Meteorology free essay sample

Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time. Climate is a locations average weather conditions over a specific period of time. For example, Weather looks at what is happening right now. Climate however looks at what the weather as done in the past and projects what the weather should do. Like normally we get 20 inches of rain in the summer and its safe to assume that we will receive close to that same amount of rain. 2. What is the advantage of describing the climate of locality in terms of both average weather plus extremes in weather? The advantage is that farmers can know what crops can be grown and what the average heating and cooling temperatures are like for homes. It also helps people predict what the fresh water supply will look like. 3. Identify the various sources of weather information that are available to the public. We will write a custom essay sample on Meteorology or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There are several different sources available to the public. All news channels, such as CNN and MSNBC, feature weather segments throughout each day. The Weather Channel also broadcasts weather reports all day. Another source is the Internet. All NWS Forecast Offices have websites that provide a variety of meteorological, climatological, and hydrological information. Weather can also be obtained through newspapers or by listening to the radio. 4. Describe the type of weather that usually accompanies a high (anticyclone) and a low (cyclone) in middle latitudes. Highs (anticyclones) are usually accompanied by fair weather. Highs that originate in northwestern Canada bring cold, dry weather in winter and cool, dry weather in summer to much of the coterminous United States. Lows (cyclones) typically produce cloudy, rainy or snowy weather. An exception would be Lows that develop over broad regions of arid or semiarid terrain. In these areas, intense solar heating of the ground raises the air temperature and lowers the surface air pressure, producing a low that remains stationary over the hot ground and is not accompanied by stormy weather. 5. What is an air mass? What governs the temperature and humidity of an air mass? An air mass is a huge volume of air covering hundreds of thousands of square kilometers that has relatively uniform temperature and humidity properties in its horizontal extent. Fronts govern the temperature and humidity of an air mass. 6. Explain why clouds and precipitation are often associated with fronts. Fronts form where contrasting air masses meet, and the associated air movements often give rise to cloudiness and precipitation. 7. Among weather satellites, distinguish between GOES and POES. GOES orbit the Earth about 36,000 km above the planets equator. A GOES satellite revolves around Earth at the same rate and in the same direction as the planet rotates so that the satellite is always positioned over the same spot on Earths surface and its sensors have a consistent field of view. POES travel about 800 to 1000 km above the Earth. The satellites orbit traces out a plane in space while the planet continually rotates on its axis through the plane of the satellites orbit. With each orbit, points on Earths surface move eastward so that onboard sensors sweep out successive overlapping north/south strips. 8. What advantages does an infrared satellite image offer over a visible satellite image for monitoring the state of the atmosphere? An infrared satellite can provide useful information at any time whereas visible weather satellite images are available only during daylight hours. Temperature dependency of IR emission makes it possible, for example, to distinguish low clouds from high clouds on an IR satellite image. 9. Describe how weather radar detects the location and movement of areas of precipitation. Weather radar continually emits pulses of microwave energy that are reflected by atmosphere targets such as raindrops, snowflakes, or hailstones. The reflected signal is displayed as blotches on computer displays with a superimposed map of the region surrounding the radar. Echo intensity is calibrated on a color scale so that lightly green indicates light rain whereas dark red signals heavy rain or hail. 10. What causes high thin cirrus clouds to appear fibrous or wispy? High thin cirrus clouds appear fibrous or wispy because they are composed of mostly tiny ice crystals.