STUVIA 2024/2025
GEOG 250 Midterm
- Surface low spawned by Polar Front --
Cyclogenesis
- Supported by upper level divergence.
- Downstream of a trough in jet stream.
- Parcels of air are parallel to the center lines.
- Upper level divergence creates SURFACE LOW: thermally indirect low pressure center. -
✔✔Midlatitude Cyclones
- The environmental lapse rate is the change in temperature with height. - ✔✔Environmental Lapse
Rate (ELR)
-All wavelengths together make up the EM spectrum.
-Objects emit EM energy across the spectrum.
-Hot objects emit greater energy, hot objects emit shorter wavelengths. - ✔✔The EM Spectrum
-Atm circulation moves warm and cold air.
-Warm and cold ocean currents impact adjacent coasts (ex. gulf stream for E coast) -
✔✔Atmospheric Circulation
%
-B/c of sphericity, solar radiation is more intense in the tropics.
-Surplus of energy in the tropics, deficit at high latitudes.
-Circulation of atm and oceans even out the imbalance. - ✔✔Earth's Radiation Balance by Latitude
-Cloud drops are 1/1000 of rain drop size.
-They don't fall because of drag.
-Need cloud condensation nuclei to start droplets.
-2 processes to grow rain drops from cloud drops: Collision-Coalenscence and Bergeron-Findeisen. -
✔✔Rain Drop Formation
-Cold air advances into warm air.
-Steep edge (1:100) = rapid uplift of warm air.
-Heavy, brief precipitation from cumulonimbus clouds.
(cP-->mT) - ✔✔Cold Fronts
-Cool or cool clouds (T<0 degrees C)
-Clouds contain mix of ice crystals and supercooled droplets.
-Ice crystals grow at expense of droplets, rapidly occurring.
stuvia
, STUVIA 2024/2025
-Water vapor evaporates from supercooled droplets & deposits into ice crystals, causing crystals to
grow and fall w/ gravity. - ✔✔Bergeron-Findeisen
-Earth orbits in 'plane of the eliptic'
-Average distance is 93 million miles. - ✔✔Earth's Orbit
-Energy transferred by the propagation of electrical and magnetic fields (electromagnetic radiation).
-Does not require a medium.
-Visible light is one form of EM radiation. - ✔✔Radiation
-eye: upper level divergence, but warm, downward winds form the eye.
-spiral rain belt.
-intense in front right quad and the eyewall.
-storm surge, flooding, tornadoes, etc.
-Tracks the curve of w. atlantic because of the atlantic high pressure zone. - ✔✔Hurricane Structure
-flow follows ridge/trough patterns.
-speed of wind depends on PGF.
-Circumpolar vortex. - ✔✔Upper level wind patterns
%
-high latitudes have larger annual temp variability.
-latitudinal temp gradient is stronger in the winter. - ✔✔Temp variability with day length & sun angle
-land heats quickly during the day: low pressure, on shore breeze.
-land cools quickly at night: high pressure, offshore breeze (comes from the land) - ✔✔Local winds:
land/sea breezes
-lower latitudes have lower annual temp variability.
-coastal locations have lower annual temp variability. - ✔✔Latitude and Continentality
-Occurs when friction is absent (mostly theoretical)
-PGF & Coriolis balance.
-Flow is parallel to the isobars.
-Accelarated energy that Coriolis makes it perpendicular to PGF, accelarates towards the pressure
gradient. - ✔✔Geostrophic Flow
-Only affects speed.
-Depends on surface roughness: boundary lawyer, free atm.
-Slows wind, thus reducing CF.
-Flow is across isobars, towards the low. - ✔✔Friction
stuvia
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller EXAMQA. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $7.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.