Earths Energy Balance

There is an equilibrium between

incoming radiation and outgoing
radiation.

The Suns energy drives the

hydrologic cycle and all weather
phenomena on Earth.
Earths Energy Balance

Figure 10.4
 The Atmosphere
It is composed of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%).

Water vapour in the atmosphere can result in cloud

development and the formation of precipitation.
 Structure of the Atmosphere
All weather (i.e. clouds
and precipitation) is
confined to the
troposphere.

Figure 10.7
 Clouds
Cloud names generally contain a prefix and a suffix.

The prefix describes the height of the cloud; the

suffix describes its appearance.

Prefixes: Suffixes:
High cloud: Puffy:
Mid-level cloud: Flat:
Low cloud:

Ex:
Clouds

Figure 10.8
 Atmospheric Pressure
It is a force exerted on the Earths
surface by the weight of air molecules.

It is also called barometric pressure and

is measured with a barometer.

Figure 10.9
 Pressure Systems

In the Northern Hemisphere:

Figure 10.10
At areas of low pressure, air circulates counter-
clockwise and rises. Result:

At areas of high pressure, air circulates clockwise

and sinks. Result:
 Fronts
A front marks the boundary between two air masses.

The name of the front describes the type of air

behind that front.
Fronts

Figure 10.11
 Thunderstorms
At any moment, there are approximately 2000
thunderstorms occurring on Earth.

Thunderstorm development Days per year with

thunderstorms
requires:
 Thunderstorm
Development
They develop in three stages:
cumulus, mature, dissipative

Figure 10.17
 Hail
It is formed during
thunderstorms in very
tall clouds.

Updrafts in the cloud

repeatedly force a
water droplet upward.
 Hail
The ball of ice eventually becomes heavy enough to
fall to the surface.

China (2002)
 Lightning
Definition:

The majority of lightning strikes within the cloud.

Lightning heats the air causing the air to expand thus

creating a shockwave (thunder).
 Causes of Lightning
What is the main requirement for lightning?

The interaction of ice crystals,

hailstones, and water droplets
result in a separate distribution
of charges in the cloud.
 Tornado
Definition:
A rotating column of air touching the ground that
formed within a supercell thunderstorm.
Characteristics of Tornadoes
On average they are approximately
300 metres wide.

They travel from the southwest toward the

northeast at an average speed of 50 km/h.
 Tornado Life Cycle
Tornadoes exist in three defined stages:

Organizational Stage

Mature Stage

Rope Stage
Tornado Formation
 Classifying Tornadoes
Enhanced Fujita Scale:
Tornadoes are classified on a scale of EF0 to EF5,
based on the damage produced.

EF5 tornadoes:
 Tornado Alleys
The U.S. experiences the most tornadoes on Earth.
Canada experiences the 2nd most.

United States Tornado Alley

Canada Tornado Alley

 Tornado Alleys
Why do these tornado alleys exist?
 Canadas Tornado Alley
Tornadoes in Ontario occur when a southwesterly wind
brings warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico.
 Notable Tornadoes
April 3, 1974 Super Outbreak

9 people died when a

tornado destroyed the
Windsor Curling Club.

One of the strongest tornadoes in the

outbreak killed 23 people in Guin.
 Notable Tornadoes
The largest tornado outbreak in world history
occurred in 2011 from April 25th to April 28th.

In the southeast U.S. 358 tornadoes touched down

and 324 people were killed (239 in Alabama).
 Joplin Tornado
May 22, 2011
 Goderich Tornado

A tornado in Goderich killed 1 person and

destroyed much of the town core on Aug. 21, 2011.
 Goderich Tornado
The tornado was spotted over
Lake Huron on RADAR and a
warning was issued 12 minutes
before it reached the town.
 Moore Tornado
On May 20, 2013 an EF4 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma
killed 24 people.
 Moore Tornado

Advances in weather technology have greatly

improved warning systems over the past decade.
 Fog
It is a cloud with its base at the
Earths surface that reduces visibility
to less than 1 km.
 Snowstorms as Hazards
The worst natural disaster in Detroit in terms of
death toll was a snowstorm in 2003.
 Blizzards
They are intense winter storms with very specific
conditions:
 Lake Effect Snow
Snowbelts are
found downwind
of the lakes.
(In winter, the
wind is often from
the northwest).

Lake-effect snow is caused by cold air

moving over relatively warm water.
 Lake Effect Snow in
Southern Ontario
London and Kitchener frequently
receive lake effect snow from Lake
Huron causing high annual snowfall.

Windsor occasionally receives lake

effect snow from Lake Michigan.

City Average Annual

Snowfall (cm)
London 194
Kitchener 160
Windsor 129
Toronto 122
 Lake Effect Clouds

All of southern Ontario

frequently experiences lake
effect clouds in winter.
 Haboobs
These are sandstorms that occur
in arid and semi-arid regions.

What causes a haboob to form?

 Dust Devils
Definition:

How is it caused?
 Ice Storms
These are mainly caused by freezing rain. The weight
of the ice can pull down trees and power lines.
 Droughts
This is an extended period of unusually low
precipitation.

They cause water shortages that can lead to crop

failure. In developing countries, this may lead to
malnutrition and famine.
 Temperature and Humans
Wind Chill

It is a correction factor to a temperature reading

caused by the presence of wind making the air feel
cooler than the temperature suggests.

Humidex

It is a correction factor to a temperature reading

caused by high levels of humidity making the air
feel warmer than the temperature suggests.
Minimizing Severe Weather Hazards
Forecasting has improved dramatically with better
technology; 3-day forecasts are very accurate today.

Weather satellites detect cloud cover and aid in

forecasting hurricanes and mid-latitude cyclones.

Accuracy of weather forecasts

 Hazardous Weather
The most important job of a forecaster is to alert
the public of potentially dangerous weather.

Alerts are broken into three categories:

Watch:
An alert covering a wide area.

Ex:
 Hazardous Weather
Warning:
An alert that usually covers smaller areas.

Ex:

Advisory:

Ex: