EESA09H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Stratus Cloud, Altostratus Cloud, Cirrostratus Cloud
14 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
EESA09: Lecture 2 – Science of Wind
Video: Hurricane Ima – Florida Keys sept.10th
Participations:
• Quizzes (8) same week lecture materials
• Participations – weather station tours, other opportunities (online) 2-3 week deadline
o Details will be posted on BB/quercus
• Understand terms & basic concepts in class
The Basics of Atmosphere
• The vertical structure of the atmosphere (4 layers – from lowest to highest)
o Troposphere: temp is decreasing higher up, decreasing w/altitude (height)
▪ Why? b/c sun radiation absorbed by surface of the earth, then heated, so
hotter closer to the ground. Maj of weather events occur here
▪ 80% of atmospheric mass
▪ Tropopause (no change in temp)
o Stratosphere : temp is increasing w/altitude b/c has lots of ozone particles that absorb
sus radiatio (UV)
▪ Ozone = stratosphere protects life from lethal effects of UV radiation
▪ Stratopause (constant zone)
o Mesosphere: same as troposphere, temp decreasing/height.
▪ Mixing in layer; absorbed heat @ base and dispersed by vertical air motions.
o Thermosphere: increasing w/ altitude due to the closeness of sun (heat source)
▪ Due to absorption of solar rad.by nitrogen + oxygen molecules
CLOUDS *important*
• Definitions are important in both midterm & final exams
• Clouds are liquid constituent
• Cloud Nomenclature (types) – mix and matched
o STRATUS (strato): Layer, low-level clouds
▪ Stratus – regular layered
▪ Nimbostratus – layered rain clouds
▪ Altostratus – middle layered clouds, sun dimly visible in the sky
▪ Cirrostratus – up in the atmosphere, spring-tie halo aroud the su
▪ Stratocumulus – puffy and layered, low leveled close to stratus clouds
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
o CUMULUS uulo: Puffy louds
▪ Stratocumulus
▪ Cummulonimbus – BIG CLOUD, ko as thuderloud isile i
thunderstorms and tornadoes.
▪ Altocumulus – middle level, puffy cloud w/cotton ball shapes
▪ Cirrocumulus – unique, high level puffy looks like fish scales
o CIRRUS (cirro) : High-level clouds
▪ Cirrostratus
▪ Cirrocumulus
o NIMBUS (nimbo): Rain clouds
▪ Nimbostratus
o ALTO: Middle clouds
▪ Altostratus
▪ Altocumulus
Special focus: Rising air produces clouds
1. Rising air cools, sinking air warms (mechanism in reverse)
2. Cooling leads to condensation
Air parcel rising, moving from higher to lower pressure region (changing envt) creating balance
w/changing temp. Cooling air parcels forms clouds – loss of kinectic energy and expansion.
FUNDAMENTALS: Science of Wind
• Wid = t of air i a ordered fashio
• Cat see it diretly, e a see ore the effets of id i dust ad tree mvmt (feel/hear it)
• What causes air to move?
o Pressure gradient – Differences in air pressure (vertical/horizontal)
o Pressure gradient force - Air tends to flow from high to low pressure
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Participations: quizzes (8) same week lecture materials, participations weather station tours, other opportunities (online) 2-3 week deadline, details will be posted on bb/quercus, understand terms & basic concepts in class. Maj of weather events occur here: 80% of atmospheric mass. Special focus: rising air produces clouds: rising air cools, sinking air warms (mechanism in reverse, cooling leads to condensation. Air parcel rising, moving from higher to lower pressure region (changing envt) creating balance w/changing temp. Cooling air parcels forms clouds loss of kinectic energy and expansion. I(cid:374) real life, (cid:449)i(cid:374)d does(cid:374)(cid:859)t (cid:373)o(cid:448)e i(cid:374) a straight li(cid:374)e like displayed in isobars above. Horizontal pressure: h. pressure gradient dominant in upper atmosphere (mid troposphere around. A: gravity vs. pgf (vertical: atmospheric pressure forces: circulation of the atmosphere. Coriolis force (cid:858)fi(cid:272)tious(cid:859) for(cid:272)e due to rotatio(cid:374) of the earth. Deflect to the right; therefore, reach winnipeg (force is getting weaker)
