Essay #1 Climate, Weather, and Meteorology are often used interchangeably, however they all mean very different things. Climate and Weather are very similar in that they are talking about the same things just at different times. Meteorology is nothing like these two it is much more. It uses both to make up itself. All of these terms fall under the same category of weather and how it is perceived whether it be current, over a period of time, or the study of both. Weather is something we all experience every single day. A lot of time people refer to weather as the way things always are in an area.
This isn’t entirely incorrect, however weather is what is going on in that certain place at that certain time. The official definition is the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards to heat, dryness, sunshine, win ,rain, etc. This means that weather over time is not exactly a correct sentence. Weather is only what is occurring currently at any given location. Climate is defined as the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period of time. Climate and weather are very similar; they both have to deal with each other.
Meteorology on the other hand is the study of both; it is the science concerned with processes and phenomena of the atmosphere. This word is not as commonly confused with the other two, but it does pop up every once in a while. It has nothing to do with physical weather, but rather the study of it and how it reacts to things. Though all of these concepts are very similar, they all have very different meanings. Weather is the things going on in the atmosphere currently, Climate is the things going on in the atmosphere over time.
By studying both of these things brings rise to the Meteorology. Essay #2 Meteorological satellites take images and help monitor a number of things that help determine weather. The list of things that these satellites can do and read, is quite long, the primary use is looking at cloud patters that help determine the weather in certain areas. Satellites are equipped with what are called radiometers. They measure electromagnetic energy that the Earth and the atmosphere reflect, scatter, transmit, and emit.
The two types of radiometers measure visible light from the sun and radiation emitted from the earth’s surface or its clouds. When the visible light radiometers produce images, they represent sunlight reflected off of objects on the Earth, which could be clouds, water, vegetation or something else. The radiometers measure radiation wavelengths between 10 and 12 microns. When these radiometers produce images, it is representative of heat rather than light, cold is white and hot is black. These are beneficial because it gives information day and night, unlike visual imagery.
The IR satellite images are used to tell if clouds are height or low based on temperature, cold means high clouds while warm means low. Knowing cloud heights and temperatures help determine where weather will be coming from, or what will be forming in the future. Visible images help determine cloud types based on their visibility. The visibility is based on the number of water drops in it to reflect light. Knowing cloud types helps determine where rain or storms are happening, where is starts or and where it will end.
Less commonly used is water vapor imagery. It can be used in some situations when areas cant be seen visibly or are being covered by clouds hiding the temp below. Satellites help determine cloud types, cloud heights, and even surface temperatures; they play a very pivotal role in modern day meteorology. Essay #3 On the earth, there are 4 primary air masses, and one that isn’t as common. Their temperatures as well as their moisture levels characterize them. Of the 4 primary air masses, two are warm and two are cold, two are on land and two are over water.
There are letters that help define the air masses; they are the letter c and m, and the letters P and T. The lowercase c stands for continental, meaning over land, and the lowercase m stands for maritime, meaning over water. The uppercase P stands for polar, signifying cold air, and the uppercase T stands for tropical meaning warm air. When put together the air masses come out as so: mP (marine polar), mT (maritime tropical), cP (continental polar), mP (maritime polar). Its cool in the winter and mild air in the summer as well as its humid air characterizes mP air. P air forms around the northern Atlantic Ocean, as well as some parts of the northern Pacific Ocean. mT air is known for being quite warm and humid year round.
This air mass forms in the mid Pacific Ocean, the mid Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Indian Ocean. Its very cold air in the winter and cool air during the summer, as well as its severe lacking of humidity characterizes cP air. It forms in the very northern parts of the Atlantic Ocean, as well as some parts of the Arctic Ocean. Its cool temperatures characterize cT air in the winters and warm in the summer, as well as its dryness.
This air mass forms on landmasses close by the equator as well as near shorelines; some specifics would be California, South Africa, Australia, and even parts of North Africa. The last air mass often forgotten is cA air. The capital A stands for arctic. cA air is bitter cold and quite dry. cA air forms very close to both of the earths poles. These air masses are huge parts of the earth’s weather and atmosphere. Some are very similar as others are very different, they bring rise to many weather phenomenon. 3. 5/4 sources
