ATMOSPHERE.

Meteorology - science busying itself with atmosphere.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION.

• nitrogen - N₂ - 78,1%

• oxygen - O₂ - 20,9%

• argon - Ar - 0,9%

• other (H₂O↑, CO₂, Na) - 0,1%

STRUCTURE.

Sea level and ground water level on the land are atmosphere's bottom limit. Atmosphere has got layer structure.

Troposphere:

• over the equator reaches 17 km;

• over the poles reaches 8 km;

• temp. falls 0,6⁰C / 100 m.

Tropopause:

• T = const. ~ -56⁰C.

Stratosphere:

• up to 55 km;

• in bottom part T = const. = -56⁰C

• in top part T = const. = 0⁰C;

• in top part there's situated ozonosphere;

• the process of disintegration and formation of ozone under the influence of UV radiation is an exothermal process.

Stratopause:

• T = const. = 0⁰C.

Mesosphere:

• T falls to -70⁰C.

Mesopause:

• T = const. = -70⁰C.

Thermosphere:

• bottom part - ionosphere - T up to 700⁰C;

• top part - exosphere - T up to 1000⁰C.

AIR TEMPERATURE.

Is measured 2 m above ground level.

Vertical diversity of temperature in troposphere:

falls ~0,6⁰C / 100 m

0,3⁰C - 0,6⁰C / 100 m - humid air

1⁰C / 100 m - dry air (<30% humidity)

Temperature inversion (colder air is lower and hotter air is above).

Air heating up in troposphere:

• heat source: sun energy;

• depends on ground temperature.

Air in troposphere does not warm up directly from sun rays. First the ground warms up and then air warms up from the ground.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE AIR TEMPERATURE.

Latitude.

Air temperature depends on sun rays falling angle. The bigger angle, the mostly heated up ground & higher air temperature. Falling angle depends on latitude.

Clouds.

Surface shape.

height above the sea level;

terrain forms arrangement (makes the inflow of hot or cold air difficult or easy)

Ground type: land or water.

Air circulation.

Sea streams, e.g. Hot Mexican Bay Stream.

MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES KEPT ON THE EARTH.

63⁰C in shadow - Djibouti, 1990s

-89,2⁰C - Vostok, Antarctica

in Poland: -42⁰C Żywiec

ATMOSPHERICAL PRESSURE.

Atmospherical pressure units: hectopascal, mercury column millimeters

1000 hPa = 754 mmHg

1 atmosphere - over 1000 hPa

average (normal) pressure: 1013 hPa @ 0⁰C, sea level, 45⁰N/S

max pressure: 1083 hPa @ Agata, Russia

min pressure: 870 hPa @ cyclone, Caribbean Islands

high-pressure area = anticyclone	low-pressure area = cyclone

Over the equator the heated up air goes up. It's called convection. In this place there makes thermal low-pressure area (related to Q). Air from above the equator moves into upper troposphere in the direction of higher latitude. Near latitude 30⁰ air goes down and makes dynamic high-pressure area (related to air inflow). From tropical high-pressure areas trade winds blow in the direction of equatorial low-pressure area.

WINDS ON THE EARTH.

Wind - movement of the air in troposphere caused by difference of atmospherical pressure. It blows always from high- to low-pressure area.

Constant winds:

trade winds - blow from subtropical high-pressure areas in the direction of low-pressure areas on the equator:

1. N hemisphere: NE wind

1. S hemisphere: SE wind

-1. western winds - around Antarctica on 40⁰ - 50⁰ S.

Seasonal (changeable) winds:

monsoon - caused by difference of temperature between sea and land (in this case - ocean and big continent),

1. they blow in Asia, S America,

1. in summer: sea → land (big rains),

1. in winter: land → sea;

-1. breeze - caused by the same,

1. cycle: day - night, e.g. in Poland,

1. at day (especially in summer): sea → land (sea breeze),

1. at night: land → sea (land breeze).

Mountain winds:

fen (e.g. halny)

In Slovakia humid air overcomes Tatra barrier cools down 0,6⁰C / 100 m. On certain height water steam condenses. There are formed clouds are there ensues a precipitation (rainfall or snowfall). In Poland dry air goes down, heating up 1⁰C / 100 m. This wind is strong, dry and hot.

bora

e.g. in Yugoslavia

Cold air goes down suddenly and displaces hot (light) air.

In Italy: bora scura

Winds blowing around low-pressure areas (tropical cyclones).

They're very fast - they can reach over 300 kph.

N hemisphere: left-handed cyclones

S hemisphere: right-handed cyclones

(Coriolis forces)

Most often over hot oceans near the equator.

• typhoon (Asia),

• hurricane (Europe and N America),

• willy-willy (Australia),

• tornado (N America),

• whirlwind (Europe)

CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION.

HUMIDITY.

absolute humidity [g/m³]

relative humidity [%]

CLOUDS.

Cloud - concentration of water drops or ice crystals caused by condensation or resublimation of steam hanged in troposphere. Indispensable condition: existence of condensation cores that is particles of solid or liquid bodies.

Types of clouds:

High clouds (6 to 12 km):

• cirrus (cirrous),

• cirrocumulus (cumulous cirrous),

• cirrostratus (stratal cirrous).

Middle clouds:

• altocumulus (middle cumulous),

• altostratus (middle stratal).

Low clouds:

• nimbostratus (rainy stratal),

• stratocumulus (stratal cumulous),

• stratus (stratal).

Vertically built clouds:

• cumulus (cumulous),

• cumulonimbus (rainy cumulous) - storms, hails.

Forms of precipitation:

• rains,

• drizzle,

• snowflakes or granular snow (pellets),

• hail.

Types of precipitation:

• orographic (shores, mountains),

• convectional.

Distribution of precipitation on the Earth:

• equatorial area (> 2000 mm);

• subequatorial area (dry season - zenithal rains, rainy season);

• tropical dry area (< 200 mm), minimum: Arica, Chile, 1970 - 0 mm;

• monsoon area (only in summer), maximum: Cherrapundji, the Himalayas, India - 13000 mm;

• subtropical area (only in winter);

• temperate area:

• continental and average climates: most rains in summer,

• sea climates - most rains in winter and fall;

• subpolar area - little snowfalls.

CLIMATE

FACTORS INFLUENCING WEATHER & CLIMATE.

Weather - a totality of physical occurrences in troposphere in certain time and place.

Climate - fixed on the basis of long-term observations average run of weather states on certain area.

Non meteorological factors:

latitude - sun rays falling angle and temperature depend on latitude;

height above sea level - the higher the bigger precipitation;

terrain forms structure - makes movement of the air easy or diffucult;

distance from water tanks - humidity, precipitation, temperature amplitudes;

sea streams:

• hot - higher temperature, bigger precipitation,

• cold - lower temperature, no clouds.

Meteorological factors:

air masses:

• equatorial - hot (over 20⁰C day and night), humid, zenithal rains;

• tropical - hot:

• sea - humid (not as much as equatorial air),

• continental - extremely dry;

• polar - temperate latitude, formed from mixing of hot tropical air and cold air from the pole, temperature depends on year season:

• sea - humid,

• continental - dry, bigger temperature amplitudes;

• arctic (Antarctic) - cold (almost always less than 0⁰C), small precipitation evenly distributed in the year:

• sea (only arctic),

• continental;

atmospherical fronts:

• limits between air masses;

• there are forming clouds and then there occur a precipitation;

barical systems:

• high- and low-pressure areas.

CLIMATES CLASIFICATION.

scientists: Wincenty Okołowicz, Koeppen (worked for Hitler), Alisov (Russian).

Equatorial climates zone:

1. average temperature of all months >20⁰C, small annual and twenty-four hours' temperature amplitudes

1. Central Africa, Madagascar, N Australia, New Guinea, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Malaysian Archipelago, Philippines

• subequatorial - dry & rainy season;

• outstandingly humid equatorial - very big annual total of precipitation which is evenly distributed in the year time.

Tropical climate zone:

• average annual temperature >20⁰C, colder month temperature >10⁰C

• Central & North Mexico, Florida, Sahara, Arabian Peninsula, Indian Peninsula, Indochina Peninsula,

• Central S America, South Africa, Central Australia

• tropical continental dry - high twenty-four hours' temperature amplitudes, no or very small precipitation;

• tropical humid - most precipitation in summer.

Subtropical climate zone:

• average annual temperature 10 - 20⁰C

• Central & South USA, Mediterranean Sea, a strip from Iran to China, Uruguay, Central Chile, North Argentina,

• South RPA, South Australia, North New Zealand

• sea - temperature of colder month ~10⁰C, most precipitation in winter;

• transitional and continental - temperature of colder month >0⁰C, most precipitation in summer.

Temperate climate zone:

• cold and hot - in both: sea, transitional and continental

• Europe without South and North parts, North USA, Central and South Canada, Central and North Asia

• without extremely North parts, Patagonia (most South of South America), South New Zealand

• hot: temperature of three summer months >15⁰C (in Cracow there's longest thermal summer in Poland - >100 days);

• sea: most precipitation in fall or winter;

• transitional and continental: most precipitation in summer;

• continental: annual temperature amplitudes >25⁰C.

Circumpolar climate zone:

• average annual temperature <0⁰C, small snowfalls evenly distributed in the year time

• North North America, North Eurasia, Antarctica

• subpolar - hotter month temperature <10⁰C;

• polar - hotter month temperature <0⁰C.

QUESTIONS ON THE QUIZ IN I E.

List low, middle, high and vertically built clouds and give their Latin names.

How is forming a trade wind, a monsoon, a breeze and a fen?

Mark on the map and describe the equatorial zone.

The profile (temperatures) of troposphere, mesosphere, stratosphere and ionosphere.

There's given the average temperatures and precipitation totals table for 12 months in a certain meteorological station. On its basis write in what zone and climate lies the station and justify the answer.

QUESTIONS ON THE QUIZ ACCORDING TO JASZCZUK.

• Climate according to Okołowicz.

• Identification of climate on the basis of climate tables.

• Changes of temperature in various atmosphere layers.

ATMOSFERA, KLIMAT, WIATRY, CHMURY - STRONA 5

L

1000

995

990

H

1000

1010

1005

atmospherical

pressure [hPa]

H

H

L

1010

L

1000

990

980

latitude [⁰]

0

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

A

A

stratosphere or upper part of troposphere

K - convection

H - hot air

P - trade wind

A - anti-trade wind

L - low-pressure area

H

K

P

P

thermal

L

subtropical

(dynamic)

H

subtropical

(dynamic)

H

rain or snow

•

*

*

•

L

H

POLAND

TATRA

SLOVAKIA

leeward zone

dry air

Q

? zone

humid air

cold air (heavier than hot)

DYNARIAN MOUNTAINS

ADRIATIC SEA

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