Weather & Climate

1-Weather c onsists of: Atmosphere Temperature Humidity Precipitation rain, sleet, hail, and snow. Wind Cloud Cover

2- Energy from the sun is the main cause of the changes. 3- Structure of theAtmosphere:

4- Layers of Atmosphere: Troposphere: nearly all weather takes place here. Stratosphere: in temp. with in altitude.

M MM Mesosphere: in temp. with an altitude.

Thermosphere: Uppermost layer

5- Elements of Weather: Air Temperature: Amount of heat measured with thermometer. Air Temperature: Amount of heat measured with thermometer.

Air Air Pressure: Pressure: Measured with barometer, as temperature air pressure and visa-versa.

Humidity: Humidity: is the amount of water vapor in the air. Measured with a hygrometer. Warm air can hold more water the cool air. 90% humidity means that the air contains 90% of the water in can hold at that temperature.

Wind: Wind: Movement of air over the Earth’s surface. Measured with an anemometer anemometer measures wind speed NOT direction a wind vain vain does it points to the direction the wind is coming from.

Clouds Clouds are tiny droplets of water or ice suspended in the air.

6-Climate: Average weather of an area over a period of time. a-Factors that Influence Climate Altitude height above sea level. Cooler temperatures at higher altitudes then lower. Latitude distance from equator. The farther away from equator cooler temperatures.

Water (Latent heat) Large bodies of water heat up slow and give off the heat slow. Cities near large bodies of water have higher temperature in winter and lower temperatures in summer. Mountains: side facing prevailing winds have more moisture then the other side.

 Air  Air Masses: Masses: A large body of air with the same temperature and moisture throughout. Air formed over warm water is warm and moist. Air formed over land in north is cold and dry.

FFFFour different surface conditions that form air masses. A Air over land = Dry ir over water = Moist ir near poles = Cold ir near equator = Warm

H HH High & Low Pressure Systems  H H H High pressure systems bring clear, skies, dry weather and gentle winds. COLD AIR  L L L Low pressure systems bring cloudy, wet weather, with strong gusty winds. WARM AIR

Fronts Fronts: When one air mass comes in contact with another, the boundary between them is called a front. Often producing clouds, strong winds, and precipitation.

TTTTYPES OF FRONTS:  C C C Cold Front : cold air mass pushes under a warm air mass. Bring heavy rain, gusty winds, and cooler temperatures.

WWWWarm Front: w w w warm air mass pushes under cold air mass. Bring light rain lasting a few days and warmer temperatures.

SSSStationary Front. When a warm or cold front stops moving. These type of conditions can last for days. T T T T T eeee mmmm pppp eeee rrrr aaaa tttt uuuu rrrr eeee ssss remain stagnant and winds are gentle to nil.

OOOOccluded Front: t t t the cold front over takes the warm front. The weather is not as extreme

FFFForecasting An attempt to predict future weather.  D D D Decrease in air pressure = stormy weather. While increase in air pressure = fair weather. IIIIncrease in clouds front is coming.

Weather: Weather: Consist of Atmosphere, Temperature, Humidity, Precipitation, Wind, and Cloud Cover Atmosphere: Atmosphere: Consist of the gas part of earth Troposphere: Troposphere: Layer of atmosphere that we live in an most weather takes place in. Stratosphere: Stratosphere: increase in temp. with increase in altitude red color. Mesosphere: Mesosphere: decrease in temp. with increase in altitude. Thermosphere: Thermosphere: Outer most layer of atmosphere Temperature: Temperature: Amount of heat in the air Air Pressure: Pressure: Measured with barometer, as temperature increases air pressure decreases

Humidity Humidity: is the amount of water vapor in the air Wind Wind: Movement of air. air. Measured with a hygrometer. Precipitation Precipitation: any form of water that falls to earth (rain, sleet, snow, hail) Climate Climate: Average weather of an area over a period of time. Latitude Latitude: distance from equator. Altitude Altitude: height above sea level. Cooler temperatures at higher altitudes then lower.

Latent Heat: Heat: Hidden heat. Water has a high latent heat that is why areas near large bodies of water have cooler summers and warmer winters. Air Masses: Masses: A large body of air with the same temperature and moisture throughout. Continental: Continental: Air formed over continents is dry Maritime: Maritime: Air formed over water is wet Fronts: Fronts: When one air mass comes in contact with another air mass

Cold Front: Front: cold air mass pushes under a warm air mass. Bring heavy rain, gusty winds, and cooler temperatures. Warm warm air mass pushes under cold air mass. Bring light rain lasting a few days and warmer temperatures.