Physical Principles: The Thornthwaite Classification System

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt 

Physical Principles: Electricity in the Atmosphere

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt 

Physical Principles: A Closer Look at Divergence and Convergence

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt 

Physical Principles: Vorticity and the Maintenance of Rossby Waves

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt 

Physical Principles: What Causes El Ninos and La Ninas?

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt 

Physical Principles: The Dishpan Experiment

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt 

Physical Principles: The Movement of Rossby Waves

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt 

Physical Principles: Maintaining General Circulation

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt 

Physical Principles: The Effect of Hail Size on Damage

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) 7th Edition by Edward Aguado (Author), James E. Burt (Author)

Physical Principles: Why Cloud Droplets Don't Fall

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt

Physical Principles: The Surprising Composition of Clouds

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt

Physical Principles: The Varying Value of the Saturated Adiabatic Lapse Rate

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt

Physical Principles: Adiabatic Lapse Rates and the First Law of Thermodynamics

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt

Physical Principles: The Coriolis Force

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) 7th Edition by Edward Aguado (Author), James E. Burt (Author)

Physical Principles: The Hydrostatic Equation

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt.

►   Hydrostatic Balance = if the net upwards force is equal to the downward force

─     For an atmosphere in hydrostatic balance, the balance of forces in the vertical requires that…

►   Or, the Hydrostatic Equation:

─     The negative sign ensures that the pressure decreases with increasing height

─     Because

 we can rearrange the hydrostatic equation to give…

►   Above a fixed point on Earth…

─     That is, the pressure at height z is equal to the weight of the air in the vertical column of unit cross-sectional are lying about that level.

Hydrostatic Equilibrium

►   Pressure gradient force causes wind to flow from high to low pressure

►   Air pressure rapidly decreases with altitude

►   Gravity pulls all mass, including the atmosphere, downward.

►   Hydrostatic Equilibrium = vertical pressure gradient force and the force of gravity are normally of nearly equal value and operate in opposite directions

─     When, gravitational force = vertical pressure gradient force in magnitude à no vertical acceleration occurs

─     When, gravitational force > vertical pressure gradient force à downward motion

When, gravitational force < vertical pressure gradient force à updrafts can develop that are associated with powerful thunderstorms

Physical Principles: Variations in Density

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt

Physical Principles: Velocity, Acceleration, Force, and Pressure

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt

Physical Principles: Earth's Equilibrium Temperature

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt

Physical Principles: The Sun

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) by Edward Aguado, James E. Burt

Physical Principles: The Nature of Radiation, Absorption, and Emission

Understanding Weather and Climate (7th Edition) (MasteringMeteorology Series) 7th Edition by Edward Aguado (Author), James E. Burt (Author)