Atmospheric Layers
In this layer, temperature increases with altitude due to the absorption of UV radiation.
What is the stratosphere?
Air stops cooling with altitude and creates a stable atmospheric layer, which is known as this.
What is a temperature inversion?
In this funnel-topped cylinder, rainfall is measured directly in mm or inches.
What is a rain gauge?
This network of automated stations is designed to observe mesoscale meteorological phenomena, covering ranges from about 1 mile to 150 miles.
What is a Mesonet?
In this instrument, liquid expands with temperature, but direct sunlight or poor ventilation can bias readings.
What is a thermometer?
In this layer, volcanic aerosols linger for months to years because there is little mixing to remove them.
What is the stratosphere?
In this layer, a weather balloon often bursts around 30–35 km because low pressure causes it to over-expand.
What is the stratosphere?
The name of the sensors that ascend to ~30 km, sending back pressure, temperature, humidity, and winds.
What is a radiosonde?
In this airport-based system, observations every minute support aviation safety and public weather forecasts.
What is ASOS (Automated Surface Observing System)?
In this dense, state-level network, urban heat islands and siting challenges make representativeness a key issue.
What is a mesonet?
In this layer, commercial aircraft often cruise near its top to avoid most weather and turbulence.
What is the troposphere?
The reason why high-altitude meteors burn up and create metallic elements like iron and magnesium in this atmospheric layer.
What is the friction?
In this aircraft-released device, instruments fall by parachute, giving vertical profiles in storms.
What is a dropsonde?
In this climate-focused U.S. network, ~139 high-quality stations were built to monitor long-term changes in temperature and precipitation.
What is the U.S. Climate Reference Network (US-CRN)?
In this paired-instrument method, evaporative cooling lowers one bulb’s temperature to estimate humidity, but swinging errors and condensation can affect results.
What is a sling psychrometer?
Why most of the atmosphere is contained within the lowest atmospheric layer.
What is gravity?
In the stratosphere, these clouds with little vertical development can form due to small amounts of water vapor and aerosols.
What are Nacreous Clouds (Stratospheric Clouds)?
In this radio-wave system, signals scatter off precipitation or air motions to profile winds and storms.
What is radar?
In this citizen-science network, volunteers across the U.S. measure rain, hail, and snow with standardized low-cost gauges.
What is CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network)?
Old mercury barometers were accurate but bulky and fragile; modern digital ones are portable but need this frequent correction.
What is calibration?
The two reasons why the polar jet stream is stronger than the subtropical jet stream.
What are Coriolis Force and Temperature Gradient?
In the thermosphere, the absorption of this type of radiation is responsible for temperatures reaching thousands of degrees.
What is X-ray (and UV) radiation?
In this optical system, lasers scatter off particles to infer winds, aerosols, and clouds.
What is lidar?
In this mountain-based network, automated sites measure snowpack and snow water equivalent to manage western U.S. water resources.
What is SNOTEL (Snow Telemetry Network)?
In this space-based method, broad coverage is possible, but indirect retrieval algorithms mean surface temperatures are less precise than ground readings.
What are satellite radiometers?