Meteo 003 Lab 3Due Friday September 18

3.12ab, 3.13abcde, 3.15ab, 3.16ab4.1ab, 4.2, 4.6, 4.7b, 4.8

3.12ab

• a) Gulf Stream– Originates in the Gulf of Mexico,

travels around the tip of Florida and continues along the eastern coastline.

– Current of relatively warm ocean water.

• b) Map interpretation– Use the color coding on the map

to interpret temperatures.

3.13abcde

• All about Seasonality – Large bodies of water moderate temperature• Coastlines and islands vs. landlocked areas

– Prevailing wind direction • West coast vs. east coast

– Location of Gulf Stream (Part e)

3.15ab

• a)– To compute the diurnal range,

average the difference between maximum and minimum temperatures over the 10 years of data.

• b)– How would clouds affect max

and min temperatures?

3.16a

7080 70

3.16b

• Albedo- Amount of solar energy reflected back into Space– Dark objects have low albedos (absorb more than

reflect)• Asphalt, soil

– Light objects have high albedos (reflect more than absorb)• Ice, snow

4.1a

• Relative Humidity– How much water vapor is

present compared to how much before the air becomes saturated?

– Warm air can contain more water vapor than cold air.

• Given Dew Point is constant• What does this mean in

terms of water vapor present throughout the night?

4.1b

Dew Point Depression = Temperature – Dew Point• Things to consider– Time of day dew point depression is greatest/least– What happens when dew point depression = 0?

4.2

• Fog can be considered a low lying cloud.

• Fog forms where air is saturated. – What does the dew

point depression equal when air is saturated?

4.6

• Relative Humidity = Vapor Pressure/ Equilibrium Vapor Pressure * 100%

• Given 2 out of 3 variables in equation, you will solve for missing variable

• Ex).RH = 75%Vapor Pressure = 9mbEq. Vapor Pressure = ?

4.7b

• Pacific Ocean Vs. Gulf of Mexico– Which is generally warmer/colder?– Higher temperatures increase

evaporation rate, lead to more water vapor in the atmosphere

4.8

• Density = mass/volume• Given two parcels of air with equal volumes.• Calculate molecular mass to determine

density of air. • Ex). Oxygen = 16AMU, Hydrogen = 1AMU– What is the molecular mass of H2O?

• 2 Hydrogen + 1 Oxygen = 2 x 1AMU + 16AMU = 18AMU– What is the molecular mass of O2? N2?

3.12ab, 3.13abcde, 3.15ab, 3.16ab4.1ab, 4.2, 4.6, 4.7b, 4.8

Thursday Office Hours:Astrid (ais5396@psu.edu): 10-11 AM in 623 WalkerJosh (jig5374@psu.edu): 2-3 PM in 6th Floor Walker Wx CenterZach (zmg5025@psu.edu): 4-5 PM in 6th Floor Walker Wx Center