Primary source of precipitation and cloud formation in the atmosphere and, thus, a significant factor when predicting the weather.
Water vapor
Trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. They include other gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone.
Greenhouse gases (GHG)
Refers to the amount of water vapor or moisture in the atmosphere.
Humidity
These are minuscule solid and liquid particles that are suspended in the air.
Aerosols
Aerosols have two crucial functions in the atmosphere:
They can be “cloud seeds” or cloud condensation nuclei upon which clouds form, and
They can also absorb, reflect, and scatter incoming solar radiation from the Sun, preventing harsh amounts of UV rays that can damage Earth’s inhabitants.
One of the atmosphere’s primary GHG (greenhouse gases). It is a form of oxygen with three oxygen atoms in each molecule (O3).
Ozone
Like aerosols, ozone is important in absorbing potentially harmful UV radiation from the sun. Ozone depletion became a global issue in the 20th century primarily due to the overuse of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that entered the atmosphere and broke down the ozone. This problem was addressed with the implementation of the?
Montreal Protocol by the United Nations to ban the production and use of CFCs starting in 1987.
As you go up the atmosphere, the pressure decreases due to fewer air molecules “pressing down” on you.
The study of weather phenomena is called?
Meteorology
Lowest layer of the atmosphere. Temperature decreases with increasing altitude. Where all weather phenomena occur.
Troposphere
Outermost boundary of the troposphere.
Tropopause
Temperature increases with altitude due to ozone layer. Commercial airplanes fly in lower portions due to less turbulence.
Stratosphere
End of the stratosphere.
Stratopause
Why does temperature increase with altitude in the stratosphere?
Ozone layer
Coldest temperatures in the atmosphere (around -90°C) at the mesopause. Protects us from meteors by burning up most meteors and asteroids before they reach the Earth's surface.
Mesosphere
Temperatures start to rise again due to oxygen and nitrogen atoms' constant absorption of high-energy radiation from the Sun. Where satellites orbit around the Earth.
Thermosphere
Very thin layer of air at the end of the thermosphere, considered the "final frontier" of the atmosphere.
Exosphere
Refers to the conditions of the atmosphere in a region over a short period of time.
Weather
Is the long-term behavior of the atmosphere over a region.
Climate
Water goes through a constant journey of evaporation and condensation called? primarily driven by the radiation from the Sun.
Hydrological cycle or water cycle
Precipitation reaches the surface of the Earth and flows down slopes as runoff. Some of the water seeps into the ground and replenishes the groundwater in aquifers (underground freshwater reservoirs).
Hydrological cycle:
A) Advection
B) Condensation
C) Evaporation
D) Accumulation
E) Sublimation
F) Surface runoff
G) Infiltration
H) Subduction
I) Precipitation
Clouds start when water vapor in the air changes to liquid in condensation and forms around a “cloud seed” or condensation nuclei (aerosols). Soon, a cloud is formed from millions of tiny cloud droplets.
There are three main types of clouds based on the form:
Cirrus clouds (Latin word cirrus meaning “lock of hair”). These are thin, wispy, and white clouds that resemble hair.
Stratus clouds (Latin word stratum meaning “layer”). These are thin layers of clouds that cover extensive portions of the sky.
Cumulus clouds (Latin word cumulo meaning “a heap”). These are big, cotton candy-looking clouds that can stack vertically in a tower-like manner.
A) Cirrus
B) Cumulus
C) Stratus
There are three main types of clouds based on the height:
Low clouds (0-2000 m)
Middle clouds (2000-6000 m)
High clouds (over 6000 m)
Wind
Air flows from regions of high pressure to regions of low pressure caused by the unequal heating of the Earth's surface
Factors controlling wind:
Pressure Gradient Force
Coriolis Effect
Friction
When an object encounters an unbalanced force in one direction, it will accelerate in the same direction. Variation in air pressure is the driving force of the wind.
Pressure Gradient Force
Wind is deflected from its original path due to the Earth's rotation.
Coriolis effect
Wind is deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
Coriolis effect
Caused by the terrain the winds encounter, including mountains, hills, forests, and man-made structures that hinder wind flow.
Friction
Other Types of Weather Phenomena:
Typhoons, hurricanes, and cyclones
Thunderstorms
Tornadoes
Precipitation
El Niño
The only difference between them is where they formed:
Typhoons are storms that form in the Western Pacific.Hurricanes are storms in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific. While, Cyclones form over the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean.
Associated with cumulonimbus clouds, heavy rainfall, thunder, lightning, and sometimes tornadoes. Caused by the upward movement of moist and warm air.
Thunderstorms
Caused by the electric charge that results from the collision of ice crystals (cloud droplets) in the air.
Lightning
Columns of violently spinning air that extend downwards from cumulonimbus clouds. Most tornadoes are short-lived but can still cause extensive damage to property, nature, and life along their path.
Tornadoes
Types of Precipitation
Rain (water droplets)
Sleet (pellets of ice)
Hail (lumps of ice)
Snow (ice crystals)
Drizzle (very fine water droplets)
Any form of water particle that descends from the atmosphere toward the Earth's surface.
Precipitation
A weather pattern that affects countries near the Southern Pacific Ocean. This phenomenon induces changes in weather patterns, marine fisheries, and ocean conditions.