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Weather Systems & Cloud Types

This article explores the characteristics of air masses and their role in shaping weather systems. It delves into the types of air masses—polar, tropical, maritime, and continental—and explains their effects on temperature, pressure, and humidity. The discussion includes an examination of weather fronts, wind patterns, and the tools used in weather forecasting such as thermometers, barometers, and satellite imagery. Furthermore, the article highlights the impact of ocean currents and climate cycles, like El Niño and La Niña, on weather conditions over time.

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Weather Systems & Cloud Types

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  1. Weather Systems &Cloud Types

  2. Air Masses • Bodies of air that bring distinctive weather features to the country. • A mass of air in air that is very uniform in temperature, pressure, and humidity. • Polar = cold • Tropical = warm • Maritime = moistContinental = dry

  3. Air Masses • May cover several millions of square kilometers and extend vertically throughout the troposphere

  4. Pressure of Air Masses • Air Pressure = weight of air acting on an area • Warm Air has more KE and spreads out more. • Therefore, it’s less dense and has less weight . • This means less pressure. Warm Air Masses are less dense and have Lower Pressure

  5. Pressure Systems • Uneven heating of the Earth’s surface causes differences in air pressure • Warm Air  Low Pressure System • Cold Air  High Pressure System

  6. Weather Map: Fronts, Systems, Jet stream

  7. Weather Fronts A front is the transition zone between two air masses of different density. Fronts extend not only in the horizontal direction, but in the vertical as well.

  8. Cold Front & Air Masses

  9. Global Wind Patterns

  10. Cold Front on a Weather Map

  11. Warm Front on a Weather Map

  12. Occluded (Stationary) Fronts

  13. Wind Patterns • Air flows from areas of high pressure into those of low pressure • Northern Hemisphere: air flow from areas of high to low pressure is deflected to the right; producing a clockwise circulation around an area of High pressure. • Counter-clockwise circulation around an area of Low pressure.

  14. Wind Circulation Patterns

  15. Weather Forecasting • Tools Used: • Thermometer (temperature) • Barometer (pressure) • Hygrometer (humidity) • Radar (storm & cloud movement) • Satellite imagery (storm & cloud movement) • National Weather Service Boise Site: • http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/boi/ • Weather Channel Site: • http://www.weather.com/

  16. Weather Maps

  17. Climate • Average of all weather conditions in area over a long time • Ex: temperature, precipitation • Climate is cyclically influenced by ocean currents & temperatures • El Niño & La Niña • These variations alter: • surface wind • surface ocean temperatures • deep ocean temperatures

  18. Climate Cycles • Caused by Variations in ocean currents & temperatures • Cycles occur every 3-7 years • El Niño: characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific • La Niña: characterized by unusually coldocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific • Winter 2010/2011 is a moderate El Niño

  19. Normal vs. El Niño Ocean Temperatures Unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific Winters are warmer than normal in the Northern States & cooler than normal in the Southern States

  20. Normal vs. La NiñaOcean Temperatures Unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific Winters are cooler than normal in the Northwest & warmer than normal in the Southeast

  21. Cloud Characterization • Clouds are characterized by: • their height above the ground • Cirro • Alto • Nimbo • The type of cloud • Cirrus • Cumulus • Whether it forms layers = strata

  22. Layers of the Atmosphere

  23. Cloud Levels & Types

  24. Cloud Levels & Types

  25. Cloud Levels & Types

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