ATM OCN (Meteorology) 100 Lecture 3

OBSERVATIONS OF THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

Fall 1997

Lecture # 2 Scheduled for:

5 SEP 1997 (F)

Recommended Readings from Moran and Morgan (1997):

pages 1-16, 21-24; 375-382.

Objectives:

• To identify those important weather elements describing the state of the atmosphere.
• To list the various instruments used to measure each weather element.
• To list the usual values and the observed extreme ranges of surface weather elements.

Outline:

A. THE PLANET EARTH & EARTH SYSTEMS

• Uniqueness of the Planet Earth
• Components of the Planet Earth System
• Interactions within the System

B. SURVEY OF THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

• Importance of the Earth's planetary atmosphere
• Overall Dimensions of the Earth's atmosphere
• Comparison with the other components of the Earth System

C. WEATHER - CLIMATE ELEMENTS

• The role of Meteorological Observations What we need to Know
• Observed Surface WEATHER - CLIMATE ELEMENTS
  • BAROMETRIC PRESSURE
  • AIR TEMPERATURE
  • ATMOSPHERIC HUMIDITY
  • PRECIPITATION
  • CLOUD TYPE, AMOUNT
  • WINDS (SPEED & DIRECTION)

D. THE SURFACE WEATHER STATION

• Instruments
• Location and Exposure of Weather Instruments

E. THE SURFACE WEATHER MAP

• The meaning of SYNOPTIC WEATHER ANALYSIS
• Goal of synoptic weather analysis
• Requirements for synoptic weather analysis
• Historical perspective
• Isopleths
  • Isobars
  • Isotherms
• Interpretation of modern surface weather maps

F. OTHER OBSERVATIONAL TOOLS

• Radiosondes
• Weather Radar
• Weather Satellites
• Meteorological Rockets
• Wind Profilers

Links to Other References:

• The Current Weather Link provides access to many types of current weather maps and other analysis tools that the meteorologist uses.
• Explanation of the time system, Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) , that the meteorologist uses. This explanation includes the procedure for converting between local Central Time and UTC or Z Time
• Materials on various weather instruments .
• Station model description

Last revision 17 September 1997

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