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Meteorology Study Guide
Test Date: Wednesday, March 7
● Meteorology is the study of weather and climate.
● Weather is the daily conditions in the atmosphere, while climate is the weather patterns in
a geographic area over a long period of time (longer that the seasons).
● Utah is a desert climate. Our climate consists mainly of four distinct seasons, dry air, hot
summers and cold winters.
● The presence of a large amount of water around or near land can affect the climate. We
learned from our experiment that soil heats faster than water, and that soil cools down
faster than water. In other words, water slows down the changing of seasons in an area.
By the time the area gets heated by the sun for the summer it is already winter, and by
the time the area gets cooled down for the winter it’s summer. This explains why some
places (such as England) never experience a strong change in seasons.
● The 4 main parts of the water cycle are: Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation, and
Collection.
Evaporation is the process in which water is heated (by the sun in the water cycle) and
becomes water vapor suspended in the air.
Condensation is the process in which water vapor cools and collects on dust particles in the
air, forming clouds. When a cloud becomes saturated and is heavier than the air, it
precipitates.
Precipitation is the process in which water falls in the form of rain, snow, hail, or sleet.
Water collects in the form of rivers, lakes, oceans, etc., where the ground is less absorbent.
Where the ground is absorbent, it seeps through, collecting as underground water.
● Humidity is the amount of water vapor the air contains. The atmosphere can hold more or
less water vapor depending on the temperature. When the air is saturated (full),
humidity is at 100%.
● When we collect and measure precipitation, the rain gauge used should be in the shape of a
cylinder, with straight, parallel sides in order to be accurate.
● Types of clouds:
Stratus—the low, flat cloud you would likely see in the sky on a drizzly day.
Cumulus—the fluffy, white cloud you would likely see on a day with mild weather conditions.
Cumulonimbus—the dark, tall, anvil-shaped cloud that is likely to produce a heavy rainstorm.
Cirrus—the highest cloud in the sky, made of ice crystals, wispy because it is wind-blown. If
you see some, expect active weather soon.
● The 4 layers of the atmosphere that we talked about, in order from the closest to the
earth (where we are) to the furthest away are troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere,
and ionosphere. If it helps, remember TSunaMI. Notice that they all end in “sphere.”
● An additional, thin layer of the atmosphere called the ozone layer is just outside the
stratosphere. It provides protection from deadly ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
● The sun heats the earth, which then heats the atmosphere.
● Weather (activity in our atmosphere) is caused by the energy from the sun.
● Instruments for measuring and predicting weather:
thermometer—temperature
rain gauge—measures rain in inches
barometer—measures air pressure
weather vane—wind direction
anemometer—wind speed
● Air pressure can help us know if weather conditions are changing. If we see that the air
pressure is dropping, then we know that active, cloudy, or changeable weather is occurring.
● Prevailing winds (trade winds) are the earth’s strongest, most persistent wind patterns.
They repeat themselves over the same geographical area in the same general direction,
speed, and intensity.
● An air mass is a giant pocket of air moving over a large geographical area. An air mass can
be warm and dry, warm and moist, cool and dry, or cool and moist, depending on where it was
formed.
● In our study of air pressure, we learned that high pressure always moves quickly into a low
pressure area (like the pressure of the balloon moving out into the room quickly). When a
warm air mass (high pressure) encounters a cool air mass (low pressure), the warm air moves
quickly into the cool air to even out the pressure. This movement of the air is wind.
● A cold front is the place at which a cold air mass and a warm air mass meet. If a cold
front is coming, then we know to expect active, cloudy, or changeable weather.
● Warm air rises, while cool air drops. When a cold front occurs with the right temperature,
pressure and humidity, there can be an enormous down-shaft of cool air coming down from a
thundercloud, while at the same time an enormous up-shaft of warm air is occurring. These
are the makings of tornados, hurricanes, and other heavy storms.
● Weather maps and weather satellites can help us track and understand daily weather
patterns. Symbols are used to help us read weather maps, such as a * is a symbol for
• means rain.
A capital H means high pressure and an L
means low pressure, etc. Take a look at the weather map below. Notice the lines and
L’s. A line with triangles Δ is blue on a weather map and indicates a cold front. A line
with half circles is red and indicates a warm front.
snowfall in a certain area. A