Meteorology
The atmosphere is cut in half every time you go up 18,000 ft
For 0 is sea level where 100% of the atmosphere is above and 0% is below
To find the percentage above the jet at 37,--- feet we calculate how many 18,000 foot
intervals are below this altitude and determine how much atmosphere is left at those
intervals.
37,000 ft divided by 18,000 = 2,0555 (approx)
That means there are 2 intervals
Percentage of atmosphere above 37,000 ft = (½) ^2 x 100% = (¼) x 100% = 25%
So roughly 25% is above the jet
Facts
Why do we have weather? Sunlight - source of energy
Earths rotation - movement from west to east or counter clockwise earths tilt 23.5
Climentologist - long term weather
Meteorology is the day to day
Clouds have the highest reflectivity in the atmosphere
Wind is the atmosphere trying to balance itself out between pressure systems and
temperature changes
The atmosphere is a mixture of gas molecules, small suspended particles of solid and
liquid, and falling precipitation.
Meteorology is the study of the atmosphere and the processes (such as cloud
formation, lightning, and wind movement) that we refer to as the “weather”
Weather is distinct from climate in that the former deals with short-term phenomena and
the latter with characteristic long-term patterns
Scientific theory
General process
\/
Hypothesis
\/
Prediction
\/
Experiments
\/
Analysis ___________>experiment
\/ ___________>prediction
Conclusion ______> hypothesis
, Example
Question - can contrails affect surface temperature?
Hypothesis - contrails suppress day time temp by reflecting sunlight but they lead to higher night
time temps by absorbing radiation emitted upward by the surface
Prediction - if the production of contrails ceases the daily temp range should increase
Experiments - gather data on the daily temperature range before and after jets were grounded
Sept 11-14, 2001
Analysis - over the United States the average temp range increased during the grounding period
by an amount larger than any seen in the previous 30 years
Conclusion - changes in daily temp ranges are consistent with the hypothesis
Quiz
1. What pressure is illustrated at Figure A?
↓ ↓
← → anticyclone high pressure
2. What pressure is illustrated at Figure A?
↑ ↑
→ ← cyclone low-pressure
Atmospheric pressure - weight exerted by the atmosphere onto the earth's surface
Described as high or low pressure. Stability or instability of the atmosphere
Difference between pressure results in wind.
Movement of the AP
High Pressure
Together - down - apart
Clockwise rotation
Center is always the highest. Pressure decreases from the center
Higher pressure creates “troughs”
Low Pressure
Together - up - apart
Counterclockwise rotation pressure is always lowest in the center and increases from the
center
Low pressure creates “troughs”
Measurement of AP
Barometer detects and measures changes
Bar is a unit of measurement. We use millibars (mb) to mmHg change
1012.25 MB is the standard used at sea level
29.92 linear inches of mercury
Isobars are used for mapping AP 4mb intervals
The atmosphere is cut in half every time you go up 18,000 ft
For 0 is sea level where 100% of the atmosphere is above and 0% is below
To find the percentage above the jet at 37,--- feet we calculate how many 18,000 foot
intervals are below this altitude and determine how much atmosphere is left at those
intervals.
37,000 ft divided by 18,000 = 2,0555 (approx)
That means there are 2 intervals
Percentage of atmosphere above 37,000 ft = (½) ^2 x 100% = (¼) x 100% = 25%
So roughly 25% is above the jet
Facts
Why do we have weather? Sunlight - source of energy
Earths rotation - movement from west to east or counter clockwise earths tilt 23.5
Climentologist - long term weather
Meteorology is the day to day
Clouds have the highest reflectivity in the atmosphere
Wind is the atmosphere trying to balance itself out between pressure systems and
temperature changes
The atmosphere is a mixture of gas molecules, small suspended particles of solid and
liquid, and falling precipitation.
Meteorology is the study of the atmosphere and the processes (such as cloud
formation, lightning, and wind movement) that we refer to as the “weather”
Weather is distinct from climate in that the former deals with short-term phenomena and
the latter with characteristic long-term patterns
Scientific theory
General process
\/
Hypothesis
\/
Prediction
\/
Experiments
\/
Analysis ___________>experiment
\/ ___________>prediction
Conclusion ______> hypothesis
, Example
Question - can contrails affect surface temperature?
Hypothesis - contrails suppress day time temp by reflecting sunlight but they lead to higher night
time temps by absorbing radiation emitted upward by the surface
Prediction - if the production of contrails ceases the daily temp range should increase
Experiments - gather data on the daily temperature range before and after jets were grounded
Sept 11-14, 2001
Analysis - over the United States the average temp range increased during the grounding period
by an amount larger than any seen in the previous 30 years
Conclusion - changes in daily temp ranges are consistent with the hypothesis
Quiz
1. What pressure is illustrated at Figure A?
↓ ↓
← → anticyclone high pressure
2. What pressure is illustrated at Figure A?
↑ ↑
→ ← cyclone low-pressure
Atmospheric pressure - weight exerted by the atmosphere onto the earth's surface
Described as high or low pressure. Stability or instability of the atmosphere
Difference between pressure results in wind.
Movement of the AP
High Pressure
Together - down - apart
Clockwise rotation
Center is always the highest. Pressure decreases from the center
Higher pressure creates “troughs”
Low Pressure
Together - up - apart
Counterclockwise rotation pressure is always lowest in the center and increases from the
center
Low pressure creates “troughs”
Measurement of AP
Barometer detects and measures changes
Bar is a unit of measurement. We use millibars (mb) to mmHg change
1012.25 MB is the standard used at sea level
29.92 linear inches of mercury
Isobars are used for mapping AP 4mb intervals
