Meteorology-meteorology is the study of atmospheric phenomena

Weather vs. Climate

o Short term variations in atmospheric phenomena that interact and
effect the environment & life on earth is weather
o Long term data is climate
Heating earths surface
o Imbalanced heating
o One reason that temperatures may vary from location to location at a
certain time of year is that Earths axis of rotation is tilted relative to
the plane of Earths orbit
Air masses
o An air mass is a large volume of air that has the same characteristics,
such as humidity and temperature, as its source region
o The origins of maritime tropical air are tropical bodies of water (MT)
o The southwestern United States and Mexico are the source regions of
continental tropical air, which is hot and dry, especially in the summer
(CT)
o Maritime polar air masses form over the cold waters of North Atlantic
and North Pacific
o Continental Polar air masses from over the e=interior of Canada and
Alaska, and carry frigid air southward in the winter
o Artic air mass forms over ice, (above 60 degrees latitude) in Siberia
and the Artic Basin
Global Wind Systems
o The directions of Earths winds are influenced by Earths rotation
o The Coriolis effect results in fluids and objects moving in an apparent
curved path rather than a straight line
Polar easterlies
The wind zones between 60 degrees north latitude and
the north pole and 60 degrees south latitude
Prevailing westerlies
Goes west to east
Trade winds
Belt of wind. Brings hurricanes.
o 4 types of fronts
A collision of two air masses forms a front, a narrow region
between two air masses of different densities.
Cold front : represented by triangles, the triangles are pointing
in the direction the front is moving
Warm front : represented by circles, the circles are pointing in
the direction the front is moving
Occluded front : represented by circles and triangles on the
same side of the line, the shapes are pointing in the direction
the front is moving
Stationary front,
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