelling on never travels in a straight line?

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Air Mass- large volume of air that has characteristics of the area over which it forms.

•Types of Air Masses

A (Arctic)- Extremely cold and dry, forms over northern Canada.

cP (Continental Polar) dry and cold, forms over central Canada.

mP (Maritime Polar) Cold and wet, forms over northern Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

mT (Maritime Tropical) warm and wet, forms over southern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

cT (Continental Tropical) Warm and dry, forms over Mexico in the SUMMER ONLY.

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cP

mP

mTmT

cT

Examples of Areas that have specific Air

Masses

cP- Central Canada, North Dakota, Siberia

mP- Maine, Northern Canadian Coast, Washington and Alaska

mT- Florida, Rainforests, Northern Australian Coast

cT- Texas, Mexico, Los Vegas, Arizona

A- Northern Siberia, Arctic Circle, Northern Canada and Alaska and Greenland

A

* * 0 Fronts- The boundary at the front of an air mass

The front created depends on the characteristics of the air mass..

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7r.html

* * 0 Cumulonimbus Clouds- these are the dangerous thunderstorm clouds, they are also called thunderheads. These clouds usually form on a hot and humid day when the warm air rises quickly

Lightning- is a sudden spark or discharge released from energy within a cumulonimbus cloud. Lightning can be up to 30,000°C.

Thunder- is the sound of the explosion. Since light travels so much faster than sound, you always see the lightning first, than HEAR there explosion within seconds of the lightning.

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Tornadoes- is a rapidly whirling, funnel-shaped cloud that reaches from the cloud to the Earth’s surface.Tornadoes usually last less than 15 minutes but within that time, tornadoes can have winds speeds up to 320 miles per hour and be up to half a mile wide!

TV Warning vs Watch- Thunderstorm or tornado Warning means that there IS A STORM or funnel cloud and it is heading your way! Watch means that there is a very good chance that the thunderstorm and tornado COULD FORM.

Tornado Safety- safest places are a strong cement basement or bath tub with a mattress over your body. If in a car, get out! Get to a bridge overpass or lie in a ditch with your hands over your head away from any objects that could become projectile.

TORNADO FORMATION

* * 0 Cause for Tornado Alley:

1. cP Air Mass from the north mixes with the mT from the south. The large temperature contrasts cause the formation of supercells (extremely powerful thunderstorms). The rotation begins within the thunderstorm clouds and the

updrafts create a column which increases rotation. The air pressure lowers in the center causes a violent increase in wind speed.

The Fujita Scale Rates Tornadoes :

F0-F1 (last 1-10 minutes and winds up to 45-120 mph)

F2-F3 (last 20 minutes, winds up to120-220mph)

F4- F5 (Last up to 1 hour, winds are up to 220-340mph)

What is the most violent season for tornadoes?

* * 0 Location of Tornado Alley

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Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricanes:Hurricane Formation:1.Warm air absorbs moisture from the ocean.

2.Water Vapor is lifted into the atmosphere.

3.As the water vapor rises, the cooler upper air condenses it into liquid droplets.

4.Condensation releases latent heat into the atmosphere, making the air less dense.

5.As the lighter air rises, moist air from the ocean takes its places creating a wind current.

6.Moving air begin the rotate due the Coriolis Effect (the process curving large wind and water systems due to the very fast rotation of the Earth)

7.Tropical Depression- Some thunderstorms and winds are 25-40 mph

8.Tropical Storm- thunderstorm wall becomes more solid, winds 42-78mph

9.Hurricane or Cyclone- distinguished eye with a surrounding eyewall (layers of thunderstorms that surrounds the eye) and winds are more than 78 mph.

HURRICANE FORMATION

* * 0 Climate- the average year after year

conditions of temperature, precipitation, wind, and clouds of an area.

* * 0 BIOMES OF EARTH

RAINFOREST

SAVANNA

DESERT

DECIDUOUS FOREST

GRASSLAND

TAIGA

TUNDRA

ALPINE

Biomes are geographic areas of land on Earth

that share similar climates, animals,

plants, and type of soil.

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Rainforest-Tropical Moist Climates (Af) Rainfall is heavy, more than 250 cm. (100 in.),temperatures of 27°C (80°F),Humidity is between 77 and 88%.

savanna-Wet-Dry Tropical Climates (Aw)-there is a very wet season and a very dry season. It gets a little cooler during this dry season but will become very hot just before the wet season.

desert biome-Dry Tropical Climate (BW) -These desert climates are found in low-latitude deserts approximately between 18° to 28°This makes for a very dry heat. The dry arid desert is a true desert climate, and covers 12 % of the Earth's land surface.

Deciduous Forest biome-Moist Continental Climate (Cf) - This climate is in the polar front zone - the battleground of polar and tropical air masses. Seasonal changes between summer and winter are very large. Daily temperatures also change often. Abundant precipitation falls throughout the year.

grasslands biome- Dry Midlatitude Climates (Bs) Annual temperatures range widely. Summers are warm to hot, but winters are cold. These dry climates are limited to the interiors of North America and Eurasia.

taiga biome-Boreal forest Climate ( Dfc) -This is a continental climate with long, very cold winters, and short, cool summers. Very cold air masses from the arctic often move in.

tundra biome-Tundra Climate (E) -Polar and arctic air , The winter season is long and severe, A short, mild season exists, but not a true summer season

Alpine Biome- Highland Climate (H) Highland climates are cool to cold, found in mountains and high plateaus. Climates change rapidly on mountains, becoming colder the higher the altitude gets. The climate of a highland area is closely related to the climate of the surrounding biome

BIOMES OF EARTH

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Biomes According to Bear Grylls

Marine Bioime

Desert Biome1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

9)

Rainforest Biome

Grasslands Biome

Savanna Biome

Tundra Biome

Alpine Biome

Taiga Biome

Deciduous Biome