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Climate and Weather: Key Concepts Explained

Explore the fundamentals of climate zones, greenhouse effect, ozone layer, atmospheric pressure, winds, cloud formation, air masses, and fronts. Learn about factors influencing weather patterns and the formation of cyclones. Gain insights into solar radiation, Earth's tilt, and seasonal variations.

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Climate and Weather: Key Concepts Explained

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  1. Climate and Weather ISCI 2001

  2. Climate and Weather

  3. Climate Zones

  4. The Earth’s Atmospheres • Mostly nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%) • Troposphere • Temperature • -50 to 40 Celsius • Stratosphere • Ozone layer (O3) • UV light

  5. Greenhouse Effect • Terrestrial radiation ‘trapped’ by greenhouse gases • Carbon dioxide

  6. Greenhouse Effect – Greenhouse Gases • (1). Carbondioxide • Fossil fuels; deforestation; organic decay; forest fires • (2). Ozone • Sunlight chemically reacts with O2 (natural) • Photochemical smog production • (3). Methane • Wetlands; biomass burning; termites; organic decay • (4). Chlorofluorocarbons • Refrigerants; aerosol spray propellants; cleaning solvents • (5). NitrousOxide • Fertilizers; burning of fossil fuels; forests; grasslands

  7. Importance of Ozone • Absorbs UV radiation • Formed in the stratosphere • Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) • Ozone Holes

  8. GH Effect Importance • Naturally warms the surface of the Earth • Keeps the average temperature of the Earth normal (sustain life) • -18 C otherwise • Global Warming • Increased GH effect, GH gases

  9. Atmospheric Pressure • Density of air decreases with altitude • ‘thinning’ of air • Sea Level • 1cubic meter • Mass 1.2 kg (at 10 km 0.4 kg) • 101.3 kPa or 1 atmosphere of pressure • Barometer

  10. Atmospheric Pressure

  11. How Winds are produced • Air that flows from high to low pressure areas • Uneven heat of the Earth’s surface • Warm air is lower density and low air pressure • Cool air higher density and higher air pressure • Isobars • Produces a convection current • Local winds • Small scale changes in convection cells and pressure gradients • Global wind patterns – prevailing winds

  12. Winds – Convection Cells

  13. Prevailing Winds – Hadley Cells

  14. Coriolis Effect • Earth Rotation effects global wind patterns • Objects deviate from straight-line path including winds – deflected • Deflects winds to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the Left in the Southern Hemisphere • Jet Streams

  15. Cloud Formation and Precipitation • Aggregates of water droplets formed by rising air that expands and cools • Cumulus, stratus or cirrus

  16. Cloud Classification

  17. Cirrocumulus Cirrostratus Altocumulus Cumulonimbus

  18. Air Masses and Fronts • Air Mass • Arctic, polar, tropical • Weather Fronts • Warm vs Cold Fronts • Stationary • Animation

  19. Fronts

  20. Formation of Cyclones • Hurricanes • Tornados

  21. Solar Radiation, Tilting of the Earth and the Seasons

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