ATM OCN (Meteorology) 100

OBSERVATIONS of the EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

Summer 2002

Lecture #1 Scheduled for:

17 JUN 2002 (M)

Recommended Readings from Moran and Morgan (1997):

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

NOTE: This lecture is continued from Introduction to ATM OCN 100 .

Today's Lecture Objectives:

• To identify the components of the Planet Earth System.
• To provide several reasons why the planet Earth is unique.
• To identify those important weather elements describing the state of the atmosphere.
• To list the various instruments and instrument platforms used to measure various weather elements at the surface and in the free atmosphere.
• To describe the fundamental principles utilized in weather radar units.
• To compare and contrast polar orbiting and geosynchronous weather satellites.
• To explain the basis for the surface weather map.

Outline:

A.  PRACTICAL QUESTIONS

B. THE PLANET EARTH & EARTH SYSTEMS

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

C. SURVEY OF PLANET 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

D. WEATHER - CLIMATE ELEMENTS

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

E. PROBING THE ATMOSPHERE

• THE SURFACE WEATHER STATION
• Human Observers
• Instruments
• Location and Exposure of Weather Instruments
• OTHER OBSERVATIONAL TOOLS
• Radiosondes
• Weather Radar
• Weather Satellites
• Meteorological Rockets
• Wind Profilers

F. THE DISPLAY & ANALYSIS OF WEATHER INFORMATION

• SYNOPTIC WEATHER ANALYSIS
• The meaning of synoptic weather analysis
• Goal of synoptic weather analysis
• Requirements for synoptic weather analysis
• THE SURFACE WEATHER MAP
• Historical perspective
• Isopleth Analysis
• Isobars
• Isotherms
• Interpretation of modern surface weather maps
• Pressure systems and wind fields -- The "hand-twist" model
• Pressure systems and Clouds
• Fronts

Links to Other References:

• The Current Weather Link provides access to many types of current weather maps and other analysis tools that the meteorologist routinely uses.
• Explanation of the time system, Universal Coordinated Time (UTC), used by the meteorologist. This explanation includes the procedure for converting between local Central Time and UTC or Z Time.
• Background materials on various weather instruments .
• Station model description (from SSEC/CIMSS). This source also includes an applet that provides several exercises that can be used to correctly decode a station model.
• History of  US Upper Air program from  National Weather Service Upper-Air Observations Program

Latest revision: 13 June 2002 (1905 UTC)