STUVIA 2024/2025
GEOG 250 Midterm
- Surface low spawned by Polar Front --
Cyclogenesis
- Supported by upper level divergence.
- Downstream of a trough in jet stream.
- Parcels of air are parallel to the center lines.
- Upper level divergence creates SURFACE LOW: thermally indirect low pressure center. -
✔✔Midlatitude Cyclones
- The environmental lapse rate is the change in temperature with height. - ✔✔Environmental Lapse
Rate (ELR)
-All wavelengths together make up the EM spectrum.
-Objects emit EM energy across the spectrum.
-Hot objects emit greater energy, hot objects emit shorter wavelengths. - ✔✔The EM Spectrum
-Atm circulation moves warm and cold air.
-Warm and cold ocean currents impact adjacent coasts (ex. gulf stream for E coast) -
✔✔Atmospheric Circulation
%
-B/c of sphericity, solar radiation is more intense in the tropics.
-Surplus of energy in the tropics, deficit at high latitudes.
-Circulation of atm and oceans even out the imbalance. - ✔✔Earth's Radiation Balance by Latitude
-Cloud drops are 1/1000 of rain drop size.
-They don't fall because of drag.
-Need cloud condensation nuclei to start droplets.
-2 processes to grow rain drops from cloud drops: Collision-Coalenscence and Bergeron-Findeisen. -
✔✔Rain Drop Formation
-Cold air advances into warm air.
-Steep edge (1:100) = rapid uplift of warm air.
-Heavy, brief precipitation from cumulonimbus clouds.
(cP-->mT) - ✔✔Cold Fronts
-Cool or cool clouds (T<0 degrees C)
-Clouds contain mix of ice crystals and supercooled droplets.
-Ice crystals grow at expense of droplets, rapidly occurring.
stuvia
, STUVIA 2024/2025
-Water vapor evaporates from supercooled droplets & deposits into ice crystals, causing crystals to
grow and fall w/ gravity. - ✔✔Bergeron-Findeisen
-Earth orbits in 'plane of the eliptic'
-Average distance is 93 million miles. - ✔✔Earth's Orbit
-Energy transferred by the propagation of electrical and magnetic fields (electromagnetic radiation).
-Does not require a medium.
-Visible light is one form of EM radiation. - ✔✔Radiation
-eye: upper level divergence, but warm, downward winds form the eye.
-spiral rain belt.
-intense in front right quad and the eyewall.
-storm surge, flooding, tornadoes, etc.
-Tracks the curve of w. atlantic because of the atlantic high pressure zone. - ✔✔Hurricane Structure
-flow follows ridge/trough patterns.
-speed of wind depends on PGF.
-Circumpolar vortex. - ✔✔Upper level wind patterns
%
-high latitudes have larger annual temp variability.
-latitudinal temp gradient is stronger in the winter. - ✔✔Temp variability with day length & sun angle
-land heats quickly during the day: low pressure, on shore breeze.
-land cools quickly at night: high pressure, offshore breeze (comes from the land) - ✔✔Local winds:
land/sea breezes
-lower latitudes have lower annual temp variability.
-coastal locations have lower annual temp variability. - ✔✔Latitude and Continentality
-Occurs when friction is absent (mostly theoretical)
-PGF & Coriolis balance.
-Flow is parallel to the isobars.
-Accelarated energy that Coriolis makes it perpendicular to PGF, accelarates towards the pressure
gradient. - ✔✔Geostrophic Flow
-Only affects speed.
-Depends on surface roughness: boundary lawyer, free atm.
-Slows wind, thus reducing CF.
-Flow is across isobars, towards the low. - ✔✔Friction
stuvia
GEOG 250 Midterm
- Surface low spawned by Polar Front --
Cyclogenesis
- Supported by upper level divergence.
- Downstream of a trough in jet stream.
- Parcels of air are parallel to the center lines.
- Upper level divergence creates SURFACE LOW: thermally indirect low pressure center. -
✔✔Midlatitude Cyclones
- The environmental lapse rate is the change in temperature with height. - ✔✔Environmental Lapse
Rate (ELR)
-All wavelengths together make up the EM spectrum.
-Objects emit EM energy across the spectrum.
-Hot objects emit greater energy, hot objects emit shorter wavelengths. - ✔✔The EM Spectrum
-Atm circulation moves warm and cold air.
-Warm and cold ocean currents impact adjacent coasts (ex. gulf stream for E coast) -
✔✔Atmospheric Circulation
%
-B/c of sphericity, solar radiation is more intense in the tropics.
-Surplus of energy in the tropics, deficit at high latitudes.
-Circulation of atm and oceans even out the imbalance. - ✔✔Earth's Radiation Balance by Latitude
-Cloud drops are 1/1000 of rain drop size.
-They don't fall because of drag.
-Need cloud condensation nuclei to start droplets.
-2 processes to grow rain drops from cloud drops: Collision-Coalenscence and Bergeron-Findeisen. -
✔✔Rain Drop Formation
-Cold air advances into warm air.
-Steep edge (1:100) = rapid uplift of warm air.
-Heavy, brief precipitation from cumulonimbus clouds.
(cP-->mT) - ✔✔Cold Fronts
-Cool or cool clouds (T<0 degrees C)
-Clouds contain mix of ice crystals and supercooled droplets.
-Ice crystals grow at expense of droplets, rapidly occurring.
stuvia
, STUVIA 2024/2025
-Water vapor evaporates from supercooled droplets & deposits into ice crystals, causing crystals to
grow and fall w/ gravity. - ✔✔Bergeron-Findeisen
-Earth orbits in 'plane of the eliptic'
-Average distance is 93 million miles. - ✔✔Earth's Orbit
-Energy transferred by the propagation of electrical and magnetic fields (electromagnetic radiation).
-Does not require a medium.
-Visible light is one form of EM radiation. - ✔✔Radiation
-eye: upper level divergence, but warm, downward winds form the eye.
-spiral rain belt.
-intense in front right quad and the eyewall.
-storm surge, flooding, tornadoes, etc.
-Tracks the curve of w. atlantic because of the atlantic high pressure zone. - ✔✔Hurricane Structure
-flow follows ridge/trough patterns.
-speed of wind depends on PGF.
-Circumpolar vortex. - ✔✔Upper level wind patterns
%
-high latitudes have larger annual temp variability.
-latitudinal temp gradient is stronger in the winter. - ✔✔Temp variability with day length & sun angle
-land heats quickly during the day: low pressure, on shore breeze.
-land cools quickly at night: high pressure, offshore breeze (comes from the land) - ✔✔Local winds:
land/sea breezes
-lower latitudes have lower annual temp variability.
-coastal locations have lower annual temp variability. - ✔✔Latitude and Continentality
-Occurs when friction is absent (mostly theoretical)
-PGF & Coriolis balance.
-Flow is parallel to the isobars.
-Accelarated energy that Coriolis makes it perpendicular to PGF, accelarates towards the pressure
gradient. - ✔✔Geostrophic Flow
-Only affects speed.
-Depends on surface roughness: boundary lawyer, free atm.
-Slows wind, thus reducing CF.
-Flow is across isobars, towards the low. - ✔✔Friction
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