METEOROLOGY

WHAT IS METEOROLOGY
- The study of atmospheric conditions.
- Climate is the long-term average of variations in weather for
a particular area.
- Weather is short term variations in the climate.
AIR MASSES
- Large volume of air that has the same characteristics, such
as humidity and temperature, as its source region.
- Source region is the area over which an air mass forms.
TYPES OF AIR MASS
- Continental Arctic (cA):
o Extremely cold temperatures and very little
moisture. ...
- Continental polar (cP):
o Cold and dry, but not as cold as Arctic air masses. ...
- Maritime polar (mP):
o Cool and moist.
o Forms over cold water.
- Maritime tropical (mT):
o Warm temperatures with copious moisture.
- Continental Tropical
o source is Mexico.
GLOBAL WIND SYSTEMS
- Polar easterlies
o wind zones between 60 N latitude and the north pole
and 60 S latitude and the south pole.
- Prevailing westerlies
o wind systems on Earth located between latitudes 30 N
60 N and 30 S and 60 S.
- Trade Winds

o between latitudes 30 N and the equator is a circulation

belt of wind .
TYPES OF FRONTS
- Cold front
- warm front
- occluded front
- stationary front.
- COLD FRONT:
o cold dense air displaces warm air, it forces the warm
air, which is less dense, up along a steep slope.
- WARM FRONT:
o advancing warm air displaces cold air along a warm
from. A warm front develops a gradual boundary slope.
- Stationary Front:
o when two air masses meet but neither advances, the
boundary between them stalls.
o This stationary form frequently occurs between two
modified air masses that have small temp and pressure
gradient between them.
- OCCLUDED FRONT:
o Cold and Warm front meet and an even faster cold
front joins
o Strong wind and heavy precipitation.
PRESSURE SYSTEMS
- Low pressure: air rises and precipitation along with clouds.
- High pressure: clear skies and fair weather.
HOW DO WE MEASURE WEATHER?
-

Temperature and Air Pressure

o
A thermometer measures temperature using either
the Fahrenheit or Celsius scale.
o

A barometer measures air pressure.

An anemometer measures wind speed.

A hygrometer measures relative humidity.

o
A Radiosonde measures air temperature, pressure, and
humidity.
o

Weather Radar detects specific locations of precipitation.

o
Doppler Radar detects the speed at which precipitation
moves toward or away from a radar station. (the shorter the
wavelength, the closer to the station)
o
Weather Satellites Use cameras that require visible light
to photograph Earth. There are Three types:

Infra-red

Visible light

Water imagery

How do we communicate the Collected data?

A Station model is a record of weather data for a particular
site at a particular time.
o

Isobars are line of equal pressure.

Isotherms are lines of equal temperature

Digital Forecasts analyze current weather data.

Analog forecasts compare current weather patterns to

similar weather patterns from the past.