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Meteorology Key Concepts of Chapter 1:
"Meteorology" is the scientific study of the atmosphere.
"Weather" is the state of the atmosphere at a given time
and place. (day to day) The United States has the
greatest diversity of weather in the world.
"Climate" is a summary of weather conditions over a
period of time.
All science is based on the assumption that the natural
world behaves in a consistent and predictable manner.
The process by which scientists gather facts through
observation and careful measurement and formulate
scientific hypotheses and theories is called the
"scientific method". “If, then, because….”
Earth’s four spheres include the atmosphere (gaseous
envelope), the geosphere (solid Earth), the hydrosphere
(water portion), and the biosphere (life).
Air is a mixture of many gases.
Two gases, nitrogen and oxygen, make up 99 percent of
the volume of the clean, dry air.
Carbon dioxide is an efficient absorber of energy
emitted by Earth and causes earth to become warmer –
greenhouse effect.
Water vapor is the gas that has the greatest effect on
weather.
"Aerosols" (tiny solid and liquid particles) are
important because these invisible particles act as
surfaces on which water can condense.
"Ozone," absorbs much of the potentially harmful
ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun. It is being lost
mostly over the Antarctica region.
Using temperature as the basis, the atmosphere is
divided into four layers.
 The troposphere is the 1st layer. (all important
weather phenomena occur in the troposphere) It is
thickest over the equator.
 In the stratosphere is the 2nd layer. This is the
layer where ozone is found.
 In the mesosphere is the third layer.
 The fourth layer is the thermosphere and it is the
hottest.
Besides layers defined by vertical variations in
temperature, the atmosphere is often divided into two
layers based on composition.
 The homosphere consists of air that is uniform in
terms of the proportions of its component gases.
 The heterosphere consists of gases arranged into
four roughly spherical shells, each with a
distinctive composition.
In the upper atmosphere, there is an electrically
charged layer known as the ionosphere.
Three layers of varying ion density make up the
ionosphere. Auroras (the aurora borealis, northern
lights, and its Southern Hemisphere counterpart the
aurora australis, southern lights) occur within the
ionosphere.
When chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are subjected to
sunlight, Chlorine is released which acts to destroy
ozone molecules.
Radiosondes are attached to balloons and transmit
information back to earth. They’ve been used since the
1920’s.