Atmo 170A1  Final Exam Study Outline

Final Exam:   MWF class: Fri., Dec. 7, 1:00 - 3:00 pm, ILC 150
                      T Th class: Tue., Dec. 11, 8 -10 am, ILC 150        
                      You are welcome to take the exam with the other section provided you let me know ahead of time.
Reviews:      Wed., Dec. 5, 2:00 - 2:50 pm, ILC 150 (notes from this review will appear online)
                    Thu., Dec. 6, 2 - 4 pm, Haury 216
                    Mon., Dec 10, 1 - 3 pm, Haury 216
  
Note: On the T Th exam, there is only 1 question (though it might be a multiple part question) from Topics 3, 5, 8, and 12 (i.e. one question per topic).   There are 4 questions from Topics 7 and 16 and 5 questions from Topic 23.  There are either 2 or 3 questions from all of the remaining topics.

1. Composition of the atmosphere: N₂, O₂, H₂O, Ar, and CO₂. H₂O and CO₂ are main greenhouse gases. Importance of water vapor. Carbon dioxide cycle (how is CO₂₂ and other greenhouse gases & climate change.  Atmospheric evolution (what important atmospheric gas didn't come from volcanoes?)
2. Air Pollution: Carbon monoxide (CO) - incomplete combustion, early morning and wintertime pollutant. Surface inversion layers. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) - London type smog, acid rain. Tropospheric ozone - key component of photochemical smog or Los Angeles type smog, summertime afternoon pollutant.
3. Stratospheric ozone: natural production and destruction of ozone in the ozone layer, destroyed by CFCs

4. Mass, weight, density, pressure: gravity pulls downward on a mass producing weight. Pressure is a measure of the weight of the air above. Mercury barometer. Typical sea level pressure values and units. Air pressure and air density (mass/volume) both decrease with increasing altitude.
5. Layers in the atmosphere: troposphere, tropopause, and stratosphere. Temperature inversion (stable air layer).
6. Ideal gas law: How are P, N, V, T, and density related? Temperature and density usually change in a way that keeps pressure constant. Vertical forces on air parcels, free convection.  Archimedes law.

7. Surface weather maps: Station model notation, average and usual range of sea level pressure values, isobars and isotherms, winds around highs and lows. Symbols used for cold, warm, stationary, and occluded fronts. Cyclones and anticyclones, convergence and divergence, rising and sinking air, pressure gradient and wind speed.
8. Upper level maps: constant pressure charts with height contours, ridges and troughs (warm and cold air below).  Winds blow parallel to the contours and from west to east.

9. Energy and temperature: temperature is a measure of average kinetic energy. Temperature scales. Delta T and Delta E relationship, specific heat
10. Energy transport: conduction, convection, latent heat (names of various phase changes, is energy absorbed or given off).

11. Electromagnetic (EM) radiation: static electricity and electric fields, wavelength, frequency, and energy. EM spectrum -  UV, visible, and IR light.
12. Rules: governing the emission (kind and amount) of radiation.

13. Energy balance: on the earth with and without an atmosphere. Selective absorption of radiation by earth's atmosphere. Greenhouse gases and greenhouse effect. Effects of clouds on daytime and nighttime temperatures.

14. Humidity:: saturation, humidity variables - mixing ratio, saturation mixing ratio, relative humidity and dew point temperature. Rain shadow effect, heat index, Dew and frost. Cloud condensation nuclei

15. Identifying and naming clouds: ten cloud types, key words.   Satellite photographs of clouds.

16. Formation of precipitation: collision coalescence process and ice crystal process.
      Types of precipitation: rain, drizzle, snow, graupel, hail, sleet, freezing rain, virga.  Radar.

17. Newton's 1st law of motion:
      Forces that determine surface and upper level winds: PGF, Coriolis force, friction. Rules for direction and strength.
18. Upper level winds: winds blow parallel to contours. Northern and southern hemispheres, net inward force needed for spinning motion..
      Surface winds: northern and southern hemisphere, convergence and divergence, rising and sinking motions.

19. Thermal Circulations and the 3-cell model:  land and sea breezes, global scale pressure belts and winds

20. Thunderstorms: air mass (3-stage life cycle) and severe (tilted updraft). Gust front, shelf cloud, mammatus cloud, wind shear, microburst, anvil cloud.
21. Tornadoes: general characteristics, life cycle, Fujita scale. Mesocyclone and wall cloud, hook echo on radar.
 
22. Lightning: thunderstorm charge structure, intracloud and cloud-to-ground lightning (stepped leader, return stroke, multiple strokes), lightning safety, distance to a lightning strike.

23. Hurricanes (typhoons and cyclones): Formation (where and when). Eye, eye wall, spiral rain bands, low pressure & converging winds at surface, high pressure & diverging winds aloft. Stages of storm development. Storm surge and hurricane damage, Saffir-Simpson scale.

Note:  The final exam usually consists of 50+ multiple choice, word choice, fill-in-the-blank style questions (like those on this semester's quizzes). The final will include:
15  questions from this semester's 5 quizzes (4 quizzes + practice quiz)
10 questions (at least) from the Fall 2003 final exam
5 questions about hurricanes (taken from this list of questions)