1st Year Science atsi

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Weather and Climate

Differentiate weather from climate.

Weather refers to
the condition of the atmosphere at any given time
the present state of the atmosphere
the general condition of the air at a given time and place

Climate is the average weather in a particular region over a

fairly long period of time.
describes the average of all weather conditions in a particular place
over many , many years , usually decades.

Factors that affect weather

1. Water cycle
2. Changes in pressure , temperature, wind direction, and humidity

How is wind formed ? When the sun heats the air causing it to rise. Rising
warm air is replaced by cold air. This process creates winds.

Elements of weather :
1. temperature and precipitation
2. humidity
3. atmospheric pressure
4. wind and air masses
5. cloud formation

Precipitation – the water or ice that condenses in the air and falls on the
ground as rain, sleet, hail, or snow.

AIR PRESSURE
What is air pressure ?
 It is the pressure exerted by air in a particular area.
 High pressure means clear weather , low pressure means cloudy
weather.
When does a high pressure occur ?
It occurs when molecules exert pressure on each other.
It occurs when molecules are densely packed.
The warming of air decreases its relative humidity and causes water to
evaporate.

Pressure is affected by the following:

a. Density
b. Temperature
c. Moisture content
Methods of heat transfer
1. Conduction
2. Convection
3. Radiation

What is an air mass ? An air mass is a large body of air that has the same
properties throughout.
How does an air mass develops?
An air mass that develops over land is dry while an air mass that develops
over water is moist.
An air mass that develops near the earth’s surface is warmer than one
that develops at high altitudes.

What is a front ?
It is the boundary between air masses.

Four types of front

The line along which large masses of air often meet
The boundary between two unlike air masses
A front that develops when a warm air mass meets a
cold air mass.
A boundary where warm, less dense air mass
overtakes a cold, dense air mass, producing cloudy
skies, rain , or snow
A boundary which is characterized by strong gusts
of wind and rain where cold dry air displaces warm
moist air
These fronts tend to move quickly dense cold air
easily pushes into warmer air.
This front forms cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds
producing rain and thunderstorms
A front that does not move or barely moves
A boundary between two nonmoving air masses
This front results when pressure differences causes
a warm front or a cold front to stop moving forward.
It may remain in the same place for several days.
The weather may be characterized by light winds
and precipitation.
A front that is formed when warm air is caught
between two masses of cold air.
A boundary that results when two cold air masses
merge and force warmer air to rise between them
Strong winds and heavy precipitation may occur.

Humidity  the amount of water vapor present in the atmosphere

True – The amount of humidity varied from day to day depending on the
temperature in the air.
True – Warm air can hold water vapor than cold air.
True – A change in humidity often means a change in weather.
True – Warm air produces an area of low pressure.
True – Cool dense air produces an area of high pressure.
It refers to the ratio of moisture actually present in the air compared to
what the air can hold at a given temperature.
Humidity is measured by hygrometer.

What is relative humdity ?

It is the amount of water vapor actually present in the air compared to the
maximum it can hold.
It is measured using a psychrometer.

What is saturated air ? This happens when almost all the empty space
between air molecules has been occupied by water vapor,, the rate of
evaporation decreases.

Which can hold more moisture – warm or cold air ? Warm air….

Atmospheric Pressure – the pressure exerted by air

Atmospheric pressure is determined by the thickness and temperature of
the air mass over a region.
High pressure areas  areas where the air is thicker
Low pressure areas  areas where the air is not as thick

How does low pressure area form ?  When air rises over a region, the air
in this region becomes lighter and creates low pressure area.
Air pressure is measured by a barometer.

Where is air pressure greater – mountain or sea level ? Sea level …

because the density and pressure of air increase as altitude increase.

Air circulates clockwise around a high pressure center and

counterclockwise around a low pressure center.

Low pressure areas produce bad weather

High pressure areas produce good weather.

Winds and Air Masses.

What determines weather on earth ?  the sun’s energy

What is wind? Wind is moving air.It is the movement of air.

How does winds form ? Winds are caused by the continual rising and
falling of air.

Does winds always blow from north to south ?

No, the rotation of the earth around it s axis caused the wind to move in a
circular pattern at the same time.

How does the sun’s energy determine the weather on earth ?

When air near the equator is heated by strong radiation from the sun, it
rises and moves toward the polar regions. This heated air becomes less
dense and rises, it forms an area of low pressure.
Air entering the polar regions is cooled and begins to flow downward to
the earth’s surface. Since the air becomes more dense, it creates areas of
high pressure near the poles and flows back towards the equator.
What are the two major wind belts? What are the global wind systems ?
a. the trade winds == near the equator
 b. the prevailing westerlies == near the middle latitudes
c. polar easterlies == near the poles

How is wind named ?  by the direction from which it came from .

What are the smaller wind systems ? What do they determine ?

Smaller wind systems determine local weather ?

1. land and sea breezes

What happens when air gets warmer .. when it gets cooler ?

Air rises when it gets warmer, it drops when it gets cooler.

Why is the rate of cooling down and heating up different in air over land
and air on water ?
 because land heats up and cools faster than water .

What is the effect of the unequal heating of air, land, and water ?  it
results in breezes near shorelines.
Sea breeze refers to the blowing of the wind from the sea to land during
the day.
It occurs during the day because solar radiation warms the land more
than the water.
Air over the land is heated by conduction.

Land breeze refers to the blowing of the wind from land to sea at night.
The blowing of the wind from land to sea at night is called land breeze.

Monsoon – a major land or sea breeze

A monsoon is a seasonal wind.
Weather disturbances

1. thunderstorm – occurs when warm, moist air along the surface is

forced rapidly upward into colder , dryer layers.
Thunder and lightning occur during thunderstorms.
Lightning is the atmospheric discharge of electricity.
The expansion of lightning due to extreme temperature creates a
sound wave called thunder.
Thunderstorms are characterized by heavy rain, strong winds,
thunder, lightning , and hail.
2. Tornadoes – a violent whirling wind moving in a narrow path over a
land surface
This is due to the low pressure on the earth’s surface.
3. Hurricane – a large, swirling low – pressure system that forms over
tropical oceans.
4. Storms – involve rising moist air,.
5. Typhoons – term used to denote violent storms formed over the
Pacific Ocean.
6. Hurricanes – term used to denote violent storms formed over the
Atlantic Ocean.

Meteorologist – a person who studies weather

Meteorology – the study of weather
How does a cloud form ?
Due to the Coriolis effect, air swirls counterclockwise in the northern
hemisphere. The rising air in the swirling front forms a low pressure
system.. The air in the low pressure area cools. Air reaches its dew point
and condenses , forming clouds.

Clouds are formed when water vapor in the air cools to its dew point and
condenses.

What makes up clouds ?

It is made up of tiny droplets of water suspended in the air.

Can you consider a fog a cloud ? How is a fog formed ?

When air is cooled to its dew point and condenses near the ground, it
forms a stratus cloud called fog.