Study aid 2 Climatology
Chapter 5 & 6 - Motion in the atmosphere
- Know
what factors influence air motion in the atmosphere
- Know
what air pressure is, how it relates to air motion, and how it is measured
- Know
how air pressure varies from one location to another
- Know
the forces that are involved in air motion
- Coriolis,
pressure head, frictional
- Know
how air moves differently at different elevations (altitudes)
- Know what
is meant by a ridge and a trough and how they relate to atmospheric motion
- Know
how air motion at the surface differs from air motion aloft
- Know what
factors contribute to Localized periodic winds
- Land
breeze vs sea breeze
- Fohn,
Santa Ana, Chinook winds
- Valley
vs Mountains
- Know what
the effects of periodic winds
- Know what
sets up global atmospheric circulation patters
- Know the
location of prominent pressure systems on a global scale and which
direction winds move in relation to the pressure systems
- Mid-latitude
Westerlies
- Polar
Easterlies
- Northeast
Trade winds
- Intertropical
convergence zone
- Subtropical
high pressure zones
- Polar
High pressure zone
- Know
what a tropical wave is and why it is important
- Know what
a Rossby wave is and why they are important in mid latitude cyclonic
formation and motion
- Know
what a monsoonal circulation pattern is and locations that have been
mentioned which have this type of flow in the atmosphere
- Know
what a jetstream is, and where they are commonly located
Chapter 7- Oceanic influences on climate
- Know
the influences of oceans on a planetary, regional , and local scale of
climate
- Know what
factors influence oceanic currents, what they are called, and how they
work.
- Know
what warm ocean water does to the atmosphere overlying it.
- Know what
a Walker cell is in comparison to a Hadley cell
- Know
what El Nino and La Nina circulations are and how they relate to sea
surface temperature and Walker cells
Chapter 8 – synoptic scale climatology
- Know the
location of air masses and those that are strongly influenced by oceans
- Know what
a mid-latitude cyclonic storm is, where they form, why they form, what
factors influence them and how the influence weather and climate
- Know
what a tropic cyclone is, how they form, where they form, what factors
influence them, and why they are important in understanding weather and
climate
- Know
what term synoptic means and how it relates to weather and climate.
- Know
what the different kinds of fronts are, how they form, and the factors that
influence them
- Know
where precipitation forms with respect to fronts, and what factors influence
the duration and severity of the storms
- Know
what a blocking high is and why they can be important in climate and
weather
Chapter 9 – Extreme Events
- Know
what kinds of events classify as extreme events in climatology
- Know
the various names for Tropical cyclones
- Know
what factors contribute to tropical cyclones (hurricanes)
- Know
which events are most energetic relative to how long the they last
- Know which
factors control the direction a hurricane moves
- Know which
areas of the United states are susceptible to hurricanes and why
- Know the
basic atmospheric structure of hurricanes
- Know the
basic hurricane categorization scale and what wind speeds are required to
reach the various levels
- Know what
a thunderstorm is, how they form, and the factors that control them
- Know how
thunderstorms are categorized
- Know what
factors are associated with thunderstorms of various types
- Know
what a squall line
- Know
what a single cell storm is
- Know what
a supercell is
- Know
what a tornado is, how it forms, the factors involved in their creation
- Know
the difference between a dust devil, a waterspout and a tornado
- Know
what factors contribute to a drought, which regions are susceptible and
what the effects of droughts are
- Know
what the Palmer Drought severity index is and why it is useful
- Know
what a glaciation is, what factors cause them, and the influence they have
on climates
- Know about Milankovitch cycles