Atmo 170A1 Final Exam
Study Outline
Final Exam: MWF
class: Fri., Dec. 9, 3:30-5:30 pm, ILC 150
T Th class: Tue., Dec. 13, 8 -10 am, Gallagher
Theater
Reviews:
Wed.,
Dec.
7,
2:00-2:50
pm,
ILC
150
Thu., Dec. 8, 2:00-4:00
pm, Haury (Anthropology) 129
Mon., Dec. 12, 1:00 - 3:00
pm, Haury (Anthropology) 129
The numbers in parenthesis refer to pages in the photocopied ClassNotes
1. Composition of
the atmosphere (p. 1): N2, O2, H2O,
Ar,
and CO2. H2O and CO2 are main
greenhouse gases. Importance of water vapor. Carbon dioxide cycle (how
is CO2 added to and removed from the air). Concern over
changing concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases
& climate change. Atmospheric evolution (what important
atmospheric gas didn't come from volcanoes?)
2. Air Pollution (pps 7-16):
Carbon
monoxide
(CO) - incomplete combustion, early morning and wintertime pollutant.
Surface inversion layers. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) - London type
smog, acid
rain. Tropospheric ozone - key component of photochemical smog or Los
Angeles type smog, summertime afternoon pollutant.
3. Stratospheric ozone (pps 17-22):
natural
production and destruction of ozone in the ozone layer, destroyed by
CFCs
4. Mass, weight, density,
pressure (pps 23-26, 29-35b)::
gravity
pulls
downward
on
a
mass producing weight. Pressure is a
measure of the weight of the air above. Mercury barometer. Typical sea
level pressure values and units. Air pressure and air density
(mass/volume) both decrease with increasing altitude.
5.
Layers
in
the
atmosphere:
troposphere, tropopause, and stratosphere. Temperature inversion
(stable air layer).
6. Ideal gas law (pps 49-54):
How are P,
N,
V,
T, and density related? Temperature and density usually change in a way
that keeps pressure constant. Vertical forces on air parcels, free
convection. Archimedes law.
7. Surface weather maps (pps 36-40c, 148a-149b):
Station
model notation, average and usual range of sea level pressure values,
isobars
and isotherms, winds around highs and lows. Symbols used for cold,
warm, stationary, and occluded fronts. Cyclones and anticyclones,
convergence and divergence, rising and sinking air, pressure gradient
and wind speed.
8. Upper level maps (pps 115-119):
constant
pressure charts with height contours, ridges and
troughs (warm and cold air below). Winds blow parallel to the
contours and from west to east.
9. Energy and temperature (pps
45-46a):
temperature
is
a
measure
of
average
kinetic
energy.
Temperature
scales.
Delta
T
and
Delta
E
relationship,
specific
heat
10. Energy transport (pps 43-44,
47-48a, 55-58):
conduction,
convection, latent heat (names of various phase changes, is energy
absorbed or given off).
11.
Electromagnetic (EM) radiation (pps 59-61):
static electricity and electric fields, wavelength, frequency, and
energy.
EM spectrum -
UV, visible, and IR light.
12. Rules (pps 65a-67):
governing the emission
(kind and
amount) of radiation.
13. Energy balance (pps 70a-72c):
on
the earth
with and without an atmosphere. Selective absorption of radiation by
earth's atmosphere. Greenhouse gases and greenhouse effect. Effects of
clouds on daytime and nighttime temperatures.
14. Humidity (pps 83-91, 93)::
saturation,
humidity
variables - mixing ratio, saturation mixing ratio, relative humidity
and dew point temperature. Rain shadow effect, heat index, Dew and
frost. Cloud condensation nuclei
15 Identifying and naming clouds (pps
95-100):
ten
cloud
types,
key
words.
Satellite
photographs
of clouds.
16. Formation of precipitation (pps 101-102):
collision coalescence process and ice crystal process.
Types of precipitation (pps 103, 104a):
rain,
drizzle, snow, graupel, hail, sleet, freezing rain, virga. Radar.
17. Newton's 1st law of
motion (pps 121-130):
Forces that determine surface and
upper level winds: PGF, Coriolis force, friction. Rules for
direction and strength.
18. Upper level winds: (pps 121-130):
winds
blow
parallel to contours. Northern and
southern hemispheres, net inward force needed for spinning motion..
Surface winds: northern and
southern hemisphere, convergence and divergence, rising and sinking
motions.
19. Thermal Circulations and the
3-cell model (pps 131-134): land and sea breezes, global
scale pressure
belts and winds
20.
Thunderstorms (pps 150-154a, 159-160): air
mass
(3-stage life cycle) and severe (tilted updraft). Gust front, shelf
cloud, mammatus cloud, wind shear, microburst, anvil cloud.
21. Tornadoes (pps 161-164):
general
characteristics, life cycle, Fujita scale. Mesocyclone and wall cloud,
hook echo on radar.
22. Lightning (pps 165-168):
thunderstorm
charge
structure, intracloud and cloud-to-ground lightning (stepped leader,
return stroke, multiple strokes), lightning safety, distance to a
lightning strike.
23.
Hurricanes (typhoons and cyclones) (pps 141-146a):
Formation (where and when). Eye, eye wall, spiral rain bands, low
pressure & converging winds at surface, high pressure &
diverging winds aloft. Stages of storm development. Storm surge and
hurricane damage,
Saffir-Simpson scale.
Note:
The final exam usually consists of 50+ multiple choice, word
choice, fill-in-the-blank style questions (like those on this
semester's quizzes). The final will include:
15 questions from this semester's 5 quizzes (4 quizzes +
practice quiz)
10 questions (at least) from the Fall
2003
final
exam
5 questions about hurricanes (taken from this list of
questions)