Atmo 170A1  Final Exam Study Outline
Final Exams:
Sect. 1 (11:00 am class) Monday, May 9, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm, ILC 150
Sect. 4 (1:00 pm class) Monday, May 9, 1:00 - 3:00 pm, ILC 130
You can take the exam at either time.  If you take the exam with the other section (i.e. other than the section you're enrolled in) please let me know ahead of time.
                     
Reviews:
Wed., May 4, during our normally scheduled class
Thu., May 5, 1:30 - 3:30 pm, Haury 129

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 CO2 added to and removed from the atmosphere).  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 (O3)  - key component of photochemical smog or Los Angeles type smog, summertime afternoon pollutant.  Particulate matter.  Scattering of light.
3. Stratospheric ozone: importance, natural production and destruction of ozone in the ozone layer, stratospheric ozone is 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 (Charles Law). Vertical forces on air parcels, free convection.  Archimedes law.

7. Station model notation & surface weather maps: Average and usual range of sea level pressure values, isobars and isotherms, winds around highs and lows. Symbols used for cold & warm fronts, crossectional structure. Cyclones and anticyclones, convergence and divergence, rising and sinking air, pressure gradient and wind speed.
8. Upper level maps: 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), electromagnetic radiation

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 (radiative equilibrium): on the earth with and without an atmosphere. Selective absorption of radiation by earth's atmosphere. Greenhouse gases and the 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. Cloud condensation nuclei

15. Identifying and naming clouds: ten cloud types, key words.   Infrared and visible 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.

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 any kind of spinning motion..
      Surface winds: blow across the contour lines toward low pressure, northern and southern hemisphere, convergence and divergence, rising and sinking motions.

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

22. 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 about 50+ multiple choice, word choice, fill-in-the-blank style questions (like those on this semester's quizzes). The final will include:
15  questions (at least) 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