Author Question: Summertime weather forecasts for cities on the shores of the Great Lakes often contain the phrase ... (Read 96 times)

mmm

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 558
Summertime weather forecasts for cities on the shores of the Great Lakes often contain the phrase cooler near the lake. Explain the relevance of this phrase.
  What will be the ideal response?

Question 2

Draw a sketch to show where eddies can form when air blows rapidly over a mountain range. Show on your sketch where you might expect eddies and clouds to form.
  What will be the ideal response?

Question 3

What is clear air turbulence (CAT)? Why does clear air turbulence represent a hazard to aviation?
  What will be the ideal response?



macybarnes

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 312
Answer to Question 1

ANSWER: The uneven heating rates of land and water cause mesoscale coastal winds. During the day, the land heats more quickly than the adjacent water, and the intensive heating of the air above produces a shallow thermal low. The air over the water remains cooler than the air over the land; hence, a shallow thermal high exists above the water. The overall effect of this pressure distribution is a sea breeze, or in this case a lake breeze, that blows at the surface from the lake toward the land. Since the strongest gradients of temperature and pressure occur near the land-water boundary, the strongest winds typically occur right near the beach and diminish inland. Further, since the greatest contrast in temperature between land and water usually occurs in the afternoon, lake breezes are strongest at this time. At night, the land cools more quickly than the water. The air above the land becomes cooler than the air over the water, producing a distribution of pressure. With higher surface pressure now over the land, the surface wind reverses itself and becomes a land breezea surface breeze that flows from the land toward the water. Temperature contrasts between land and water are generally much smaller at night; hence, land breezes are usually weaker than their daytime counterpart, the lake breeze. In regions where greater nighttime temperature contrasts exist, stronger land breezes occur over the water, off the coast. They are not usually noticed much on shore, but are frequently observed by ships in coastal waters.

Answer to Question 2

ANSWER: Students answers may vary, but the sketch needs to illustrate that eddies that form downwind from obstacles can produce a variety of interesting effects. Wind moving over a mountain range in a stable atmosphere with a speed greater than 40 knots usually produces waves and eddies. We can see that eddies form both close to the mountain and beneath each wave crest. These are called roll eddies, or rotors, and have violent vertical motions that produce extreme turbulence and hazardous flying conditions. Strong winds blowing over a mountain in stable air sometimes provide a mountain wave eddy on the downwind side, with a reverse flow near the ground.

Answer to Question 3

ANSWER: If eddies form in clear air, this form of turbulence is called clear air turbulence (or CAT). When flying in an aircraft through such turbulence, the bumpiness may range from small vibrations to violent up and down motions that force passengers against their seats and toss objects throughout the cabin.



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
 

Did you know?

The U.S. Pharmacopeia Medication Errors Reporting Program states that approximately 50% of all medication errors involve insulin.

Did you know?

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, lung disease is the third leading killer in the United States, responsible for one in seven deaths. It is the leading cause of death among infants under the age of one year.

Did you know?

People often find it difficult to accept the idea that bacteria can be beneficial and improve health. Lactic acid bacteria are good, and when eaten, these bacteria improve health and increase longevity. These bacteria included in foods such as yogurt.

Did you know?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released reports detailing the deaths of infants (younger than 1 year of age) who died after being given cold and cough medications. This underscores the importance of educating parents that children younger than 2 years of age should never be given over-the-counter cold and cough medications without consulting their physicians.

Did you know?

The first successful kidney transplant was performed in 1954 and occurred in Boston. A kidney from an identical twin was transplanted into his dying brother's body and was not rejected because it did not appear foreign to his body.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library