Meteorology Fun 4 Kids By Shemar Dsouza and John Bayolken
Wind Currents Winds are named after the direction from which they come from. The globe has six major wind belts, three in each half of the earth. From pole to equator they are the polar easterlies, the westerlies and the trade winds. All six belts move north in the northern summer and south in the northern winter. The Westerlies blow from the west Trade winds blow mostly from the northeast toward the equator. The Easterlies blow from the east. Land can gain and lose heat faster than water. During the day the land warms faster than the water. The air above land warms, becomes thinner and rises bringing in cooler air l from the sea. At night the opposite happens and the cool heavy air from the land flows out to sea. These land and sea breezes are important along the coast.
The Atmosphere The Atmosphere is a very important factor to earth. The atmosphere is a layer of gases that surround the earth. It helps sustain all the life on earth. The Sun helps the atmosphere, it gives the energy through convention for the atmosphere. Earth's atmosphere took over 2 billion years to form and within the atmosphere is actually 3 different atmospheres. Earths 3rd atmosphere is the one we know of today. It contains co2 and oxygen which lets us breathe. The
Ocean Currents An ocean current is a continuously flowing stream of water made by the movement of ocean water. Ocean currents can travel over long distances and are very powerful. Currents help transform the climate of different areas flowing either cold or warm water to an area. Ocean currents are caused by temperature or salt difference in the water. They are also affected by the pull of
High/Low Pressure Low Pressure is located in an area where the pressure is lower than other areas. Low pressure can cause clouds, precipitation, and other bad weather such as tropical storms and cyclones. High pressure is located in an area where its pressure is higher than areas around it. High pressure areas are caused when the air in the high areas cools it becomes heavier and moves toward the ground. These areas can cause anti cyclones. (The background)
Convection As the air rises, it cools causing some of the water vapor in the air to press together. Atmospheric convection is the product of temperature difference. Different types of dry and moist air lead to imbalance. If this happens during the day it leads to increased winds, low lying clouds and it lowers the temperature it takes dew to form.Wet convection leads to thunderstorms , which is often responsible for bad weather throughout the world. Threats of thunderstorms include hail, and tornadoes. Warm air has a lower density than cool air, so warm air rises within cooler air. Clouds form as warmer air carrying moisture rises
Fronts Cold Fronts:A huge moving mass of cold air. Warm Fronts: A huge moving mass of warm air. Stationary front: When a cold and warm front collide and don't move past each other.
Occluded Fronts: When a cold front
Hurricane/Tornado Hurricane: A cyclone that forms at earth's sea level. It is formed in low pressure areas and are known also as tropical cyclones. The ocean is important to the forming of hurricanes and hurricanes wouldnt be possible without the ocean. Tornado: Tornadoes are formed when both high pressure and low pressure air interact. A low pressure draws in high pressure air to form the tornado.
Sun and Sun's Energy The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System.The sun is responsible for every living thing on the planet. We wouldn't be alive without the suns energy. Earth's land, oceans and atmosphere absorb solar radiation that comes from the sun. Warm air containing water droplets from the oceans rises, causing atmospheric circulation or convection. The sun and the suns energy drives convection within the atmosphere and oceans, producing winds and ocean currents. We wouldn't be alive without the sun
Isotherm And Isobar An Isothermal process is a change in the system in which the temperature stays the same. An isobar is the line of equal or constant pressure on a graph, plot or map. Isobars are lines drawn on a map joining places of equal average atmospheric pressure.
Types of Precipitation Types Of Precipitants... - Rain - Snow - Sleet - Hail Precipitation is formed when the atmosphere cannot hold anymore water vapor and then condenses and falls back to earth as either rain, snow, sleet or hail.
Types of Clouds Types of Clouds - Cirrus - Cumulus - Stratus - Cirrostratus - Cumulonimbus - Stratocumulus - Nimbostratus - Altocumulus - Altostratus
Dew Points The dew point is the temperature below which the water vapor in a volume of humid air at a given constant.
The dew point basically depends on the humidity in the air.
How Scientists Use Images The first satellites were used to measure the new space and environment but now they are used for communicating, analyzing earth's crust and also to see weather. The scientists then take those pictures and check that area out with their tools and etc.
Meteorological Instruments Compass - navigational instrument for finding directions. Anemometer measures wind speed. Barometer measures air pressure. It tells you whether or not the pressure is rising or falling. Thermometer measures the air temperature. Most thermometers are closed glass tubes containing liquids such as alcohol or mercury.
Weather Balloon measures weather conditions higher up in the atmosphere. Hygrometer measures the water vapor content of air or the humidity. Rain Gauge measures the amount of rain that has fallen over a specific time period. Wind Vane is an instrument that determines the direction from which the wind is blowing. Weather Maps Meteorologists use weather maps to forecast the weather.