GLG 121 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Rain Shadow, Warm Front, Cold Front
26 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
The process by which water is transported from the atmosphere to the surface of earth by gravity. A cyclone is a large air mass (hundreds of miles in extent) with low pressure at the center and winds blowing in a rotational pattern. Advancing warm air mass that overtakes a retreating cold air mass. Cold air mass displaces warm air mass. Less than 100 miles zone of precipitation: convection. Due to differences in temperature (albedo) of proximal ground surface. Differing heat capacities of material on surface. Conducive to thunderstorm formation: orographic lifting. Physical barrier, like a mountain, that causes an air mass to lift and cool. Airmass sinks on leeward side, causing warming (unusually high temperatures) Ex: rain shadow diagram of washington state: standard gauge: measures rainfall over 24-hour period, recording gauge: (same as standard) but also records when the most precipitation occurs, radar: uses wavelengths. Geographic precipitation patterns: latitude (coriolis effect)
