METEOROLOGY CPAER EXAM WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS

METEOROLOGY CPAER EXAM WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS order of the layers of the atmosphere from lowest to highest troposphere stratosphere mesosphere thermosphere Where is the ozone layer located? upper stratosphere (49,000ft - 115, 000ft) what are the parameters of the troposphere? 50- 65,000 ft at the equator 25- 35,000 ft at the poles what type of radiation is absorbed by the earth? short wave radiation what type of radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere? long wave radiation what are the sources of uneven heating of the atmosphere? seasonal variations (some places get more sun than others) latitude variations diurnal variations different surfaces of the earth absorbing or reflecting heat differently what does water do in the creation of weather? provides a mechanism for transporting thermal energy to different parts of the globe what can a temperature inversion look like in terms in lapse rates? the lapse rate would be shown as negative What is the dry adiabatic lapse rate? 3 degrees celsium per 1,000 feet. What is the wet adiabatic lapse rate? 1.5 celsius per 1000 feet what is a characteristic stable atmosphere? occurs when environmental lapse rate is shallow or even negative. what is a characteristic of an unstable atmosphere? when the environmental lapse rate is steeper than both the dry lapse rate and the wet. what is a characteristic of a conditionally unstable atmosphere? when environmental lapse rate is between the dry and wet lapse rates, which causes air to rise in shorter amounts and becomes cooler than the surrounding air what are the properties of the standard atmosphere? temperature: 15c environmental lapse rate: 1.98c (2c) per 1000 feet pressure at sea level is 29.92 Hg 101.3 millibars pressure drops by 1' of mercury per 1000ft height of the tropopause is 36090 the higher the temperature of the air the more ... quantity of water it can hold what is the definition of relative humidity? amount of water in the air relative to the maximum which i can hold at the temperature and pressure what is the definition of dewpoint? if air is cooled at a constant pressure the temperature at which condensation begins. dry air is more dense then what? water vapour the higher the humidity, the less .... the air and the ...... the airplane will perform dense - poorer definition of convection vertical mouvement of air definition of advection horizontal mouvement of air definition of isobars lines of constant pressure isotachs definition lines of constant wind velocity contour lines lines of equal elevation (where altitude at which a specified pressure occurs is constant) air will always move from where to where? high pressure areas to low pressure areas the movement from high to low pressure areas can be influenced by which forces? - coriolis force - friction - acceleration or centrifugal forces