WATER IN

THE
ATMOSPHE
RE

CONDENSATION
Condition of a vapor to a liquid. This is
frequently achieved by letting the
vapor come into contact with a cold
surface. It is the process by which
vapor turns into fine water droplets
to form cloud.
Condition in the atmosphere occurs
when the air becomes completely
saturated and is unable to hold any
more water vapor.

RAIN
Is frequently associated
with warm weather fronts
because the air rises and
cools, allowing the water
the air becomes saturated
is known as the dew point.

CLOUD
A cloud is formed when
vapor condensed into
minute and water
particles float in
masses in the
atmosphere.

CIRRUS AND
CIRROSTRATUS
Clouds

occurs at around
10km. It is also called
Mares-Tails consist of minute
speck stretch across the sky
as a thin white sheet.

THREE

TYPES OF
CLOUDS ARE FOUND AT
3-7 KM
CIRROCUMULUS
ALTOCUMULUS
ALTOSTRATUS

CIRROCUMULUS
Clouds

occur in small or
large rounded tufts,
sometimes arranged in
the pattern called
Mackerel Sky.

ALTOCUMULUS
Clouds are similar,
but larger, white
clouds, also
arranged in lines.

ALTOSTRALUS
Clouds are like heavy
cirrostratus clouds and
may stretch across the
sky as a gray sheet.

STRATOCUMULUS
Clouds

are generally
lower, occurring at 2.6km.
It is dull gray clouds the
give rise to a leaden sky
that may not yield rain.

TWO TYPES OF CLOUDS

CUMULUS

CLOUDS
CUMOLONIMBUS
CLOUDS

TWO TYPES OF CLOUDS

This

clouds are placed in a

special category because
they are produced by daily
ascending air currents,
which take moisture in the
cooler regions of the
atmosphere.

CUMULUS CLOUDS
Have flat base generally
at 1.4 km where
condensation begins,
while the upper part is
dome shaped and
extends to about 1.8km.

CUMOLONIMBUS CLOUDS
Have

a base the same the

cumulus clouds, but extends
much higher, often up to
overly km. Short heavy
showers and sometimes
thunder may accompany
them.

STATUS CLOUDS
Occurring

below 12.5km, have the

appearance of sheets
parallel to the horizon
and are like high fogs.

In

water cycle, clouds

are important in the
regulation of
radiation in the
Earths atmosphere.

WATER CYCLE
Is

the natural circulation of water

through the upper of the Earth. It
is a complex system involving a
number of physical and chemical
processes (such as evaporation,
precipitation, and infiltration)
and stores ( such as rivers
oceans, and soil).

WEATHER
Is a variation of atmospheric conditions
at any one place over a short period of
time. Such conditions include humidity,
precipitation, temperature, cloud cover,
visibility, and wind.
Weather differs from climate, in that the
latter is a composite of the average
weather conditions of a locality or region
over a long period of time( at least 30
years).

WEATHER FORECASTS
Forecasts

are based on current

metrological data, and predict likely
weather for a particular area.
Short-range- covering a period of
one or two days.
Medium-range-five to seven days
Long-range- a month or more

 Weather

observations are made on

an hourly basis at meteorological
recording stations, there are more
3,500 all over the world. More than
140 nations participate in the
exchange of weather data through
the World Weather Watch
programme, w/c is sponsored by the
World Meteorological
Organization(WMO) and information
is distributed among the member
nations by means of a world wide

MODERN FORECASTING
Meteorologists,

aided by
communications and computer
technology, are increasing able to
refine the accuracy of forecasts, but
however sophisticated the
techniques become there will always
be an element of the unknown in any
forecast, w/c as shown by the Chaos
Theory, is unlikely to be eliminated.

AIR MASS
It

is large boldly of air with

particular characteristics
of temperature and
humidity. An air mass
forms when air rests over
an are long enough to pick
up the conditions of that
area.

FOUR TYPES OF AIR MASSES

1. TROPICAL CONTINENTAL (TC)- air
masses form over warm land.
2. TROPICAL MARITIME (TM)- masses
form over warm seas.
3. POLAR CONTINENTAL (PC)- air
masses form over cold land
4. POLAR or ARTIC MARITIME (PM or
AM)- form over cold seas

CLIMATE
The

combination of
weather conditions at a
particular place over
period of time usually a
minimum of 30 years is
called climate.

PRIMARY
FACTORS
INVOLVING
CLIMATE
CLASSIFICATION

 Latitude

(as a result of the Earths

rotation and orbit)
Ocean current
Large-scale movement of wind belts
and air masses over the Earths
surface
Temperature differences between
land and sea surfaces.
Topography
Continent positions
Vegetation

CLIMATOLOGY
The

scientific study of
climate, includes not present
day climates, their effects
and their classifications, but
also long term climate
changes, covering both past
climates and future
predictions.

CLIMATOLOGIST
Concerned

with the influence

of human activity on climate
change the most important of
w/c at both a local and global
level, are those currently
linked w/ ozone depletes and
the greenhouse effect.

CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION

The word climate come from the Greek

KLIMA means an inclination or slope
(referring to the angel of the Suns rays,
and thus latitude.) in recent times,
many different systems of classifying
climate have been devised most of
which follow that formulated by the
German climatologist WLADIMIR
KOPPEN (1846-1940) in 1900.

These systems use vegetation based

classification such as desert, tundra and
rainforest. Classification by air mass is used
in conjuction with this method. This idea
was first introduces in 1928 by the
NORWEGIAN meteorologist TOR BERGERON,
links the climate of an area with the
movement of the air masses it experiences.
In the 18th century, the British scientist
GEORGE HADLEY developed a model of the
general circulation of atmosphere based on
convection. He proposed a simple pattern
of cells of warm air rising at the Equator and
descending at the poles.

THREE

PAIRS OF
CELLS IN THE
HEMISPHERE DUE
TO ROTATIONS OF
THE EARTH

The first two of these consist of air that rises

at the Equator and sinks at latitudes north and
south of the tropics.
The second two exist at the mid-latitudes
where the rising air from the sub tropics flows
towards the cold air masses.
The third pair of cells circulating from the two
POLAR REGIONS.
*These are three rainy regions (at the Equator
and the temperate latitudes resulting from the
moisture-laden rising air, interspersed and
bounded by four dry or desert reggions( at
the poler and sub tropics) resulting from the
dry descending air. *

PREVAILING WINDS

Regions are also affected by different wind systems

because of the Earth rotation and the uneven heating
surface. Air is heated by radiation from the sun, it
expands and rises and cooler air flows into take its
place. These are deflected to the right and the
northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern
hemisphere. This effect, which is greater in the higher
latitude, is known as the CORIOLIS EFFECTS. Because
winds transport heat and moisture, they affected the
temperature humidity, precipitation and cloudiness of
an area. As a result, region w/ different prevailing wind
directions may have different changes.

TEMPERATURE VARIATION

The amount of heat received by the Earth from

the Sun varies with latitude and season. In
equatorial regions, there is long winters when
there is little incoming solar radiation. The
temperature of the sea, and of the air above it,
varies little in the course of day or nigh, where as
the surface of the land is rapidly cooled by lack of
solar radiation. This is result in winds blowing from
the sea, which relative to the land are warm in
winter and cool in summer, while winds
originating from the central parts of continents are
hot in summer and cold in winter.

VEGETATION (BASED IN
CLIMATES)

Rainfall is produced by the condensation of water vapor

in air. When winds blow against arrange of mountains
the air is forced to ascend, resulting in precipitation
(rain or snow). The varied distribution of land and sea
areas produces the complexity of the general
circulation of the atmosphere; this is turn, directly
affects the distribution of climate. Centred on the
Equator is a belt of tropical rainforest, which may be
either constantly wet or monsoonal (having wet and
dry seasons in each year). Where the desert extends
into middle latitude, however, the zone of
Mediterranean and moist temperature climates ate
missing, and the transition is from desert to a cold
climate with moist winters.

POSSIBLE CAUSES OF CLIMATE

VARIATION
Fluctuations

in the amount of solar

radiation reaching the Earth. Ex. Sunspot
Variation in the Earths orbit around the
Sun, know as the Milan Kovitch hypothesis
Volcanic eruption
El Nino Phenomenon
Cloud seeding
Global effects of acids rain from industrial
emissions

THREE

MAJOR
GROUPS OF CLIMATES
(BASED ON YEARLY
TEMPERATURE
AVERAGES)

TROPICAL CLIMATE ZONEit is near the equator and receive the most
direct sunlight all year. The average
temperature stays above 18C.
POLAR CLIMATE ZONEpolar climate are near the poles and
receive a lot of sunlight in the summer.
The average temperature is 10C or less.
TEMPERATE CLIMATE ZONEthe temperate climates are between the
polar and tropical climates. These are
neither very hot. The average temperature
during the year is between 10C and 18C.

WATER IN THE
ATMOSPHERE
PRESENTED BY:
EMELYN NEMIS
BCSA-1