WX 201 Final ERAU
Density - ✔️✔️Density decreases w/ height
Standard pressure - ✔️✔️-14.7 lbs./in2
-29.92" Hg
-1013 hPa
Layers of the atmosphere - ✔️✔️Thermo(85k-100k)
Meso(50k-85k)
Strato(12k-50k)
Tropo(0-12k)
Troposphere - ✔️✔️•Between surface & about 36,000' (11 km)
-Where weather occurs (and most of the aviation takes place)
-Pressure ranges between 200 to 1030 mb
•Decreasing temperature with height
-Heated from below because the ground absorbs more of the sun's rays than air
•Has vertical air currents and turbulence
-Hazardous to aviators
Stratosphere - ✔️✔️•Between ~ 36,000 and 160,000 '(11-50 km)
-Pressures range from about 1 to 200 mb
-Temperature increases with height in the stratosphere due to the absorption of UV
radiation by ozone
Tropopause - ✔️✔️•Boundary between troposphere and stratosphere
•Altitude varies with latitude & with season
•Where and when is it highest & coldest? Summer in Tropical regions
•Lowest & warmest? Winter in Polar regions
•Location of lowest temp and max wind (near jet stream)
•Thunderstorm tops and high clouds extend to the tropopause
Celsius calculation - ✔️✔️C= 5/9 (F - 32) The Atmosphere - ✔️✔️aerosol (a.k.a.
particulates)
rain, drizzle, fog, snow, ice crystals, cloud droplets
Permanent gas - ✔️✔️Nitrogen [N2]=78%
Oxygen [02]=21%
Others (Ar, Ne, He, Kr, H)=1%
,Variable gas - ✔️✔️[H2O]
-0 to 4% (highly variable)
-Most abundant variable gas•
[CO2]
-0.039% and rising
[O3]
-Highly variable, reactive gas
-Upper atmosphere: protects life from UV light
-Occurs naturally, absorbs harmful ultraviolet light from sun
Greenhouse gases - ✔️✔️H2O, CO2, CH4, absorb infrared radiation emitted by the
earth
•Re-radiate some of the infrared radiation back down
Ideal Gas Law - ✔️✔️P=DT
Wind w/ height - ✔️✔️•Wind speed generally increases with height
•Wind speeds near tropopause 50-200 kt
•Maximum wind speed at tropopause
•Strongest wind shear just above & below tropopause
Isothermal layer - ✔️✔️-A layer having constant temperature
Heat transfer mechanisms - ✔️✔️Radiation-Transfer of energy by electromagnetic
waves (light)
-Can occur across empty space
•Conduction-Transfer of heat from one molecule to another
•Convection-Random vertical air motions
-Transport by horizontal air motions = advection
electromagnetic radiation
Sun vs Earth - ✔️✔️Earth = long wave lengths
Sun = Short wave lengths
What happens to insolation - ✔️✔️70% absorbed by earth and its atmosphere
30% reflected back to space
earth has an albedo of 30%
Global radiation budget - ✔️✔️
Factors affecting surface heating - ✔️✔️1.Amount of solar radiation absorbed
-Solar elevation angle
, Albedo (Reflected solar radiation)
2.Heat capacity
-Water ^ vs Soil v
3.Depth to which the heat is distributed
-Heat is absorbed over a greater depth in water
Geographic temperature controls - ✔️✔️Land warms and cools more rapidly than
oceans
Land is cooler than ocean in winter, warmer in summer
Annual temperature range is ______.
-Large for high latitude, land locations
-Small for oceanic, island and coastal regions
-Small along western coasts (in mid-latitudes) due to moderating influence of sea and
prevailing wind
-Large within center and eastern regions of (mid-latitude) continents (influenced by
continental air masses)
Hydrostatic balance - ✔️✔️Pressure gradient force (decreasing pressure with height) is
balanced by the force of gravity
Reduced pressure - ✔️✔️Horizontal pressure differences (gradients) affect wind
Standard pressure w/ altitude - ✔️✔️39,000 - 200 mb
30,000 - 300 mb
18,000 - 500 mb
10,000 - 700 mb
5,000 - 850 mb
0 - 1013 mb
wind vs pressure gradients - ✔️✔️Horizontal pressure gradients affect wind
hydrostatic balance - ✔️✔️Pressure gradients force air from HIGHER pressure toward
LOWER pressure, perpendicular to the isobars
Upward pressure gradient force upward in most situations balanced by gravitational
force downward.
Example of a pressure gradient - ✔️✔️Pressure gradient force(PGF) acts from high
toward low pressure
Density - ✔️✔️Density decreases w/ height
Standard pressure - ✔️✔️-14.7 lbs./in2
-29.92" Hg
-1013 hPa
Layers of the atmosphere - ✔️✔️Thermo(85k-100k)
Meso(50k-85k)
Strato(12k-50k)
Tropo(0-12k)
Troposphere - ✔️✔️•Between surface & about 36,000' (11 km)
-Where weather occurs (and most of the aviation takes place)
-Pressure ranges between 200 to 1030 mb
•Decreasing temperature with height
-Heated from below because the ground absorbs more of the sun's rays than air
•Has vertical air currents and turbulence
-Hazardous to aviators
Stratosphere - ✔️✔️•Between ~ 36,000 and 160,000 '(11-50 km)
-Pressures range from about 1 to 200 mb
-Temperature increases with height in the stratosphere due to the absorption of UV
radiation by ozone
Tropopause - ✔️✔️•Boundary between troposphere and stratosphere
•Altitude varies with latitude & with season
•Where and when is it highest & coldest? Summer in Tropical regions
•Lowest & warmest? Winter in Polar regions
•Location of lowest temp and max wind (near jet stream)
•Thunderstorm tops and high clouds extend to the tropopause
Celsius calculation - ✔️✔️C= 5/9 (F - 32) The Atmosphere - ✔️✔️aerosol (a.k.a.
particulates)
rain, drizzle, fog, snow, ice crystals, cloud droplets
Permanent gas - ✔️✔️Nitrogen [N2]=78%
Oxygen [02]=21%
Others (Ar, Ne, He, Kr, H)=1%
,Variable gas - ✔️✔️[H2O]
-0 to 4% (highly variable)
-Most abundant variable gas•
[CO2]
-0.039% and rising
[O3]
-Highly variable, reactive gas
-Upper atmosphere: protects life from UV light
-Occurs naturally, absorbs harmful ultraviolet light from sun
Greenhouse gases - ✔️✔️H2O, CO2, CH4, absorb infrared radiation emitted by the
earth
•Re-radiate some of the infrared radiation back down
Ideal Gas Law - ✔️✔️P=DT
Wind w/ height - ✔️✔️•Wind speed generally increases with height
•Wind speeds near tropopause 50-200 kt
•Maximum wind speed at tropopause
•Strongest wind shear just above & below tropopause
Isothermal layer - ✔️✔️-A layer having constant temperature
Heat transfer mechanisms - ✔️✔️Radiation-Transfer of energy by electromagnetic
waves (light)
-Can occur across empty space
•Conduction-Transfer of heat from one molecule to another
•Convection-Random vertical air motions
-Transport by horizontal air motions = advection
electromagnetic radiation
Sun vs Earth - ✔️✔️Earth = long wave lengths
Sun = Short wave lengths
What happens to insolation - ✔️✔️70% absorbed by earth and its atmosphere
30% reflected back to space
earth has an albedo of 30%
Global radiation budget - ✔️✔️
Factors affecting surface heating - ✔️✔️1.Amount of solar radiation absorbed
-Solar elevation angle
, Albedo (Reflected solar radiation)
2.Heat capacity
-Water ^ vs Soil v
3.Depth to which the heat is distributed
-Heat is absorbed over a greater depth in water
Geographic temperature controls - ✔️✔️Land warms and cools more rapidly than
oceans
Land is cooler than ocean in winter, warmer in summer
Annual temperature range is ______.
-Large for high latitude, land locations
-Small for oceanic, island and coastal regions
-Small along western coasts (in mid-latitudes) due to moderating influence of sea and
prevailing wind
-Large within center and eastern regions of (mid-latitude) continents (influenced by
continental air masses)
Hydrostatic balance - ✔️✔️Pressure gradient force (decreasing pressure with height) is
balanced by the force of gravity
Reduced pressure - ✔️✔️Horizontal pressure differences (gradients) affect wind
Standard pressure w/ altitude - ✔️✔️39,000 - 200 mb
30,000 - 300 mb
18,000 - 500 mb
10,000 - 700 mb
5,000 - 850 mb
0 - 1013 mb
wind vs pressure gradients - ✔️✔️Horizontal pressure gradients affect wind
hydrostatic balance - ✔️✔️Pressure gradients force air from HIGHER pressure toward
LOWER pressure, perpendicular to the isobars
Upward pressure gradient force upward in most situations balanced by gravitational
force downward.
Example of a pressure gradient - ✔️✔️Pressure gradient force(PGF) acts from high
toward low pressure
