ATM OCN (Meteorology) 100 - Lecture 3

ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE:
A FUNDAMENTAL WEATHER ELEMENT

Fall 1997

Lecture #5 Scheduled for:

12 SEP 1997 (F)

Recommended Readings from Moran and Morgan (1997):

pages 69-73 (left column); 24-25 (left column); 78-83; 102-105.

Objectives:

• To distinguish between temperature and heat.
• To list and describe the four commonly used thermometers.
• To discuss the factors that are necessary to obtain an accurate air temperature reading.
• To compare and contrast the Celsius, Fahrenheit and Kelvin temperature scales and perform conversions between each scale, given a selected temperature reading.
• To list the usual values and the observed extreme ranges of surface air temperature.
• To compute the daily mean, daily range, monthly mean, annual mean and annual range of temperature at a locale from a provided data set.
• To calculate heating- and cooling- degree day units given the proper data and relate these calculations to expected fuel consumption.
• To recognize the influence of the major controls of temperature upon the world temperature distribution.
• To label the salient features of a typical vertical temperature profile of the earth's atmosphere, using the traditional temperature based nomenclature.
• To list and describe the general characteristics of the layers in the earth's atmosphere based upon the vertical variation in temperature.
• To identify the causes responsible for this temperature profile.

Outline:

A. BACKGROUND

• Definitions Temperature, Heat, Internal Energy
• Human Significance of Temperature

B. THERMOMETRY

• The Science of Thermometry
• Types of Thermometers
  • Liquid-in-glass thermometers
    • Maximum recording thermometers
    • Minimum recording thermometers
  • Deformation thermometers
    • Bimetallic thermometers
  • Electrical thermometers
    • Thermistors
  • Radiation thermometers (radiometers)
• Measurement Requirements
  • Thermometer Exposure
• Temperature Scales

C. THE CLIMATOLOGY OF NEAR SURFACE AIR TEMPERATURE

• Temporal Variation in Atmospheric Temperature
• Spatial Variation in Observed Atmospheric Temperature
• Average Daily Temperatures and Degree Day Units

D. VARIATION OF OBSERVED AIR TEMPERATURE WITH HEIGHT

• Temperature lapse rates
• Layer nomenclature
  • isothermal, inversion, lapse
• The Standard Reference Atmosphere
• The Temperature Spheres
• The pauses or boundaries
• Reasons for the observed vertical temperature structure
• Implications of the vertical temperature structure

Links to Other References:

• A set of background documents for meteorological instruments, to include thermometers, at several levels of difficulty appear as Digital Library in the EarthLab Project , at a level intended for the general public. See other demonstrations entitled Weather Tools and Displays .

Last revision 10 September 1997

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