GS106

Objectives for climate and weather

 

1)  What are the four basic climate patterns on earth?

 

2)  Know the difference between climate and weather

 

3)  Understand the reasons for rising and falling air masses at different latitudes on earth.

            Rising:  equator (0^o) and 45-60^o         Falling:   20-30^o and 90^o

 

4)  How do falling an rising air masses affect the air pressure at these various locations and know the following terms:

            Equitorial Low,   Subtropic High,  Sub-Polar Low,   Polar High

 

5)  Understand why, that as air masses rise, precipitation forms and when they sink dryer air masses form.

 

6)  Understand how each of the following, influences how air moves on the earth

            Friction, Coriolis Effect, Ocean currents, Differential heating

 

7)  Be able to diagram the rising and falling air masses on earth based on latitude and be able to correctly label them with the terms Hadley cell, Ferrel cell and Polar cell.

 

8)  Know where each of the following wind are found and how the Coriolis effect causes them to flow.

            Polar Easterlies,    Westerlies,  Trades

 

9)  What is the Jet stream, where is it found, and why is it important?

 

10)  Know the difference between absolute humidity, water vapor capacity, relative humidity and dew point.

 

11)  Be able to calculate absolute humidity, relative humidity, water vapor capacity and dew point given any of the other variables.

 

12)  What does 100% relative humidity represent?

 

13)  Be able to explain at least three different processes that cause air masses to rise.

 

14)  Explain the concept of adiabatic pressure change and how/why pressure can cause air masses to heat up or cool down depending on how pressure changes.

 

15)  Know the average dry and wet adiabatic rate for the atmosphere and be able to calculate how much temperature change will occur to an air mass at a giving elevation.

            Dry:  1^oC/100m                       Wet:   0.5^oC/100m

 

16)  Explain what causes the Environmental Lapse Rate (ELR) and how it is different than the adiabatic rate.

 

17)  Be able to explain the concept of stable, absolutely unstable, and conditionally stable air masses

 

18)  Be able to determine if an air mass is stable or unstable given the ELR and the appropriate information on the air mass.