Powerpoint Presentation of Weather Clutter & Detection of

Target in Clutter
What is weather?

Weather describes the

state of the atmosphere
at any particular time.
Weather can be
described in terms of
temperature,
precipitation (snow, rain
& hail), wind speed and
direction, visibility and
cloud amounts.
What is Climate?
Climate describes the
average weather of a
particular part of the
world at different times
of the year
In Britain we would
expect cool summers
and mild winters with
moderate rainfall
throughout the year
The Weather Station

A weather station
makes continuous
measurements of
different aspects of the
weather.

Weather stations use

standard instruments
so that their readings
can be compared.
Temperature

Temperature is
recorded using
thermometers housed
inside a Stevenson
screen

Weather stations record

both air temperature
and the temperature of
the ground
Precipitation
Rainfall, snow, hail and
fog.
Rainfall is measured in
a raingauge.
Some raingauges
record rainfall
automatically whilst
others are emptied
everyday by an
observer
Wind
The direction and
strength of the wind are
both measured
A wind vane measures
direction
An anemometer records
strength
Wind strength can also be
measured using the
Beaufort Scale
The Beaufort Scale
Pressure
Pressure is the weight of
the atmosphere
When air rises pressure
falls
When air sinks pressure
increases
Pressure controls the
type of weather
Barometers and
barographs record
pressure
Sunshine

A note is made of the

number of hours of
bright sunshine each
day

Sunshine is traditionally
measured using a
Campbell-Stokes
sunshine recorder
Cloud

The amount of the sky

obscured by cloud
Different types of
clouds
Sometimes even the
speed and direction in
which the clouds are
moving are recorded
using a nephoscope
Temperature

In summer it gets
warmer the further
south you go

In winter it gets warmer

the further west you go

In Britain temperature is
affected by latitude
and the sea
Temperature: Latitude
Temperature: Summer &
Winter
In winter the northern hemisphere is tilted away from
the sun so the s u n ’ s rays are weaker
In summer the northern hemisphere is tilted towards
the sun so the s u n ’ s rays are stronger
Temperature: Summer &
Winter
During the course of
the year the Earth tilts
towards and away from
the sun

The mid-points of this

cycle are called the
equinoxes (spring and
autumn)
Temperature: The Sea
The North
Atlantic Drift is
a warm ocean
current
originating in the
Caribbean
It moves across
the Atlantic
keeping the west
of Britain warmer
than the east in
winter
Winter in Canada & Britain
Rainfall

In Britain it rains the

most in the west and in
mountainous areas
Rain is brought across
Britain from weather
systems called
depressions
In summer showers
result from convection
on warm days
How it rains

The surface is heated

by the sun
Air rises
Air expands and cools
Air condenses

Water droplets grow to

form raindrops
Air can rise in different
ways
Relief rainfall
Cyclonic Rainfall

Depressions are areas

of low pressure formed
when cold and warm air
meet
The warm air rises
above the cold air to
form a front
There are two types of
fronts depending on the
way in which the air
masses are moving.
Cyclonic Rainfall: Fronts

Warm fronts form

where warm air moves
towards cold air

Cold fronts form where

cold air moves towards
warm air

As air rises at fronts

both are responsible for
rain
Convectional rainfall

Common on hot
summer days inland
Hot air rises quickly and
condenses to form
cumulonimbus
Water freezes at the top
of the cloud forming hail
Associated with
lightning
Fair Weather

Fair weather is produced

by high pressure

High pressure forms

anticyclones

Air sinks and prevents the

formation of rain clouds

Anticyclones cause
heatwaves in summer
and frosty/foggy mornings
in winter
Forecasting the Weather
Modern forecasts use
computers to simulate
the likely weather
based on careful
observations from 100s
of weather stations
round the world
Satellite images and
radar give a better
picture of the weather
over a wide area
A Radar Image

Cyclonic rainfall
moving in from the
west
The brighter the
colour, the heavier
the rainfall
Mountains intensify
the rain such as over
the Scottish
Highlands