EARTHSC 2GG3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Natural Disaster, Sensible Heat, Atmospheric Circulation
11 Sep 2018
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Energy: atmospheric processes involve huge amounts of energy, three main types of energy, potential stored energy, ex. Rock sitting at top of hill: kinetic energy of motion, ex. Clouds: comprise small water droplets or ice crystals, cumulus: puffy, fair-weather clouds, cumulonimbus: towering dark clouds; release tremendous amounts of energy during thunderstorms. Insert diagram long term effect = convection* In north america, they are most common during afternoon and evening hours in the spring and summer (energy needs to build up: mostly secondary effects that cause problems, ex. Severe thunderstorms: classified as severe if it has, wind speeds > 90 km/h or, hailstones > 1. 5 cm or, generates a tornado. Tornadoes: have killed an average of 50 people per year in the u. s, defined by a vortex extending downward from a cloud and touching the ground, called a funnel cloud when the vortex does not touch the ground.
