Week 1 Writeups

WEEK 1 WRITEUPS

Chapter one comprised of an introduction to the difference between weather and climate and how each provides insight on the state of the atmosphere and it’s interaction with oceans, land, and living things. The chapter talked about how molecules make up the gases and liquids that are part of our atmosphere and how the force of gravity affects them. The distribution of gases, Nitrogen being the most common, was mentioned. The next topic was the carbon dioxide cycle and how the concentration of CO2 has been increasing in recent years. The hydrologic cycle was introduced and will be talked about in far more detail in the following chapters. Pressure and Density and the definition of each were a topic. The Ideal Gas Law states the relationship between pressure, density and temperature. And finally, much emphasis was put on the levels of our atmosphere which include the Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere and Thermosphere.

This weeks readings had a lot of great information to take away. Some things that I took away was the difference between climate (condition of atmosphere over many years; usually 30 years) and weather (condition of atmosphere at a particular location and moment) One thing that I found to be very interesting was the lapse rate. I understand that its the correlation with temperature and height, however, its still a little hard for me to understand the whole temperature inversion. I understood everything that I read when it came to this, its just still a little confusing that there is an inversion once you enter a new "sphere". Another thing that was discussed was how weather exists. This is because of the earths tilt and proximity to the sun. Weather is also created because of about half of the earth is exposed to the sun, creating huge temperature differences around the world at any given time. There is also huge differences in temperature around the world because 2/3 of the worlds land mass is located in the northern hemisphere. ay. Some things that I took away was the difference between climate (condition of atmosphere over many years; usually 30 years) and weather (condition of atmosphere at a particular location and moment) One thing that I found to be very interesting was the lapse rate. I understand that its the correlation with temperature and height, however, its still a little hard for me to understand the whole temperature inversion. I understood everything that I read when it came to this, its just still a little confusing that there is an inversion once you enter a new "sphere". Another thing that was discussed was how weather exists. This is because of the earths tilt and proximity to the sun. Weather is also created because of about half of the earth is exposed to the sun, creating huge temperature dif

The first chapter was an introduction to the atmosphere. Generally, weather is the atmosphere at a certain time and in a certain place. Climate is the weather of a region over a long period of time. About 30 years of weather generates a climate. The atmosphere is consisted of Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Argon. The amount of carbon dioxide admitted into the air had increased over the years. The atmosphere can be divided up into four parts. The parts are troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and the thermosphere. The chapter also discussed weather maps that explain wind direction, wind speed, pressure, pressure tendency, cloud cover, dew point, current weather and temperature. This week’s reading and PowerPoint focused on what is weather and climate, and what affects them. Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a given place and time, while climate is the average state of the atmosphere along with the hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere over 30 years. The most important part of weather and climate is the atmosphere. The atmosphere is made up of the troposphere, where weather occurs, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. The atmosphere’s gas contents have changed over time due to natural occurrences and lately because of human activity, most notably carbon dioxide. To understand the changing levels of carbon dioxide scientist study the Carbon Cycle; water also has a cycle. Pressure is very important when studying weather. Pressure measures how much the air above you weighs. When measuring pressure, values are always calibrated to sea level. This makes sure that values are comparable in different locations. In order to study weather in different parts of the world meteorologists have tools to help them. A few include thermometer, barometer, weather satellites, and radar. Surface plots are also important to meteorologists to see lots of data at a glance. These tools help to predict the weather, especially storms.

While reading chapter 1, the book started off with the definition of climate and weather. Climate is an average temperature in a certain location and weather is never the same it is always changing. Those were the Major points in the chapter. Then next in the chapter were the earth’s major surface features and this went into the atmosphere and its composition and also told all about the other things in our air such as aerosols and trace gases. After describing the carbon dioxide cycle and the hydrologic cycle, the text went into dividing up the atmosphere from the troposphere, mesosphere. Stratosphere, and the thermosphere and how each one of these spheres have an effect on the daily weather and temperature. For the final part of the chapter the text talked about mapping and on the little symbols that the describe the weather in that certain area and the wind direction, and such. These are some of the major components of the chapter.

Our weather is our atmosphere at any particular time and place. It is always changing; Where as, our climate is daily and seasonal weather that will last over a long period of time. Furthermore, weather exists from having an unevenly heated atmosphere and a interesting temperature, while the Earth is being kept heated by our sun and our atmosphere, which is divided into four layers: The troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and the thermosphere.

WEEK 2 WRITEUPS

Three ways to transfer heat, radiation, conduction, convection. Radiation is how solar energy reaches the earth, radiation changes with temperature. The temperature measures the kinetic energy (energy of motion). Radiation is smaller at an angle to the earth and stronger when the direction is straight toward the earth, solar radiation decreases as you move pole ward on the earth. The earth is on an axis of 23.5 degrees tilt, perihelion, closest to the earth in January and is aphelion, furthest in July. The solar output does not vary. The term Albedo is the amount of light reflected the earth has an albedo of 30%. Kirchhoffs law, object that selectively absorb radiation also selectively emit radiation. I already knew some of the terms that were defined in this weeks reading. I knew a little bit about conduction and radiation but I don't think I ever "really" understood what radiation is or does. That was very interesting to learn about. I found that all the charts in the chapter really helped to put some of the information into perspective. I also didn't know how or why we had the seasons. One of my favorite songs has the line "meet me at the equinox" in it, and now I know what that means! There was also some information in this weeks reading about the difference between Kinetic Energy (motion) and Potential Energy(position). I didn't really know anything about these Energies before I read the chapter so that was insightful. I liked reading about the rising parcels because they just sounded really cool. Also It was great to finally know about what causes thunderstorms....Convection! Overall this chapter presented a lot of new information and better explained some things to me that I had heard about but never really comprehended. I hope that I am able to understand and use this information as the class progresses.

Forces, work, and heat are all part of the energy in the atmosphere. Forces are meant for the body to accelerate. In order to do work, we need either kinetic energy or potential energy where as, molecular motions produce specific heat (radiation, convection, and conduction), or latent heat (evaporation, melting, and sublimation). Furthermore, the temperature is used to measure the average of kinetic energy of a substance molecule. As far as seasons go, we are able to have warm temperatures during the summer because the sun is farther away from the Earth and the Earth is tilting towards the sun. And we are able to have cold temperature in the winter because the sun is closest to the Earth while the Earth points away from the sun.

During the readings today, there was quite a bit of information, but some of the info that I took from it was the three types of heat transfer: radiation, convection, and conduction. Radiation has different wavelengths, which helps it get through many different types of atmospheres. The shorter the wavelength, the more energy it contains. Conduction is the transfer of heat from molecule to molecule and convection transfers heat vertically. One thing that I found to be interesting is that most of the energy that is around us comes from the sun! Since the earth is tilted about 23 degrees, this creates the seasons. This tilt and the rotation of the earth around the sun causes the weather changes.

In the beginning of the chapter, the book talked about force, work, and heat. More specifically, it talked about kinetic and potential energy and their relation to temperature. The most common temperature scales are Fahrenheit and Celsius, but the Kelvin scale can also be used. Units that measure energy are called calories and Joules. Conduction, convection, and radiation were talked about in the methods of transferring energy in the atmosphere. In this chapter, the types of wavelengths were also discussed. From long to short, the wavelengths are: radio waves, microwaves, infrared light, red light, blue light, ultraviolet light, and gamma rays (according to worksheet #2, also). Also having to do with the atmosphere, the sun and its position during the seasons showed that in certain places where the temperature may be colder, the sun is actually closer to the earth, like Wisconsin. There are four different positions on the earth during the seasons. They are the winter and summer solstices and the equinoxes that happen in September and March.

This week’s chapter focused on how the heating of the Earth affects weather. Through radiation the sun heats Earth’s surface. Conduction heats the air in contact with Earth, and convection and advection move the heated air around the atmosphere. Not all of the suns radiation is absorbed by the Earth. The Earth’s albedo is 30%. The amount of energy the Earth does absorb depends on the season. The seasons are a product of the Earth’s axis. In winter the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, causing less energy to be absorbed. In the summer the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun. This means that more energy is absorbed from the sun. It is often mistaken that it’s summer when Earth is closer to the sun, but this is not true. The Earth is closer to the sun during winter. The sun is not the only object that releases energy. Any object with a temperature gives off energy. That means that the Earth releases terrestrial radiation. In different part of the globe the amount of radiation received from the sun is not equal to the amount lost. The area around the equator absorbs more than it releases, while the Polar Regions release more than they absorb. This imbalance is fixed through weather. Weather acts to create equilibrium on Earth.

WEEK 3 WRITEUPS

First of all, high temperature faster the molecules move. The important energies in the atmosphere are kinetic and potential energy. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. Absolute zero occurs when molecules are cooled to the point they no longer move. Heat flows from warm to cold. Energy is transferred through conduction, convection, advection as well as radiation. Temperature is controlled by altitude, latitude, surface type, and location with respect to water as well as cloud cover. Diurnal temps are lowest where it is wettest. Pressure drops as you rise. Cold air is dense so it sinks, and warm air rises.

So in this week's readings, it continued to go more in depth with temperature and the how the earth is affected by the sun's radiation. When the radiation from the sun increases, the earth emits radiation as well and the amount also increases. The position of the earth is what also gives us seasons, and determines how long or short days and nights are. One thing that I learned is about nocturnal inversion. There is a temperature change shortly above the surface where it is warmer than at the surface and as you go up in height, the temperature cools down and is similar to that of the surface. What I learned this week From Chapter 3 was a lot about temperatures. I learned that surface temperature is the temperature right above the ground. I also learned how the earth has a global balance of energy. It has this because earth gains energy from the sun, and loses terrestrial radiation to space. WEEK 4 In this weeks chapter I learned all about cloud formation and precipitation! Some of my favorite things in this chapter were cloud condensation nuclei, the processes that produce precipitation (collision and coalescence and the Bergeron-Findeisen process) and also all the different new measurements and temperatures (Dewpoint, wetbulb, humidities, vapor pressure). I also thought it was really cool to learn about the shape of rain drops..I never knew that they weren't teardrop shaped! I also had not even thought that there could be different kinds of fogs. I think my favorite was advection fog(warm air blowing over a cold surface) I think I have seen this kind of fog before in "real life". I read about somethings that I had never heard of before like "fallstreaks" and "crystal habits". Overall, there was a lot of information in this chapter and I totally did not know how much went into clouds and fog and etc...!

WEEK 5 WRITEUPS

This chapter was all about the different ways that the weather is measured and recorded. some of the things I already knew about like the Doppler rater, wind vanes and thermometers but some of them I had never heard of before like the Radiosondes and aneroid barometers. I thought it was really cool to learn about how colors scatter and that's why things look a certain way. I also really liked reading about how different weather phenomenons are created, I especially liked reading about rainbows. I didn't even know that the two different arcs have specific names (primary and secondary). I also really enjoyed learning about the two weather satellites (GEO and LEO). I guess I never really thought about were and how all the information that I see on TV came from. Overall, this chapter was very informational and it gave me a lot of explanations for thinks I never really thought about but just took for granted!

In the beginning of chapter five, it talks about measuring temperature, pressure, and humidity. Measuring these things can be done with radiosonde. Also, measuring upper- air weather observations can be done with devices that are launched from land-based weather stations twice a day. These devices can be balloons with liter bottles attached to them or soda cans. To be very general, there are two different meteorological satellites that are used. They are GEO (Geostationary) satellites that sit over one geographical location that is usually near the Equator and LEO (Polar-orbiting) satellites that pass overhead at about the same time every day around the Equator.

With this chapter's reading, we learned that there are 2 ways to observe the atmosphere: directly or indirectly. Directly means that this could be measured with an actual instrument like a thermometer. Indirectly meant when we need some sort of laser or sensor to measure the atmosphere. Some instruments there were mentioned was the sling psychrometer which helps measure humidity, barometers measure air pressure, anemometer measures wind speed.

The chapter talked about some different satellites as well such as geostationary satellites which stays at one point on the earth at all times, satellites that are polar orbiters. These satellites are used in a wide variety to help predict weather, temperature, and possible natural disasters.his chapter's reading, we learned that there are 2 ways to observe WEEK 6 WRITEUPS

This weeks chapter was all about wind and it's effects. I've never really thought about wind and it's creation so a lot of the information in this chapter was new to me. It seemed like there were many components to the creation and strength of wind. some of them included: pressure gradients, Coriolis force, Centripetal acceleration, Buys Ballot Law, and circulations. There was a lot of info about the Coriolis effect. I learned that there is no Coriolis force at the equator and the force is strongest at the poles. I also learned that you need to already have wind to have the Coriolis force.I also read about isobars and what it means when they are closer together or farther apart. another thing that is important is when the PGF is counterbalanced by the Coriolis force. this is called geostrophic balance. This helps us to explain the strength and direction of winds. Overall, this chapter had many new ideas and terms...I hope I can remember them all!

In the beginning of the chapter, forces like gravitational, pressure gradient, coriolis, and frictional force are talked about. Also, Newton's three laws were discussed in the power point on how they can be related to things like a car. The Coriolis force deflects motion to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. The chapter also talks about pressures and the direction of winds (surface winds), also isobars. There are also four primary size categories when it comes to scales of motion. They are microscale, mesosclae, synoptic-scale, and planetary-scale.

What I learned this week about the many forces in the atmosphere was very interesting to me. I thought it was crazy about what all has to actually happen in order for there to be wind. You need Pressure Gradient Force, Coriolis Effect, Cetripetal Force, and Friction. I never new that all of these Forces and Effects had to occur in order for there to be wind. Another thing I found to be intreging is the Coriolis Force, if you were to launch a missle, you would have to play in effect the earth's rotation, and calculate the degree pretty precisely

The wind is actually moving air. Friction is able to slow down the air by 25 to 75% of what the speeed would be. Wind can also increas throughout the troposphere by using geostrophic and hydrostatic force that balance. Futhermore, an engergy imbalance leads to a force that is able to generate wind. It is mostly located in the atmosphere and the ocean. As for high and low pressures, low is there when the sky is cloudy and contains moist air; where as, high pressure is present when there is a clear sky the the air is dry.

One of the things that I took away from all the reading was the Coriolis Effect. In a nutshell, if you stayed in one spot for 24 hours, you will return to the same spot due to the earth's rotation. however, the closer you are to the equater, the longer the distance you will travel, but you will still reach the same spot in 24 hours. This is a very unique concept, and one that also makes a lot of sense. Its one of those things that one doesn't realize until it's explained to you then you realize that its common sense, but you never thought about it until it was brought up. This week focused on how wind is formed and what effects wind. In order for wind to be created there needs to be a pressure gradient force. This force is caused by having differences in pressure in the atmosphere. This difference in pressure causes air to move from the high pressure to the low pressure creating wind. Once there is wind coriolis forces can act on it. Coriolis forces are created by the spinning of the earth. In the northern hemisphere the corilolis forces cause the wind to slightly to the right depending on altitude and wind speed. Once there is wind there are many balances that act upon it. Hydrostatic balance is the balance between pressure gradient force and the force of gravity. This is what prevents the atmosphere form falling or blowing away. Geostrophic balance is the balance between horizontal gradient and corilolis forces. This balance is responsible for why winds blow clockwise around high pressures in the Northern Hemisphere and counter clockwise in low pressures. Winds are formed when there is an imbalance in the atmosphere. They move from high pressure to low pressure and are act upon by coriolis forces, friction, and centrifugal forces. Knowing how these forces affect wind allows for more accurate weather predictions.

WEEK 7 WRITEUPS

Winds that are flowing into a surface low is surface convergence and winds that are flowing out of a surface high is surface divergence. Circulations are caused by the Coriolis Effect which deflects motion to the right in the N. Hemisphere and to the left in the S. Hemisphere. An example of a thermal circulation would be a Sea Breeze, which land warms up quickly and water warms up slowly. Their are two types of circulations; thermally direct, which is when warm air rises and cold air sinks. Thermally indirect is when warm air sinks and cold air rises. The three cell model consists of the Ferrel Cell, Hadley Cell and Polar Cell. Without these the Earth wouldn't be rotating. Jet streams are currents of air that move west to east. Air masses are large bodies of air that have similar temps and moisture characteristics. Air masses can form in flat places.

In this weeks lesson about winds, we were to understand concepts such as jet stream, Intertropical Convergence Zone, and circulations such as the Hadley Cell. Also important is locations of subtropical highs (30 degress north and south), the polar easterlies (at the north and south poles) and the ITCZ which is in the middle. I felt one of the most important sections of the chapter was the seasonal variance of the jet streams, rotations, and direction of winds and where they are coming from.

WEEK 8 WRITEUPS

In this week's reading and powerpoint, hurricanes and optical effects were discusses. Refraction, reflection, scattering and mirage and how these things have to do with rainbows, haloes, mirages (inferior and superior), sundogs, coronae, and glories. Also, the way our eyes see different light like rainbows. No two people see the exact same rainbow (didn't know that). Another thing that I found interesting in the powerpoint was the green flash. I never really took the time to notice things like that, but now I'm really interested in seeing these things. Some things I got out of the reading:

-There are two types of mirages. Inferior Image(Image is below the actual position and its caused by a very hot surface) or a superior image(Image is above the actual position and its caused by a very cold surface)

Different optical phenomena -Halos-caused by ice crystals and the sun being refracted -Sundogs -Sun pillar -Rainbows-caused by the reflection of the light off rain droplets

Nitrogen and oxygen scatter blue and violet light than any other to form a blue sky. But our eyes are also sensitive to the blue light, so we will see a blue sky. Furthermore, different images form in the sky, like mirages, halos, sum pillars, glory’s, and corona and iridescence. Refraction is essential for halos, reflection is essential for sun pillars, and diffraction is essential for corona and Iridescence.

WEEK 9 WRITEUPS

In this chapter, hurricanes and typhoons were discussed, which are both considered tropical cyclones. The distruction that is caused by each of these cyclones, hurricanes more than typhoons, was talked about like wind, rain, and flooding. Also, the naming of these storms was discussed in this chapter, like which areas get female and male names, also the retiring of a name if the cyclone has made a negative impact on life, like killing people and devistating destruction. Formation and structure were also a part of this chapter, along with the stages of "their lives."

Typhoons and hurricanes have the same system. The only two differences are that they both have different names and exist in different oceans. A hurricane will retire when the WMO makes the decision that is destructive enough to become notorious, and the deadliest part of the hurricane is are not the strong winds but the waves. And with cyclones, they are not capable of forming in very dry air.

The end of chapter 8 was on tropical cyclones or hurricanes. Hurricanes are strong circulating winds around a warm, low pressure eye. The eye can be seen from satellites. Hurricanes are born as tropical disturbances. With warm water, lack of wind shearing, and dry air a tropical disturbance can grow into a hurricane. There are different names for hurricanes depending on their location. They can also be called cyclones or typhones. Most hurricanes that hit the US form in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean Sea. Strong Hurricanes can also form off Cape Verde. The most deadly aspect of Hurricanes is rain fall away from the shore. The surges that destroy houses do not usually take lives because people evacuate these areas. The most important improvement in hurricane forecasting is satelites. Because of satellites, no hurricane has hit the US without warning. Hurricanes are strong and fascinating weather phenomenons that are still not completely understood.

WEEK 10 WRITEUPS

This part of the chapter talked a lot about El Nino and La Nina. These things are affected by the changing of ocean temperatures and also changes the percipitation (and dryness) and weather of many areas around the world. Upwelling of water in oceans causes nutrients to move in order to help the marine life and also changes the temperature of the water. The Southern Oscillation measures sea level pressure in Tahiti and Darwin, Australia. There are other oscillations and they are called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation.

The ocean is divided into 3 vertical layers according to temperature. These layers are the surface zone, transition zone, and the deep zone. The temperature in the surface and transition zones is constant, while the temperatures in the transition zone are not. The winds in the atmosphere make currents in the ocean. When the wind interacts with the water, it can create upwelling. This is when surface water is pulled away from the shore and is replaced by deep, cold water. This transition brings nutrient filled water to the surface for aquatic animals. It also causes colder temperatures on the shore. La Nina and El Nino effect these temperature changes. When there is strong upwelling and cold temperatures on the coast there is a La Nina. When there are warm temperatures and little upwelling there is an El Nino. During La Nina there are thunderstorms over Indonesia and during El Nino there are thunderstorms over the coast of South America. The Southern Oscillation is also closely related to El Nino and La Nina. This is classified as high and low pressure over Darwin, Australia and Tahiti. The ocean and the atmosphere interact to distribute equal energy across the globe.

El Ninos found in the tropical Pacific changes the climate in mid-latitudes by changing the jet streams position. Also, and El Nino does have an effect on the oceans. Furthermore, an atmospheric circulation found in the Pacific Ocean basin does affect the atmospheric circulations at the Indian Ocean basin. And freezing rain will not had heat in a saturated atmosphere.

WEEK 11 WRITEUPS

Chapter nine was titled Air Masses and Fronts. It differentiated between the air mass types. They are Polar, Tropical, Arctic, Continental, and Maritime. These are used to describe different air masses according to temperature and moisture characteristics. Arctic masses are the least popular of the five. The chapter also distinguished between cold and warm fronts. A cold front is when the colder air will follow the front's passage and a warm front is when warmer air will follow. There are also stationary fronts and occluded fronts.

WEEK 12 WRITEUPS This week was about severe weather. Thunderstorms form in unstable air masses. Severe thunderstorms form when there is wind shearing, change in wind speed or direction with increase in height. For a thunderstorm to survive there needs to be separation between the up draft and the down draft by vertical wind shear. There are three different types of thunderstorms, single-celled, multi-celled, and super celled. Super-celled thunderstorms create severe weather and they rotate. An element of severe weather is tornadoes. Tornadoes are rotating air columns in a cells updraft region. They are measured by the amount of damage they will create on the Fujita scale. Lightning is created out of huge electrical discharges from rapid rising and sinking parcels of air. Lightening is not a quick flash, but a series of quick flashes. Flooding is another dangerous side effect of severe weather. They cause many deaths each year. Thunderstorms are caused by mT air so they are most common near Florida. Even though Wisconsin is not near Florida, we still have to be aware of the dangers of thunderstorms.

-Lighting causes Thunder -Conditions in atmosphere may refract the sound of thunder -Thunderstorms occur all over in unstable conditions where it is hot

Airmass thunderstorms has three stages -Cumulus -Mature -Dissipating

Fujita scale measures the strength of storms F0 (weak) F5(strong)

Week 12 focused on chapter 11 titled Thunderstorms and Tornadoes. The chapter goes into detail describing thunderstorms. There is also a difference between a severe thunderstorm and an air mass thunderstorm. There are also long-lived supercellular thunderstorms that need rotation to stay strong. All thunderstorms require really low stability in the atmosphere. Thunderstorms can be multicellular. Tornadoes, on the other hand, are farm more severe than thunderstorms. While thunderstorms do have the capabilities of producing wind, rain and hail, the damage that is done from a tornado is far worse. The scale that measures the damage is known as the Fujita scale. F0 is a tornado with the least damage and an F5 is a tornado that has the most damage. F5 tornadoes really rare, too. Waterspouts are like tornadoes, only they form over water. Other damaging characteristics of storms are strong winds, hail and lightning (which usually is paired with thunder).

Week 11's chapter was all about one of my favorite weather tings.....thunderstorms! I never new how important the wind was to the production of thunderstorms and tornadoes. It was also really interesting to read about storm chasers. some of the pictures in this chapter were also really, really cool. there was this really amazing one with this girl standing right next to a huge tornado! It was also really cool to see what air fronts are needed to create a big storm. I found that shelf clouds are really beautiful and microbursts are really dangerous! Overall, this chapter had a lot of useful information and was really entertaining to look through.

WEEK 13 WRITEUPS

This week we learned about the extratropical cyclone and anticylone. Extratropical cyclones follow a predicable life cycle that was discovered by Bergen school of Meteorology. The life cycle of a cyclone includes having a coma shape into having occluded front. Cyclones form on the downwind side of mountains, warm ocean currents, and under jet streams. The are made out of a warm front and a cold front that feed off of each other. Anticyclones are not like cyclones. They are air masses that have fairly calm weather associated with them. They can turn dangerous though when pollution is caught in it temperature inversion. Cyclones are traditionally seen as being more dangerous then the anticyclones, because of the drastic weather they bring with them.

Things to remember: -Storms form by turning potential energy into kinetic energy. Cold air sinks as warm air rises. When storms get stronger, so do the winds and voracity increases too! -Most storms start west and work their way east and more in an easterly and northernly. This is important because if a person is trying to predict the direction of storms, it good to know a pattern to get an idea where it could be headed. -A warm front forms east of the storm and a cold front forms west of the storm

WEEK 14 WRITEUPS

We are always forecasting, whether it be on land, or with satellites outside the earths atmosphere. There are Several different types of forecasting: Persistence: The weather today will be the same tomorrow Climatology: The next day’s weather will be the normal high and low Trend: The trend of the weather from yesterday and today will continue on into tomorrow Analog: The weather today will be the same way the weather was on the exact day in the past Many of these forecasting types have their own flaws, most of which doesn't take into consideration the surrounding atmosphere such as different air masses coming into the area. Places like Wisconsin, which can be very affected day to day may not find that these forecasting types will be very useful.

The reading on week # 13 was all about weather forecasting. It was really silly to read about some of the old methods of predicting the weather but I thought it was cool to see that some of them actually worked! It must have been so frustrating for early weather forecasting pioneers (Richardson, etc..) to either not have enough technology or knowledge yet or to not be believed by other scientists that your ideas were valid. I wounder if we will ever be able to fully "predict" the weather? Based on what I read in this chapter...it looks like we have gotten a lot better but I don't know if we will ever be perfect. I guess that time will tell!

Persistence forecasts will be very accurate when one day is much like the next. Forecasts that are set out to 5 day are less accorate than forecasts set out to 2 days. A seasonal forcast are analog forecasts only look at the upper-level features, and ingore the surface features. Furthermore, A forecast for a thounderstorm are more likely to become accurate in a mT airmass then in a cP airmass.

WEEK 15 WRITEUPS

This weeks reading seemed to be tying up the overall picture of weather "Then and now". I had already known a bit about the tree rings and carbon dating, but it was good to have a review. I think it is so cool that we can piece together a picture of weather, life, terrain, etc... from the past with the science that we have now. We are really only getting better and better at doing it too! It was cool to read about dust in the ice sheets and and the air bubble glaciers. That I didn't know much about. Overall, this chapter was very informative and included a lot of information about the history of the earth...very cool!

Chapter 15's reading had a lot of information about the future of our climate and some of the major things that will continue to effect it. There has been and still is a lot of talk about global warming so I'm really glad that this chapter covered the topic. I don't think we are as careful as we should be with how we treat our environment. there are many people who don't understand that our environment is connected to our climate and our climate to our weather. It was also really cool to hear about these different ways we can decipher what a weather pattern used to be, like with the ice samples and etc...