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Chapter 5 Observing the Atmosphere Key Terms Active sensors Anemometer Aneroid barometer Broken bow Ceilometer Cloud ceiling Corona Crepuscular rays Critical angle Cup anemometer Dew point hygrometer Diffraction Direct methods Dispersion Doppler effect Doppler radar Dual polarization radars Fata morgana GEO satellite Geometric scattering Global positioning system GPS Summary Glory Green flash Halo Haze Index of refraction Indirect methods Inferior mirage Infrared satellite image Iridescence LEO satellite Mercury barometer Mirage Normal Passive sensors Primary rainbow Propellers Psychrometer Radar Radar echo Radar reflectivity Radiometers Radiosonde Rainbow Rain gauge Rawinsonde Rayleigh scattering Reflection Refraction Resistance thermometer Scattering Secondary rainbow Sling psychrometer Sonic anemometers Sounding Sundogs Sun pillar Superior mirage Surface waves Total internal reflection Visibility Visible satellite image Water vapor satellite image Wind profiler Windsock Wind vane We can observe the atmosphere in several ways Direct methods measure the properties of the air in contact with the instrument that is sensing it Indirect methods can be either passive or active Active sensors emit pulses of energy and observe what comes back to the sensor A passive sensor sees whatever energy naturally comes to it Our eyes passively sense visible light whereas meteorological can observe in many different regions can observe in many different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum Observations of the atmosphere both direct and indirect methods contribute greatly to our understanding of weather and climate The ASOS in the United States observes and records surface temperature humidity pressure wind precipitation cloud ceiling and visibility data as often as once a minute Rawinsondes provide twice a day observations of temperature humidity and wind from the surface into the stratosphere Satellites observe the global atmosphere by indirect methods The three most common weather satellite images are the visible IR and water vapor images from geostationary satellites Visible images provide detailed views of clouds but only during daytime IR satellite images reveal storm systems via their cloud patterns 24 hours a day Water vapor images provide meteorologists with information in both cloudy and cloud free regions of the upper and middle troposphere Radar actively senses radio waves scattered by large water and ice particles and converts them into information about precipitation Doppler radar reveals wind patterns within a storm by tracking the relative motions of precipitation particles Wind profilers provide detailed wind information fro the surface to the lower stratosphere Light can be reflected bent or refracted scattered and diffracted and its colors can be dispersed One or more of these processes can cause beautiful optical effects in the sky The most famous the rainbow is caused by the reflection refraction and dispersion of light in raindrops Refraction of light by ice crystals causes halos and sundogs Refraction of light by layers of air of different temperatures produces mirages Scattering of light by air molecules causes blue skies red sunsets and white clouds with dark bases Diffraction of light creates white fuzzy coronas


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UMD AOSC 200 - Chapter 5: Observing the Atmosphere

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