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Understanding Weather and Climate: Key Differences and Atmospheric Dynamics

Weather refers to short-term atmospheric conditions like rain or sunshine, varying daily or weekly, while climate encompasses long-term trends and patterns over years, typically classified into tropical, temperate, and polar zones. This guide explores how electromagnetic energy from the sun influences weather phenomena, the movement of air (winds), the formation of local and global winds affected by the Coriolis effect, and the role of humidity and air masses in determining precipitation types like rain, snow, and sleet. Gain insights into the dynamics of fronts and pressure systems in our atmosphere.

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Understanding Weather and Climate: Key Differences and Atmospheric Dynamics

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  1. Weather

  2. Weather vs Climate • Weather • Day to day happenings • Ex: Raining • Can change daily/weekly • Climate • Annual trends • Tropical • Temperate • Polar

  3. Electromagnetic Energy • The type of energy from the Sun • Can travel through a vacuum (space) • Transfer of energy through radiation • Examples: • Visible light • Microwaves • Radio Waves • Ultraviolet light

  4. eesc.columbia.edu

  5. acecrc.sipex.aq

  6. Winds • Movement of air • Speed measured with anemometer • Caused by: • Radiant heating from electromagnetic energy • Air convection currents • Difference in air pressure • Unequal heating of the atmosphere

  7. weatherquestions.com

  8. learn.uci.edu

  9. Local Winds • Unequal heating of the Earth • Low pressure forms under rising hot air • Land next to a body of water • Land breeze • Sea breeze • Only form when winds not blowing from farther away

  10. free-online-private-pilot-ground-school.com

  11. Global Winds • Global convection currents • Coriolis Effect • Earth’s rotation makes winds curve to the right in Northern Hemisphere and curve left in Southern Hemisphere • Kinds: • Prevailing Westerlies • Polar Easterlies • Trade Winds • Jet Stream

  12. geology.wmich.edu

  13. Water in the Atmosphere • Humidity • Relative Humidity • Dew Point • Liquid water is condensed on the surfaces • Frost • Where solid water is deposited on surfaces

  14. jeffcogardener.blogspot.com

  15. Clouds • A visible mass of water or ice suspended in the atmosphere • Types • Cumulus – heap or mass • Stratus – layered • Cirrus – wispy, feathery • Can add nimbus (means rain) • Cumulonimbus • Nimbostratus

  16. Cumulus usatoday.com

  17. wattsupwiththat.com

  18. Stratus urbanext.illinois.edu

  19. Cirrus imagescloud.com

  20. Cumulonimbus westphalfamily.com

  21. pangea.tec.selu.edu

  22. Precipitation • When water falls to the Earth • Temperature of the air determines the amount of water cloud can hold • Types • Rain • Snow • Sleet • Hail • Freezing rain

  23. Rain Shadow biorlz.info

  24. Air Masses • Classified by Temperature and Humidity • Temperature • Tropical – Warm • Polar - Cold • Humidity • Maritime – Humid • Continental - Dry

  25. North American Air Masses faculty.uml.edu

  26. Fronts • Where air masses meet but do not mix • Can be 15 – 200 km wide (9 mi – 124 mi) • Can reach 10 km into troposphere

  27. Cold Front • Fast moving cold air runs into slow moving warm air • Rain at front – Rising warm air looses water as it cools • Move quickly • After front passes dry, cool and clear http://www.physicalgeography.net

  28. Warm Front • Warm air advances on cold air • Slower than cold front • Clouds, maybe rain physicalgeography.net

  29. Stationary Front • Not enough force for each front to move the other • Warm air pushed up and then cools = precipitation cbs3springfield.com

  30. Occluded Front • Warm air caught between two cold air masses • Warm air pushed up and cools = precipitation physicalgeography.net

  31. Pressures • High • Anticyclone • Rotate clockwise (Northern Hemisphere) • Winds move outward • Cool, drier, clearing air • Low • Cyclone • Rotate counterclockwise (Northern Hemisphere • Winds move inward • Warm, moist air

  32. myweb.cwpost.liu.edu

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