Transcript Indiana Weather, Currents, and Climate

Atmosphere, Weather, Maps,
Currents
• What is the atmosphere?
• Why is the sky blue?
Troposphere [turning]
~ 20 km
Equator
~ 17 km
Average
~ 7 km N/S
Poles
Temperature
Begins near 17°C around base and down
to -52°C at top
- 99% of the WATER VAPOR in the
atmosphere
- Drives the Water Cycle
- 75% of the mass of the atmosphere
- All WEATHER occurs in this level
Stratosphere [distinct layers]
Altitude
Begins around -52°C around base goes
up to -3°C at top
~ 10 to 50 km
~ 13 – 20km
Ozone Layer
- PLANES FLY at bottom of this level to
avoid turbulence, maximize jet fuel,
and avoid storms.
- JET Stream is located (winds of
198mph)
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Mesosphere [middle]
Altitude
~ 50 km to 85
km
Begins around -3°C around base goes
down to -100°C
THE COLDEST LAYER
- Too high for aircraft but too low for
orbiting spacecraft
- POOREST Understood region
- Most METEORS burn up in this range
Thermosphere [heat]
Altitude
~ 80 km to
500 -1000km
Begins around -200°C and then up to
1500+°C
The Highest Temperature Layer
- Temperature would ‘feel’ COLD to us
because there are so few molecules,
even though they have a HIGH level
of energy.
Ionosphere [ion]
Altitude
80 km to
550km
LOWER Level of Thermosphere
The ions here bounce radio waves back
to Earth.
Solar flares can increase the ion levels
here and cause interference with radio
transmission (one source of that static
sound you hear)
Magnetosphere [magneto]
Altitude
Midrange inside of the Thermosphere
- VAN ALLEN Radiation Belts - Made up of
1000km to about
positively charged protons and negatively
4000km
charged electrons, given off by the sun, and
captured by the Earth’s magnetic field
- AURORAE - Collisions of these particles cause
light energy to be given off, called Aurora
Borealis (Northern Lights).
Aurora Borealis
• Steamed Hams?
Exosphere [outer]
Altitude
550km to
190,000 km
OUTER Level of Thermosphere – extends
into “space”
- The particles are so spread out that they
are likely to not hit any other molecules
- ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES orbit the earth up
here. International Space station,
weather, television, and telephone
satellites
Greek Roots
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Sphere – Ball
Hemi – Half
Atmo – Air
Litho – Stone
Bio – Life
Meso – Middle
Exo – Outer
Thermo – Heat
Strat - Stratify
Trop - Turning
Ion – Ion
Atmospheric Elements (% and Movie)
• Nitrogen
▫ Most abundant element in the atmosphere. – 78.1%
▫ Makes proteins in animals and plants
• Oxygen
▫ Second most abundant element = 20.8%
▫ Plants = Give off O2 as waste.
▫ Animals = Take in O2 to produce food.
• CO2
▫ Plants = Take in CO2 to produce food.
▫ Animals = Give off CO2 and Nitrogen as waste.
Too Much CO2 in the atmosphere = Too much
greenhouse effect
• Ozone
▫ Found in the stratosphere
▫
Blocks UV radiation = good
Air Pressure
• The result of the weight of a column of air
pushing on an area
Air Pressure
• Measured with a barometer
• Aneroid / mercury
HEAT
Radiation
Conduction
Convection
Convection
• The transfer of energy by the bulk
movement of molecules and differences in
density.
Or – Transfer of heat through fluid
Density
Mass / Volume
The amount of stuff
in a given space.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Solar Radiation entering the Atmosphere
Lower Energy Long-wave
Radiation
A – Blocked by our atmosphere
A
B
F
High Energy Short-wave
Radiation
B – Blocked by our atmosphere
C
Visible Light
C = Absorbed by atmosphere
D = Absorbed by the Earth
E = Reflected by Earth
F = Reflected by Clouds
E
D
Greenhouse Effect
Greenhouse Effect
A – Incoming Shortwave Radiation
that warms earth
B – Long-wave Radiation emitted
from Earth
C
C – Some Long-wave Radiation
escapes atmosphere
D – Some Long-wave Radiation is
reflected back to Earth
THIS STEP IS THE GREENHOUSE
EFFECT
D
A
B
On Earth the Greenhouse Effect
Incoming shortwave radiation
from the sun, makes it thru CO2
in the atmosphere
Outgoing long-wave radiation from the
earth, does not make it thru CO2
Greenhouse Gases
• Which is the most prevalent greenhouse gas?
▫ H2 O
▫ CO2
▫ CH4
Weather Notes
Direct Heating vs. Indirect Heating
Creation of North/South Winds
The Coriolis Effect
• The earth spins faster at the equator than the
poles, and therefore winds don’t travel at the
same rate in a vertical path.
• Winds therefore bend towards either
east/west.
Creation of East/West Winds
Easterlies
Westerlies
Trade Winds
Uneven heating of surfaces
Water Cycle EPIC
• Evaporation
▫ Water is warmed up enough to go from liquid to
gas and rises in the air.
• Precipitation
▫ Enough water molecules collect in a cloud to
form a droplet as either rain, snow, sleet, hail
• Infiltration
▫ The water enters into the ground.
• Condensation
Air Masses that Affect the U.S.A.
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P
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Uneven heating of surfaces
6am
10 am
2pm
Temp
(°F)
Wind
Speed/Dir
Temp
(°F)
Wind
Speed/Dir
Temp
(°F)
Wind Speed/Dir
Land
60.5
14.1 
71.5
3.2 
92.7
20.9 
Sea
68.1
14.4 
69.9
3.2 
71.6
20.9 
6pm
Temp
(°F)
Wind
Speed/Dir
10pm
Temp
(°F)
Wind
Speed/Dir
2am
Temp
(°F)
79.4
15.8 
73.1
5.8 
66.1
71.7
15.8 
70.0
5.8 
68.9
Wind
Speed/Dir
5.3 
5.3 
20.9 mph
71.6°F
92.7 °F
20.9 mph
5.3 mph
68.9 °F
66.1°F
Weather Maps and Fronts
This funny looking thing is a weather symbol. It represents data recorded
from a weather station.
The circle is cloud cover.
The “tail” is the wind direction. It shows where the wind comes FROM.
The feathers are the wind speed in knots. (1 knot = 1.15 miles)
What is the percent cloud
cover at the station?
0%
What is the wind speed in
knots?
15 knots
What direction is the wind
coming FROM?
NW
What direction is it going
to?
SE
• 5 knots = ½ a “feather”
• 10 knots = 1 full “feather”
• 50 knots = triangular “feather”
• 1) Draw a weather symbol with
▫ ½ cloud cover
▫ wind at 5 knots out of the northeast.
• 2) Draw a weather symbol with
▫ 60% cloud cover
▫ wind out of the west at 55 knots.
What is a weather system?
• Remember the rule of thumb.
• Wind flows from areas of high to low pressure!
• Air pressure is equal to the weight of a column of air at
a particular location. It is measured in millibars (mb)
• High pressure systems are regions of relatively high
pressure.
▫ They are associated with dry weather and clear skies. Why?
- Air flows from high to low
pressure. Air sinks and flows
away from a high pressure
system. Therefore, few or no
clouds form.
• Low pressure systems are areas of relatively
low pressure. They are associated with clouds
and precipitation. Why?
Air flows from high to low
pressure. Air flows
toward a high pressure
system and rises.
Therefore, many clouds
form.
What are fronts?
• An air mass is a large body of air with similar
temperature, pressure, and humidity throughout.
• A “front” is a boundary between air masses.
• We talk about “warm fronts” and “cold fronts.” These
both happen with low pressure systems. Why can’t they
occur in high pressure systems?
Air flows from high to low pressure. Air sinks
and flows away from a high pressure
system. Therefore, few or no clouds form.
Cold Fronts
▫ A cold front is a boundary between an advancing
cold air mass and a warm air mass that is already
present.
▫ It is represented by triangles that point the
direction the front is moving.
▫ Precipitation/clouds occur behind the front.
▫ Why?
• Cold air is more dense and “pushes”
the less dense warm air up. Clouds
form and precipitation occurs behind
the cold front. (I.e. it gets cold
before it rains).
Do cold fronts have to be “cold?” As in
freezing?
Warm Fronts
A warm front is a boundary between an
advancing warm air mass and a cold air
mass that is already present.
It is represented by semi-circles that point
the direction the front is moving.
Precipitation/clouds occur ahead of the
front.
Why?
• Warm air is less dense and rises
above the cold air. It condenses and
forms clouds ahead of the front.
Warm Front
Cold Front
Brings cold air
Clouds and
precipitation behind
the front
Occurs during
a low
pressure system.
Brings a
weather
change.
Brings warm air
Clouds and
precipitation ahead of
the front
Hazardous Weather
And
Indiana Weather
Special Weather Events
There are many types of hazardous weather
• Tornadoes
• Blizzards
• Thunderstorms
• Flooding
• Hurricanes
• Drought
• Lake Effect Snow
Thunderstorms
• The 3 Key Ingredients of a Thunderstorm
▫ MOISTURE
 Large bodies of water (warmer temperatures = good)
▫ INSTABILITY
 Warm moist air underneath colder dense air
 As the warm air rises it will cool and form the
CUMULONIMBUS clouds
▫ A LIFTING MECHANISM
 Differential heating (Water vs. land), Fronts, Terrain
Thunderstorms
• The 3 Stages of a Thunderstorm
▫ TOWERING STAGE
 The warm air is forced upwards making the tall fluffy
cumulonimbus clouds.
▫ MATURE STAGE
 The air that has been raised higher cools and the
precipitation begins to fall.
▫ DISSIPATION STAGE
 The storm runs out of the warm moist air that fuels it.
Towering Phase
What is an Anvil?
Mature Phase
• “Anvil” Shaped Top
Mature Phase
• “Anvil” Shaped Top
Dissipation Stage
Types of Thunderstorms
• Ordinary Cell
▫ One cycle through the previous phases
• Multi-cell
▫ The storm builds and cycles through several of the
phases
• Squall Line
▫ The thunderstorm forms a horizontal line that
spreads several miles.
• Supercell
▫ Last for several hours traveling over long distances.
Produce almost all of the significant tornadoes
Supercell Thunderstorm
Thunderstorm Hazards
• Hail
• Damaging Winds
▫ Indiana State Fair
• Tornadoes
• Flash-Floods
▫ Single greatest cause of death in thunderstorms
Tornado
• A violently rotating column of air descending
from a thunderstorm and touching the ground.
Formation
• Most tornadoes are spawned from supercell
thunderstorms. Supercell thunderstorms are
characterized by a persistent rotating updraft
and form in environments of strong vertical
wind shear.
• The exact processes for the
formation of a funnel are not
known yet.
Enhanced Fujita Scale
EF
scale
Class
EF0
EF1
EF2
EF3
EF4
EF5
weak
weak
strong
strong
violent
violent
Wind speed
mph
km/h
65-85
105-137
86-110
138-177
111-135
178-217
136-165
218-266
166-200
267-322
> 200
> 322
Description
Gale
Moderate
Significant
Severe
Devastating
Incredible
What’s more dangerous than a tornado?
• The Fire Whirl
Flooding
• Discuss why flooding occurs with your neighbor
• Basics – Flooding occurs when there is too much
water coming into an area and not enough
flowing water out.
• Water “Out” sources – rivers, lakes,
INFILTRATION, Combined Sewer Overflows
Systems.
• Dangers
 People underestimate how powerful moving water
can be.
 Even at low levels moving water is strong.
Dangers of moving Water
• Of the three deaths which occurred as a result of the
Fort Worth tornado, March 28, 2000, one death was
due to flooding. The man who drowned was a passenger
in a car with his girlfriend, the driver. They approached
a low spot with water flowing over the road due to very
heavy rain. Flooding was a common occurrence at this
location with heavy rains and the danger was well
marked.
• As the driver drove her car into the water she became
frightened as the water rose higher and higher around
her vehicle. She backed out to higher ground. The
passenger said the water was NOT too deep and he
would prove it by walking across to the other side. He
never made it.
• Nuetzel’s Canoeing story
Lake Effect Snow
• is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when
COLD winds move across long expanses of
WARMER LAKE WATER, providing energy and picking
up water vapor which freezes and is deposited on
the opposite shores.
Lake Effect Snow
Currents
and
Climates
How does energy get to Earth?
• The sun’s energy transfers to the earth through
space through the process of radiation.
How does the heat from earth get to
the rest of the atmosphere and
through the oceans?
• Convection currents carry the heat.
• Hot, less dense fluids rise.
• Cold, more dense fluids sink.
What are some global wind and water
currents?
• A current is a body of water or air moving
in a definite direction.
Do currents go in straight lines?
• Video: Coriolis
Effect
• http://www.youtub
e.com/watch?v=_36
MiCUS1ro
Global Winds
• Winds flow from high pressure to low pressure
areas. (They want to go where there are less
particles).
• The equator has low pressure, because warm
air rises.
• Winds generally flow toward the equator.
Global Winds
• Air
movement
towards the
equator is
called trade
winds. Why
do you think
they are
called that?
Global Winds
• Winds that blows
across the US
from the west
are called the
“Westerlies.”
• What do the
Westerlies cause
in the US?
Deep ocean currents
• The general pattern is called the “global conveyer
belt.”
• Warm water rises at the equator and travels toward the
poles.
• Water cools and sinks at the poles. It travels back
toward the equator.
Surface Ocean Currents
• Are driven by the wind blowing over the
ocean’s surface.
• The winds create gyres, circular patterns of
currents.
• Climate is the average weather conditions over
time including wind, temperature, rainfall, etc.
• How is that different from weather?
Current and Climate
Rule of thumb for climate: It is based on the latitude of the place.
Closer to the equator is warm.
But wait….Can all climates be explained by latitude alone?
Based on latitude alone, we should
expect England to have a climate
similar to _________________?
Why is it so warm in northern Europe
compared to other places at the same
latitude?
• The gulf stream brings
warmer water to
northern Europe than
would be expected for
that latitude.
• The difference is
about 5°C warmer.
Based on latitude alone, we should
expect Hawaii to have a climate
similar to _________________?
Why is relatively cool in Hawaii
compared to other places at the same
latitude?
Meteorology Match Maker
• I love to travel! In particular, I enjoy the southeastern coast
of the United States, the Atlantic Ocean, and the coasts of
Northern Europe. I like to think I have a warm personality.
▫ Gulf Stream
• My life moves at a quick pace, with a jet-set sort of
lifestyle. I go wherever the wind blows me. I sometimes find
it difficult to stay grounded. I am hoping to settle down
with a pilot.
▫ Jet Stream
• I would describe myself as worldly, really a force of nature. I
feel my emotions “deeply.” I can also be pretty hot and
cold, but people get used to that. I am an avid swimmer, and
I feel at home in the sea.
▫ Global Conveyor Belt
• I tend to get tired easily. I often like to have a good cry,
particularly after violent, sad, or loud movies.
▫ Dissipating Stage
• I have a bright and sunny personality. I like to push the blues
away. My happiness and cheer spreads to everyone for miles
around me. Other people feel like they are under pressure
to be as happy as me!
▫ High Pressure
• I am by no means straight-laced. Sometimes, I can go round
and round in a conversation. I think of life as a merry-goround.
▫ Coriolis Effect
• I am tall and imposing. When people see me, they know
there will be trouble. People say my head is in the clouds.
▫ Anvil cloud / Cumulonimbus
• I love to travel. I get cold easily, so I like to take vacations
near the equator. I love to buy souvenirs on my vacations
that are imported from around the world.
▫ Trade Winds
• I can tend to come on a bit strong, and I get upset by people who
under-estimate me. However, people who know me understand
that I am nearly overflowing with love and emotions!
▫
Flash Flood
• I have a history of violent and destructive behavior. Some would
even say that I am on a downward spiral, and that I am pretty
twisted. Any potential mate will need to take my last name,
Fujima.
▫ Tornado
• I am very protective of those I am close to. You should know that I
have very fair skin, and I wear SPF 75 at all times.
▫ Ozone Layer
• I am a homebody, but I am still very social. Some people think I am
a low-class person, that I will never live the high-life. However, I
feel happy and grounded.
▫ Troposphere
Atmosphere Vocab and Concepts
• Atmosphere
▫ How does the
temperature change in
the layers?
▫ % of Elements
▫ Troposphere
▫ Stratosphere
▫ Mesosphere
▫ Thermosphere
▫ Exosphere
• Air Pressure
▫ What happens to Air
Pressure in the
atmosphere?
▫ High / Low
• Density
▫ How does heat affect
density?
• Convection
• Radiation
• Electromagnetic Waves
▫ Which are allowed in,
which are blocked?
• Greenhouse Effect
• Water Cycle – E,P,I,C
Atmosphere Vocab and Concepts
• Unequal Heating
▫ Equator/Poles – N/S
▫ Spinning Earth- E/W
▫ Terrain – Local/Coastal
• Air Masses
▫ Tropical, Polar, Arctic
▫ Maritime, Continental
• Weather Map Symbols
▫ Cloud Cover/Wind Speed
• High / Low Pressures
▫ Weather / Fronts /
Clouds
• Ocean Currents
▫ Surface/Deepwater
• Climate
▫ How does convection play • Hazardous Weather
• Coastal Winds
out on a coastal area
regarding temp/wind?
▫ Thunderstorms, Winds,
Tornadoes, Hurricanes