Assignments

Homework 1 Due September 24, 2004
Reading

Williams through Chapter 5
Reader, 117-118, 257, 261-262, 268, 273, 286, 292, 316, 335-347, 518-529

Housekeeping

Reviewed links to class web site
Reviewed questions for Homework 1

Review on atmospheric Pressure:

Rule of Thumb: On a given level, in the absence of other effects, air locally tends to move from regions with higher values of pressure to regions with lower values of pressure.

The greater the difference in pressure, the larger the wind speeds.

Weather map: Time 18Z 22 Sep

· Florida has a low pressure this morning (cyclone) accompanied by moderate rain.

· Eastern part of the map is experiencing high pressure. Wind direction is moving towards area of low pressure.

· Western part of the map is also experiencing high pressure. Wind direction is also moving towards the area of low pressure.

· Although most areas are clear, thunderstorm can occur on areas of high pressure.

· The middle part of the map is experiencing a low pressure. As a result high pressure from the east and west is moving to that area.

· Between these areas a boundary a front is formed. A Front is a boundary between cold and warm temperature.

· 60-Degree dew points extend from the Gulf Coast to Minnesota. This is a result of warmer air moving northward towards Canada.

Construct Your Own Weather Map:

On this link we looked at the first box labeled 2m Td. 2m Td means 2 meter dew point.
The second box is the temperature. Standard measurement of temperature is 6 feet above the ground. Temperature on this link is color coded in a way that humans perceived. Ex. Red for warm temperature.

The weather station that the temperature gauge sits in is kept out of direct sunlight, so the temperature can be accurately read.
Contrasts of temperatures are known as isotherms.

We will be checking on this link throughout the semester.

Convective day 1 Outlook link:

Went over what arrow means. Brown arrow around the area presents risk for thunderstorms.

4 km. visible image link:

Looked at infrared satellite.

30 degrees was represented by the color black
10 – 20 degrees are frozen cloud
-40 degrees below are thunderstorm

To get a more accurate weather, we need to look at the radar.

Look at Miami precipitation:

480. This number is very important especially for pilots. For example a plane is going to Miami. The pilot needs to know how high the thunderstorm is. He/she can check the radar and knowing the thunderstorm is 48000 feet high and the plane can only fly as high as 43000 feet high, the plane will go around instead of flying over it.

Radar is also very effective tool in making short time weather forecast.

Precipitation in California:

Measured by inches
30 years of data is kept from 1971-2000, to find the average change. The next 30 years will be from 1981-2010.
The topography and precipitation go together for California and around the world.

More rainfall occurs on the western slope of the mountain ranges than on the eastern, because our weather in the U.S. moves from east to west.
A lot less rainfall occurs in Southern California compared to Northern California.