1. UPPER AIR MAPS

2. Change of Air Pressure with Height
Page: 12
FIGURE 1.10 Atmospheric pressure decreases rapidly with height. Climbing to an altitude of only 5.5 km, where the pressure is 500 mb, would put you above one-half of the atmosphere’s molecules.

3. Page: 207
FIGURE 8.12 When there are no horizontal variations in pressure, constant pressure surfaces are parallel to constant height surfaces. In the diagram, a measured pressure of 500 millibars is 5600 meters above sea level everywhere. The actual atmosphere extends well above the tropopause level shown here. (Dots in the diagram represent air molecules.)

4. Pressure = 500 mb Warm air is less dense (“thicker”) than cold air.
Page: 207
FIGURE 8.13 The area shaded gray in the above diagram represents a surface of constant pressure, or isobaric surface. Because of the changes in air density, the isobaric surface rises in warm, less-dense air and lowers in cold, more-dense air. Where the horizontal temperature changes most quickly, the isobaric surface changes elevation most rapidly.
Warm air is less dense (“thicker”) than cold air.

5. Strongest
Winds
Page: 208
FIGURE 8.14 Changes in altitude of an isobaric surface (500 mb) show up as contour lines on an isobaric (500 mb) map. Where the isobaric surface dips most rapidly, the contour lines are closer together on the 500-mb map.

6. Three-Dimensional Depiction of an Upper Air Constant Height Surface
Page: 208
FIGURE 8.15 The wavelike patterns of an isobaric surface reflect the changes in air temperature. An elongated region of warm air aloft shows up on an isobaric map as higher heights and a ridge; the colder air shows as lower heights and a trough.

7. L H Cold Cold Warm Trough Ridge Surface Low Surface High
Page: 274
FIGURE 2 The circulation of the air aloft is in the form of waves—troughs and ridges—that encircle the globe.
Warm
Surface lows form downstream of upper air troughs.
Surface highs form downstream of upper air ridges.

8. Jet Streams COLD WARM WARM WARM (Chap. 8, pp. 206–210) Page: 275
FIGURE A jet stream is a swiftly flowing current of air that moves in a wavy west-to-east direction. The figure shows the position of the polar jet stream and subtropical jet stream in winter. Although jet streams are shown as one continuous river of air, in reality they are discontinuous, with their position varying from one day to the next.
(Chap. 8,
pp. 206–210)

9. CLOUD
CLASSIFICATION

10. Basic Cloud Types
FIGURE 5.24 A generalized illustration of basic cloud types based on height above the surface and vertical development.

11. CIRRUS

12. CIRROCUMULUS

13. CIRROSTRATUS

14. ALTOCUMULUS

15. ALTOCUMULUS

16. ALTOSTRATUS

17. STRATOCUMULUS

18. STRATUS

19. NIMBOSTRATUS

20. CUMULUS HUMILIS (FAIR WEATHER CUMULUS)

21. CUMULUS HUMILIS

22. CUMULUS CONGESTUS (IN BACKGROUND)
CUMULUS HUMILIS (IN FOREGROUND)

23. CUMULUS CONGESTUS

24. CUMULONIMBUS

25. CUMULONIMBUS

26. TABLE 5.3 Approximate Height of Cloud Bases Above the Surface for Various Locations
The same type of cloud will typically be at a lower altitude in the polar regions and higher in the tropics.
(Chap. 5, pp. 127–135)

27. Nerdy Cloud Classification Details
Just like animals and plants, clouds are classified according to their
genus, species, and variety.
1. Genera: e.g., stratus, cumulonimbus (the types discussed today)
2. Species: e.g., humilis, congestus, castellanus, lenticularis (later)
3. Variety: e.g., undulatus, translucidus, opacus
So a cloud might be classified as altocumulus castellanus opacus.
(For examples, see Table 5.4 (page 133) and )

28. ALTOSTRATUS