Atmospheric Sciences 101: Weather Spring 2008

Syllabus

WOW denotes World of Weather
CN denotes Course Notes
Links are enrichment, not required reading

Heating the Atmosphere, Air Temperature

• WOW: Chapter 1: Weather Analysis: Tools of the Trade
  WOW: Chapter 2: The Global Ledger of Heat Energy
  CN: Unit 1: Heat Transfer
  CN: Unit 7: Frames 1-17 (The Seasons)
  The development of thermometers and temperature scales
  
  

• WOW: Chapter 3: Global and Local Controllers of Temperature
  CN: Unit 2: Air Temperature
  Wind Chill
  What do inversions have to do with this photo?
  

Clouds and Air Mass Thunderstorms 

• WOW: Chapter 8: The Role of Stability in Weather
  WOW: Chapter 9: Thunderstorms
  CN: Unit 5: Frames 1-55
  CN: Unit 11: Frames 1-7, 32-37
  NOAA Cloud Classification Guide
  Annual variation in worldwide lightning distribution
  Electric skies (short version)
  The best cloud collection on the web (does have lots of advertising)
  Myths of lightning safety
  

Mid-Latitude Highs and Lows

• WOW: Chapter 12: Linking Surface and Upper-Air Patterns
  WOW: Chapter 13: The Cyclone Model
  CN: Unit 8: Air Masses, Fronts and Middle-Latitude Cyclones
  Temperature variations around a strong low
  Life cycle of mid-latitude cyclone developing in the North Pacific
  Cold-air outbreak over the Great Lakes
  Time lapse of infrared water vapor imagery showing dry air around low
  Relation between 500-mb short wave (color fill) and surface cyclone developement (isobars in black contours)
  
  

Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

• WOW: Chapter 14: Spawning Severe Weather
  WOW: Chapter 15: A Closer Look at Tornadoes
  CN: Unit 11: Frames 8-31
  Annual Variations in the US Distribution of Tornadoes
  Tornado FAQ
  Supercell and Tornado Photos
  Mammatus Photos
  Nice series of photos of a mesocyclone
  NOAA Storm prediction center
  

Atmospheric Optics

• Rainbows: WOW: pp. 379-381
• A tremendous "Atmospheric Optics" site
  Rainbow light paths
  Build a rainbow