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Meteorology 3000 |
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490 INSCC |
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MWF 9:40-10:30 |
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John Horel |
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Understand the influence of the earth’s
orography upon weather and climate |
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Apply understanding of mountain weather and
climate to human activities (safety, health, sport, fire, road) |
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1. Overview. Mountain Climates |
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2: Vertical structure; stability. Thermals and
Personal Flying Craft |
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3: Boundary layer and surface energy budget. The
VTMX and Peter Sinks Experiments. |
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4: Pressure, Winds. Large-scale Mountain
Effects. |
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5:
Fronts. Evolution of Intermountain Storms. |
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6: Clouds. Understanding Weather Changes by
Watching Clouds. |
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7: Precipitation. Orographic storms and Great
Salt Lake effect snowstorms. |
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8: Terrain-forced flows. Utah Canyon Wind storms. |
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9: Diurnal Mountain Winds. Local drainage
circulations. |
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10: Air Pollution. Air Quality in the Salt Lake
Basin. |
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11: Fire Weather. |
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12: Physiological Effects of High Altitude. |
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13: Snowpack. Physics of skiing |
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14: Avalanches. |
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15: Mountain Road Weather. |
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16: Review |
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45%: Homework and assignments, class
participation, |
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30%: 3 quizzes |
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25%: final |
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Roughly 1 chapter per week (1 article per week
in the later weeks) |
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It is required that you finish the reading
assignment PRIOR to the lectures and in-class assignments on the reading
material |
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Be prepared to discuss material in reading
assignment |
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Bring in a couple (to as many as you want)
of mountain and mountain weather
related photos OR even better, send
them to me as email |
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Be prepared to say a few words about 1-2 photos |
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If you’re willing to allow use of the photos for
this class and future classes, I will scan the images and return them to
you |
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Write your name on the back of each photo |
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Due: Any time during the semester. Can be done
multiple times for extra credit |
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First choice- Saturday October 12 |
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Second choice- Saturday October 19 |
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Weather permitting |
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Monitor atmospheric conditions at Snowbird |
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Requires planning in advance by class to design
useful field project |
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Requires analysis of data after data collection
completed |
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Common usage: |
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600 m or more of local relief defines a mountain |
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Less than 600m is a hill |
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High mountain/alpine areas (Troll 1973; Arct.
Alp. Res., 5, 19-27): |
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Relative to terrain features |
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Upper timberline |
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Snow line |
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Substantial modification of synoptic or meso
scale weather systems by dynamical and thermodynamical processes through a
considerable depth of the atmosphere |
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Recurrent generation of distinctive wx
conditions, involving dynamically and thermally induced wind systems,
cloudiness, and precipitation regimes |
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Slope and aspect variations on scales of 10-100
m form mosaic of local climates |
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(Barry 1992) |
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% mountains as fraction of total land surface |
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0-1000 m
10% |
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1000-2000 m
3% |
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2000-3000 m
3% |
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> 3000 m 4% |
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Total 20% |
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Barry 1992 |
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http://www.mteverest.com/ |
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http://www.mnteverest.net/ |
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http://www.m.chiba-u.ac.jp/class/respir/eve_e.htm
http://www.newton.mec.edu/Angier/DimSum/Him.Range%20Pix.html |
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Height of Mt. Everest: 8848m |
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(http://www.m.chiba-u.ac.jp/class/respir/hyoko_e.htm) |
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Mt Washington |
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http://www.mountwashington.org/ |
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Storm Peak Laboratory |
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http://www.dri.edu/Projects/SPL/ |
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(1) Find 3 interesting and useful internet web
pages related to mountain weather, mountain climates, or alpine
environments |
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(2) Send me in 1 email the web addresses with a
1-2 paragraph description of the content of each page |
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(3) Provide at least 2 scientific, literary, or
artistic (music/art) definitions of a mountain. Not from dictionaries |
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(4) Provide a reference/source for that
definition and send it in the same email as that used above |
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Due August 28 |
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Existence on a mountain is simple. Seldom in life does it come any simpler:
survival, plus striving toward the summit.
The goal is solidly three-dimensionally there- you can see it, touch
it, stand upon it – the way to reach it well defined, the energy of all
directed toward its achievement. It
is this simplicity that strips the veneer of civilization and makes that
which is meaningful easier to come by – the pleasure of deep companionship,
moments of uninhibited humor, the tasting of hardship, sorrow, beauty,
joy. But it is this very simplicity
that may prevent finding answers to the questions I have asked as we
approached the mountains.” ~ Tom Hornbein, Everest: The West Ridge Source: Willis, C. (ed.), 1997. Epic:
Stories of Survival from the World’s Highest Peak; pg. 220. |
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The Storm Testament (Ch 21, 2nd paragraph)
Beaver George and I were
riding up a little valley, scattered ponderosa pine on either side and
willows, alder and aspen in the bottom where the small stream wound its way
from beaver pond to beaver pond. It was a winding valley, and we couldn't
see very far ahead. It was early afternoon; the deep blue of the Rocky
Mountain Shy made a sharp contrast to the scattered puffy white clouds. The
sun was warm, but not uncomfortable, thanks to a fresh breeze coming gently
down from the mountains ahead of us. |
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My father considered a walk among the mountains
as the equivalent of churchgoing. - Aldous Huxley |
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"Enjoy the mountains; they have beauty and
wisdom for us if we approach them with humility, respect, and
knowledge." -Charles Houston |
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Mountains and uplands may defined as features of
the Earth's surface in which the terrain projects conspicuously above its
surroundings, and where the slope of the land distinguishes it from the
generally flat plains."
Beniston, Martin. Environmental
Change in Mountains and Uplands. New York: Oxford University Press,
2000, p. 1. |
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Climate differs from one location to another
because of: |
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Latitude |
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Altitude |
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Continentality |
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Exposure to regional circulations, including
winds and ocean currents |
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Determines length of day and angle of incoming
sunlight and, thus, amount of solar radiation received |
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In equatorial regions, day length & solar
angle change little with season.
Little seasonal variability, mostly diurnal changes. |
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In polar regions, the sun does not rise at all
in winter. In the summer it never
sets, although remaining low in sky.
Big seasonal changes, small diurnal changes. |
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In mid-latitudes, seasonal and diurnal changes. |
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Also determines site’s exposure to latitudinal
belts of high and low pressure |
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High pressure - subsidence |
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Low pressure - convection |
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Solar radiation increases with altitude |
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Changes in air temperature at high altitudes are
small, however, because of smaller amount of land area at higher altitudes |
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Air temperature usually decreases with altitude
(-6.5°C/km) |
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Moisture in air usually decreases with altitude |
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Wind speed usually increases with altitude |
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Air density and atmospheric pressure decrease
exponentially with altitude |
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Continental locations experience larger diurnal
and seasonal temperature changes than locations on or near large bodies of
water because land surfaces heat and cool more quickly than oceans. |
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Interior locations experience more sunshine,
less cloudiness, less moisture and less precipitation than coastal areas. |
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Precipitation is especially heavy on the windward
side of coastal mountain ranges oriented perpendicular to prevailing winds
from the ocean. Marine air lifted
up a mountain range releases much of its moisture as precipitation. As a result, far less precipitation is
received on the leeward side. |
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Latitude, altitude and continentality are the
primary factors, but exposure to regional winds and ocean currents is also
a factor |
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Some regional winds are associated with the
latitudinal bands of high and low pressure (e.g., Pacific High, Aleutian
low, Bermuda-Azores high) |
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Ocean currents also play an important role. Ex: Gulf Stream in Atlantic and Japanese
Current in Pacific affect North America. |
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