Weather phenomena message. The most unusual weather phenomena
Weather is a set of values of meteorological elements and atmospheric phenomena observed at a certain point in time at a particular point in space. Weather refers to the current state of the atmosphere, as opposed to climate, which refers to the average state of the atmosphere over a long period of time. If there is no clarification, then the term “Weather” refers to the weather on Earth. Weather phenomena occur in the troposphere (lower atmosphere) and in the hydrosphere. Weather can be described by air pressure, temperature and humidity, wind strength and direction, cloud cover, precipitation, visibility range, atmospheric phenomena (fog, snowstorms, thunderstorms) and other meteorological elements.
The weather experiences continuous changes that can be very noticeable not only from one day to another, but even over a period of several minutes. Weather changes can be periodic or non-periodic. Periodic changes are those changes that are periodic in nature because they are associated with the rotation of the Earth around its axis (diurnal changes) or around the Sun (annual changes).
The most noticeable daily changes are directly at the earth's surface, due to the fact that the changes are associated with changes in the temperature of the earth's surface, and other meteorological elements are associated with air temperature. Annual changes are expressed in the changing seasons. Non-periodic changes, especially significant in extratropical latitudes, are caused by the transfer of air masses. Discrepancies between the phases of periodic changes and the nature of non-periodic ones lead to the most dramatic changes in weather. When air masses are transferred from one region of the Earth to another, they bring with them their characteristic weather characteristics, different from those that previously existed in a given area, which change in a given place in accordance with where the new air mass comes from and what properties in connection with this it possesses. The intensity of non-periodic weather changes generally decreases with altitude. For aviation, it is important to take into account sudden increases in wind and turbulence that are associated with jet streams.
Causes
Common weather phenomena on Earth are wind, clouds, precipitation (rain, snow, hail, etc.), fog, thunderstorms, dust storms and blizzards. Rarer events include natural disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes. Almost all weather events occur in the troposphere (lower atmosphere).
Differences in the physical properties of air masses arise due to changes in the angle of incidence of the sun's rays depending on the latitude and distance of the region from the oceans. The large temperature difference between arctic and tropical air is the reason for the presence of high-altitude jet streams. Pressure formations in mid-latitudes, such as extratropical cyclones, form when waves develop in the zone of a high-altitude jet stream. Since the Earth's axis is tilted relative to the plane of its orbit, the angle of incidence of the sun's rays depends on the time of year. On average, the annual temperature on the Earth's surface varies within ±40 °C. Over hundreds of thousands of years, changes in Earth's orbit influence the amount and distribution of solar energy on the planet, determining long-term climate.
The difference in surface temperatures in turn causes a difference in the atmospheric pressure field. A hot surface heats the air above it, expanding it, lowering the pressure and density of the air. The resulting horizontal pressure gradient accelerates the air toward low pressure, creating wind. And due to the work of the Coriolis effect, when the Earth rotates, the flow twists. An example of a simple weather system is coastal breezes, and a complex one is the Hadley cell. The atmosphere is a complex system, so small changes in one part of it can have a big impact on the system as a whole. Throughout human history there have been constant attempts to control the weather. It has been proven that human activities such as agriculture and industry can influence the weather to some extent.
Precipitation formation
Clouds are made up of very small drops of water or ice crystals that are so small that they only sink slowly under the influence of gravity. As they grow in size and become heavier, they fall faster and rain or snow falls from the cloud. In any cloud, water vapor is in a saturated state, that is, within the cloud contains the greatest amount of vapor possible at a given temperature. If this were not the case, the drops that make up the cloud would evaporate and the cloud would melt. Precipitation falls from clouds, which consist of a mixture of water droplets and ice crystals. Thanks to the property of ice to attract water, the crystals gradually grow and turn into snowflakes. This explains not only the snowfall, but also the rainfall. In the troposphere, the air temperature decreases with altitude and at an altitude of several kilometers it is always frosty. Therefore, almost every summer rain begins as snow, and only when falling into the lower warm layers do the snowflakes melt and turn into raindrops.
Movements of air masses
The air is in constant motion, especially due to the activity of cyclones and anticyclones.
A warm air mass that moves from warm to colder areas causes unexpected warming when it arrives. At the same time, from contact with the colder earth's surface, the moving air mass from below is cooled and the layers of air adjacent to the ground may turn out to be even colder than the upper layers. Cooling of the warm air mass coming from below causes condensation of water vapor in the lowest layers of air, resulting in the formation of clouds and precipitation. These clouds are located low, often descend to the ground and cause fog. The lower layers of the warm air mass are quite warm and there are no ice crystals. Therefore, they cannot give heavy rainfall; only occasional light, drizzling rain falls. Clouds of warm air mass cover the entire sky with an even cover (then they are called stratus) or a slightly wavy layer (then they are called stratocumulus).
A cold air mass moves from cold areas to warmer ones and brings cooling. Moving to a warmer earth's surface, it is continuously heated from below. When heated, not only does condensation not occur, but existing clouds and fogs must evaporate, however, the sky does not become cloudless, clouds simply form for completely different reasons. When heated, all bodies heat up and their density decreases, so when the lowest layer of air heats up and expands, it becomes lighter and, as it were, floats up in the form of separate bubbles or jets and heavier cold air descends in its place. Air, like any gas, heats up when compressed and cools down when expanded. Atmospheric pressure decreases with height, so the air, as it rises, expands and cools by 1 degree for every 100 m of rise, and as a result, at a certain altitude, condensation and the formation of clouds begin in it. The descending jets of air heat up due to compression and not only do nothing condense in them, but even the remnants of clouds that fall into them evaporate. Therefore, clouds of cold air masses look like clouds piling up in height with gaps between them. Such clouds are called cumulus or cumulonimbus. They never descend to the ground and do not turn into fogs, and, as a rule, do not cover the entire visible sky. In such clouds, rising air currents carry water droplets with them into those layers where there are always ice crystals, while the cloud loses its characteristic “cauliflower” shape and the cloud turns into a cumulonimbus. From this moment on, precipitation falls from the cloud, although heavy, but short-lived due to the small size of the clouds. Therefore, the weather of cold air masses is very unstable.
Atmospheric front
The boundary of contact between different air masses is called the atmospheric front. On synoptic maps, this boundary represents a line that meteorologists call the “front line.” The boundary between warm and cold air masses is an almost horizontal surface that drops imperceptibly towards the front line. Cold air is under this surface, and warm air is on top. Since air masses are constantly in motion, the boundary between them is constantly shifting. An interesting feature: a front line always passes through the center of an area of low pressure, but a front never passes through the centers of areas of high pressure.
A warm front occurs when a warm air mass moves forward and a cold air mass retreats. Warm air, being lighter, creeps over cold air. Because rising air cools it, clouds form above the surface of the front. Warm air rises slowly enough, so the cloudiness of a warm front is a smooth blanket of cirrostratus and altostratus clouds, which is several hundred meters wide and sometimes thousands of kilometers long. The further ahead of the front line the clouds are, the higher and thinner they are.
A cold front moves towards warm air. At the same time, cold air creeps under the warm air. Due to friction with the earth's surface, the lower part of the cold front lags behind the upper part, so the surface of the front bulges forward.
Atmospheric vortices
The development and movement of cyclones and anticyclones leads to the transfer of air masses over significant distances and corresponding non-periodic weather changes associated with changes in wind directions and speeds, with an increase or decrease in cloudiness. Small-scale eddies (tornadoes, blood clots, tornadoes) are also important for the weather. A cyclone is an atmospheric vortex of huge diameter (from hundreds to several thousand kilometers) with low air pressure in the center. There are extratropical and tropical cyclones. The latter have special properties and occur much less frequently. Tropical cyclones form in tropical latitudes and have smaller sizes (hundreds, rarely more than a thousand kilometers), but larger baric gradients and wind speeds, reaching hurricane speeds. Such cyclones are characterized by the “eye of the storm” - a central area with a diameter of 20-30 km with relatively clear and calm weather. Tropical cyclones can become extratropical during their development. A cyclone is not just the opposite of an anticyclone; they have a different mechanism of occurrence. Cyclones are constantly and naturally produced by the rotation of the Earth, thanks to the Coriolis force.
Studying the weather
“Meteorology (from the Greek metéōros - raised upward, heavenly, metéōra - atmospheric and celestial phenomena and ... logic), the science of the atmosphere and the processes occurring in it.”
- Atmospheric physics is the main branch of meteorology that studies physical phenomena and processes in the atmosphere.
- synoptic meteorology is the science of weather and methods of predicting it. A weather forecast is “a scientifically based assumption about upcoming weather changes, based on an analysis of the development of large-scale atmospheric processes.”
- Atmospheric chemistry studies chemical processes in the atmosphere.
- Dynamic meteorology studies atmospheric processes using theoretical methods of hydro-aeromechanics.
- Biometeorology studies the influence of atmospheric factors on biological processes.
The World Meteorological Organization coordinates the activities of meteorological services of different countries.
Meteorological information
Two types of meteorological information can be distinguished:
- primary information about the current weather obtained as a result of meteorological observations.
- weather information in the form of various reports, synoptic maps, aerological diagrams, vertical sections, cloud maps, etc.
The success of developed weather forecasts largely depends on the quality of primary meteorological information.
The main consumers of meteorological information are aviation and the marine fleet. Agriculture is also highly dependent on weather conditions and climate. Productivity is greatly influenced by soil and air humidity, amount of precipitation, light, and heat. At the end of the 19th century, an independent branch of meteorology was formed - agrometeorology. Climate information is widely used in the design and operation of various structures - buildings, airfields, railways, power lines, etc.
Organization of meteorological observations
In Russia there is an extensive network of meteorological stations (of various levels with different observation programs), meteorological and hydrological posts. A significant role is played by observations made using weather radars (spatial images of cloud layers and the intensity of precipitation and thunderstorms within a radius of up to 250 km from the location of the locator) and meteorological artificial Earth satellites (television images of cloudiness in various wavelength ranges, vertical profiles of air temperature and humidity in atmosphere). Aerological observations are carried out at a network of special aerological stations using radiosondes, sometimes with the help of meteorological and geophysical rockets. Observations on the seas and oceans from specially equipped vessels.
The ground-based meteorological network in the USSR reached its maximum development by the mid-1980s. The economic crisis that began in the late 1980s caused a significant reduction in the meteorological network. From 1987 to 1989, the number of weather stations in the USSR decreased by 15%; at the beginning of 1995, the decrease in the number of weather stations in the Russian Federation was 22%. In the future, it is also possible to reduce the number of weather stations due to the development of other methods of obtaining weather information (satellite and radar).
Synoptic maps
A synoptic map (Greek συνοπτικός, “visible at the same time”) is a geographical map on which the results of observations of many weather stations are plotted with symbols. Such a map gives a visual representation of the weather condition at a given moment. With the sequential compilation of maps, the directions of movement of air masses, the development of cyclones, and the movement of fronts are determined. Analysis of weather maps allows us to predict weather changes. It is possible to track changes in the state of the atmosphere, in particular the movement and evolution of atmospheric disturbances, the movement, transformation and interaction of air masses, etc. Since the mid-20th century, surface synoptic information has been supplemented with the results of aerological observations, on the basis of which maps of the state of the free atmosphere are regularly constructed - the so-called pressure maps topography. Since the end of the 20th century, satellite information on the state of the oceans and parts of the land where there are no weather stations has also been widely used. Photographing cloud systems from satellites makes it possible to detect the formation of tropical cyclones over the oceans.
Studying weather on other planets
Weather exists not only on Earth, but also on other celestial bodies (planets and their satellites) that have an atmosphere. Studying the weather on other planets has become useful for understanding the principles of weather change on Earth. A well-known research object in the Solar System, Jupiter's Great Red Spot, is an anticyclonic storm that has existed for at least 300 years. However, weather is not limited to planetary bodies. The Sun's corona is constantly being lost into space, essentially creating a very thin atmosphere throughout the entire Solar System. The movement of particles emitted by the Sun is called solar wind.
Meteorological elements
Atmospheric phenomena are a visible manifestation of complex physical and chemical processes occurring in the air envelope of the Earth - the atmosphere:
- precipitation (rain, snow, hail)
- fog
- blizzard
- storm
- tornado, etc.
Values defining the “equivalent comfort temperature”:
- Atmosphere pressure
- air temperature
- air humidity
- wind speed and direction
Quantities important for transport and agriculture:
- visibility range
- atmospheric turbulence
- possibility of icing
- solar radiation
- cloudiness, duration of sunshine
- possibility of storm (at sea, large lake)
Weather forecasts
A weather forecast is a scientifically and technically sound guess about the future state of the atmosphere at a particular location. People have tried to predict the weather for millennia, but official forecasts began in the nineteenth century. Weather forecasting collects quantitative data about the current state of the atmosphere and uses scientific understanding of atmospheric processes to project how the state of the atmosphere will change.
Previously, forecasts were based mainly on changes in atmospheric pressure, current weather conditions and the state of the sky, but now forecasting models are used to determine future weather. Human participation is necessary to select the most appropriate forecasting model on which the forecast will be based in the future. This includes the ability to choose a model template, taking into account the relationship of remote events, knowledge of the operating principles and features of the selected model. The complex nature of the atmosphere, the need for powerful computers to solve the equations that describe the atmosphere, the presence of errors in measuring initial conditions, and an incomplete understanding of atmospheric processes mean that forecast accuracy is reduced. The greater the difference between the present time and the time for which the forecast is made (forecast range), the lower the accuracy. Using several models and bringing them to a single result helps reduce error and obtain the most likely result.
Many people use weather forecasts. Storm warnings are important forecasts because they are used to protect life and property. Temperature and precipitation forecasts are important for agriculture and therefore even for stock market traders. Moreover, there are even so-called. weather derivatives. Temperature forecasts are also needed by heating networks to estimate the heat energy needed in the coming days. Every day, people use the weather forecast to decide what to wear that day. Forecasts of rain, snow and strong winds are used to plan outdoor work and recreation.
Currently, there is a grid project ClimatePrediction.net, the goal of which is to find the most adequate climate change model and build a forecast for the next 50 years based on it.
Impact on people
Weather plays a large and sometimes even decisive role in human history. In addition to climate change that caused gradual migration of peoples (for example, the desertification of the Middle East and the formation of land bridges between continents during ice ages), extreme weather events caused smaller-scale movements of people and were directly involved in historical events. One such incident is the rescue of Japan by Kamikaze winds from the invasion of the Mongol fleet of Kublai Khan in 1281. French claims to Florida ended in 1565 when a hurricane destroyed the French fleet, giving Spain the opportunity to conquer Fort Carolina. Most recently, Hurricane Katrina displaced more than one million people from the central Gulf Coast to the United States, creating the largest diaspora in United States history.
In addition to such a radical effect on people, weather can affect people in simpler ways. People do not tolerate extremes of temperature, humidity, pressure and wind well. Weather also affects mood and sleep.
Weather change
The desire to influence meteorological phenomena can be traced throughout human history: from ancient ritual rites performed in an attempt to bring rain to modern special military operations, such as Operation Popeye by the US military during the Vietnam War (1965-1973), when attempts to prevent the supply of weapons and food to the South Vietnamese guerrillas by extending the Vietnamese monsoon. The most successful attempts to influence the weather include cloud seeding, the active manipulation of fog and stratus clouds to disperse them, used by major airports, techniques to increase snowfall over mountains and reduce hail precipitation.
A recent example of the impact on hydrometeorological processes is the measures taken by China for the 2008 Summer Olympics. 1,104 rockets were launched, with the help of which special reagents are seeded into clouds. Implemented by Beijing, they were intended to avoid rain during the opening ceremony of the Games on August 8. Hu Guo, head of the Beijing Municipal Meteorological Bureau, confirmed the success of the operation
While the effectiveness of such weather manipulation methods has not yet been conclusively proven, there is compelling evidence that agriculture and industry influence the weather:
- Acid rain, caused by the release of sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, has a detrimental effect on lakes, plants, and buildings.
- Industrial waste (Human impact on the environment) worsens air quality and visibility.
- Climate change, caused by processes that release greenhouse gases into the air, is thought to influence the frequency of extreme weather events such as drought, extreme temperatures, floods, windstorms and storms.
- The amount of heat produced by large urban conglomerates immediately affects the weather in the region even at distances of 1000 miles.
The effects of unintended changes in weather patterns can pose a serious threat to many components of our civilization, including ecosystems, natural resources, economic development and human health.
Small scale meteorology
Micrometeorology, which considers meteorological phenomena of small and ultra-small scales, both in time and space, deals with atmospheric phenomena less than one kilometer, that is, those that are no longer considered by medium-scale meteorology. These two branches of meteorology are sometimes combined together, and include the study of objects whose scales are smaller than those considered by synoptic scale meteorology and cannot be reflected on a synoptic map. This may include small and usually wandering clouds and similar objects.
Weather on other planets
Studying the weather patterns on other planets contributes to a deeper understanding of the processes occurring on Earth. On other planets, weather conditions follow many of the same physical patterns as weather on Earth, but they occur on different scales and in atmospheres that are chemically different from Earth's. The Cassini-Huygens mission to Titan discovered clouds on the moon formed from methane or ethane, which produce rain consisting of liquid methane and other organic components. The Earth's atmosphere consists of six latitudinal circulation zones, three in each hemisphere. Unlike the Earth, Jupiter is surrounded by many such zones. Titan has only one stream near the 50th parallel of north latitude and one near the equator.
Weather records
Weather records are extreme meteorological indicators that have been officially recorded on the surface of the Earth. The lowest temperature in history was recorded on July 21, 1983 at Vostok Station, Antarctica -89.2 °C. The warmest recorded on September 13, 1922 in Alazizayi, Libya. Then the thermometer rose to 58 °C; the meaning is, however, disputed.
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Quote from the message Blog_touristThe most unusual weather phenomena
The weather can be good or bad, but its anomalies always fascinate us. Here are selected the most unusual natural phenomena that occur throughout the globe and are observed extremely rarely.
Brainicle (finger of death)
We are used to seeing icicles hanging from roofs. However, in the Arctic there are special icicles that hang under water and pose a mortal danger to the inhabitants of the ocean floor. This phenomenon was discovered almost 30 years ago, but the process of its birth was only filmed in 2011 by a BBC team.
The formation of this extraordinary icicle is easily explained by science. Salty sea water freezes a little differently and turns not into icy solids, but into something similar to a porous wet washcloth. Icebergs are literally riddled with small channels filled with salt water.
In northern latitudes, the surface air temperature can be -20 degrees Celsius, while the water temperature is much higher - about -2 degrees. The heat from the ocean water rises and melts the iceberg, forming new ice. The salt from this ice concentrates into a saturated brine and exits through shallow channels into the ocean. The density of the brine is higher and the temperature is lower, so it rushes to the bottom in a continuous stream and freezes the sea water around it. Within a few hours, the stream is covered with a thin ice crust that looks like a stalactite.
Having reached the bottom, the “finger of death” does not stop, but continues to spread along the bottom. In 15 minutes, such a structure is capable of destroying all leisurely living organisms over an area of several meters. It is for this reason that the fatal icicle was called the “icy finger of death.”
Tubular clouds
There are a large number of clouds that have a special shape and special reasons for their occurrence. Umbrella-shaped, or tubular, clouds look strange and unusual. They look either like sections of pipes, or like many suspended balls, the shade of which varies from white to blue-gray. The color depends on the thickness of the cloud.
How are they made? Clouds usually have a flat base. Warm, moist air cools and condenses into water droplets. This occurs at a certain temperature, and its decrease in the atmosphere is associated with altitude above sea level. The drops grow and form an opaque cloud.
However, under special conditions (humid air above and dry air below), cloud pockets begin to form in the atmosphere, filled with large droplets of water or even ice crystals, which literally fall into the clean air under their weight. This behavior of clouds is associated with the turbulent movement of air masses. And turbulent air movement indicates the proximity of a powerful thunderstorm front.
Like any relief surface, tubular clouds are especially impressive in low light conditions, during sunset or dawn. They are mainly observed in the tropics, but also appear in more northern latitudes.
Misty Rainbow
A hazy rainbow is another optical phenomenon in the atmosphere, similar to the well-known rainbow. The phenomenon appears as a wide, shiny white arc. However, this type of rainbow is neutral in color and can be seen not during rain, but during fog.
For a fog rainbow to occur, strict conditions are required. The water droplets from which the fog is formed must have a certain size - about 0.02 mm. However, due to diffraction of light, the split spectrum is mixed and a uniform white color is obtained.
Due to edge effects, the inner radius of the rainbow may be purple, while the outer radius may be orange.
Catatumbo Lightning
Catatumbo lightning is a natural phenomenon that occurs in northwestern Venezuela, where the river of the same name flows into Lake Maracaibo. There is regular thunderstorm activity above the confluence: there is lightning in the clouds almost 200 days a year, continuous thunderstorm sessions last about 10 hours.
This is where warm, moist air from the Caribbean meets cold air coming down from the Andes, creating vortices. The decaying organic matter of numerous swamps releases methane gas into the atmosphere. It improves electrical conductivity in the cloud, resulting in lightning.
For a long time, this place served as a landmark for sailors - it can be seen from a distance of more than 400 km. The Venezuelan government wants to make the unique location a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is believed to be the largest natural ozone generator.
Moon Rainbow
This phenomenon is much easier to see in a fantasy quest than in reality. Many factors are required: the full Moon must be low, the sky must be dark, and there must be a powerful waterfall opposite the luminary or it must be raining.
And still you will see a lunar rainbow completely white. The fact is that even under the best conditions its brightness is extremely low and human physiology allows you to see only a white rainbow.
This is where a modern camera that shoots at long exposures can come to the rescue. An exposure of 15-30 seconds will allow the sensor to collect enough light, and the rainbow can be seen in color, but only in a photograph.
Gloria
Gloria is another phenomenon associated with the diffraction of light in cloud or fog droplets. This weather phenomenon can only be detected when the light source is behind you and the light reflected from the cloud returns directly to the observer. Gloria can be seen in the mountains as her own silhouette or during a flight as the shadow of an airplane on a cloud.
The rainbow halo around one's own shadow was interpreted by Buddhists as the degree of human enlightenment. The seemingly huge and living shadow disturbed the Germans who climbed the mountains.
Coastal cappuccino
The sea can turn to foam in any part of the planet, but it most often occurs in the southern hemisphere. In a few minutes, the entire coastline, houses and sun loungers disappear into suddenly appearing foam, which slowly dissolves on the sand.
For foam to appear in seawater there must be a large accumulation of algae, salt and some waste. These components act as surfactants (like shampoo in your bathroom) and reduce surface tension at the interface between water and air. Well, it doesn’t cost anything for strong currents and wind to whip all the ingredients into a rich foam and carry it out to the stunned swimmers.
So far, foaming occurs only occasionally. But with further ocean pollution it may become permanent.
Sprites, elves and blue jets
In addition to the lightning that we see from Earth, powerful flashes directed into space occur above thunderclouds. They are divided into red sprites, blue sprites and elves. The shape and color of the flashes depend on the altitude at which they occur.
Unlike lightning, these flashes are characterized by a distinct blue or red color and cover distances of up to 100 km in length and diameter. This makes them an element of space weather, since northern lights are born in these areas and meteors fly.
This phenomenon has been poorly studied for one reason: flares can be observed from Earth only at low altitudes. They are currently being studied from the ISS. According to some reports, strong surges of electricity can “drive” ozone out of the protective layer.
Waterspout
Waterspouts look like small tornadoes of water and typically occur under a cloud above the water's surface. Although from the outside it may appear that liquid is literally being sucked out of the water, the tornado is located above the surface and consists of water droplets formed by condensation.
Strong waterspouts occasionally occur, but most are weak and caused by the collision of atmospheric dynamics that form a vortex.
Fire tornado
This natural phenomenon appears extremely rarely and under certain environmental conditions (temperature, air flows). It occurs when a column of hot, rising air interacts with or causes a fire on the ground. It is a vertical whirlpool of fire in the air.
Morning Glory
Morning glory is a rare meteorological phenomenon, a “thunderstorm collar” that forms at the border of an advancing cold front. The downdraft causes the warm, moist air to rise and cool, causing it to cool below its dew point and become a cloud.
This happens along the entire length of the front: the cloud is up to 1000 km long and also rotates around the longitudinal axis. The speed of cloud rolling can reach 60 km/h, which portends heavy winds and bad weather in the direction of the “collar” movement.
By the nature of its origin, morning gloria can be considered a tornado that lies on its side. It regularly appears in autumn in northern Australia, occasionally in other parts of the world.
Volcanic lightning
Volcanic activity provides a very fertile environment for spectacular discharges, in several ways. The incredible amount of volcanic dust and gas emitted creates a dense stream of charged particles.
This causes electrostatic ionization and, as a result, very powerful and very frequent lightning, which tries to neutralize the charge. Two types of such lightning are observed:
- gushing from the crater and associated with electrical processes in the magma
- occurring in clouds and associated with friction of volcanic ash.
However, the processes of thunderstorm formation at volcanoes are very complex and depend on many factors: temperature, eruption height, dust dispersion and its composition. Due to the large number of particulate volcanic ash particles, such thunderstorms are also called dirty thunderstorms.
Thank you for your attention!
People often cannot navigate and name ordinary things that they encounter every day. For us, as intelligence officers, our eyes are blurry. We can talk about lofty matters and complex technologies, but we are not able to say what weather phenomena are. Of course, this is not an indicator of illiteracy. Rather, these concepts are so familiar and natural that, as it seems to us, they do not need interpretation. Indeed, why define something that is already clear, without any abstruse words? And yet, each of us has heard a story about weather phenomena at school. Perhaps he answered the teacher’s relevant questions without hesitation. But now everything has been erased from memory. Let's restore knowledge so as not to get into trouble!
What it is?
This is probably the most difficult question. Weather phenomena are everything that happens in the toposphere, formed under the influence of climatic and natural factors. They can be periodic and spontaneous. It all depends on the circumstances. Weather phenomena are formed under the influence of the Earth's rotation - daily and annual. They must be described separately. To complete the picture, it is also necessary to give some examples. So, weather phenomena are precipitation (all), wind, rainbows and northern lights. The list can go on and on. Now you probably understand what we are talking about. This is what directly affects all living organisms on earth, what ultimately determines the development of plants, and therefore the existence of the animal world (along with us).
Rain
The story about weather phenomena can begin with droplets of water that fall on our heads from time to time. This process is not entirely independent. The fact is that water is in constant motion. It passes from one state of aggregation to another. We see it in the form of steam in the sky (clouds and clouds). But at a certain moment it turns into a liquid state and spills onto the ground as rain or downpour. Such weather phenomena are observed more often in summer (during warm times) than in winter. There are different types of rain: regular, prolonged, torrential, “blind”, short-term, mushroom and so on. And these are not just poetic epithets. These terms indicate the characteristics of rain. For example, protracted - this adjective means that it goes on for a long time, without stopping. Rainfall has increased intensity; more water falls over a certain period than during other precipitation events. We all love mushroom (blind) rain. It splashes against the backdrop of sunlight. The clouds do not cover the star. A short period of rain comes suddenly and passes quickly. Most often it is difficult to predict in advance.
Snow
It is customary to consider weather phenomena in children's groups from this type of precipitation. They fall out during the cold season. Water, which is in a gaseous state in high layers of the atmosphere, bypasses layers with low temperatures and freezes. The resulting snowflakes have the correct geometric shape. Each of them is individual and unique. But they all have six rays with needles at the ends. These are frozen water molecules. Snow is of great importance for flora and fauna. It plays the role of a “warm blanket”, covering the soil and the root systems in it from the cold. Small animals hide in it. Snow also creates a “reserve” of water for spring. When the earth begins to warm up, plants wake up and require moisture to develop. Melting snow gives it to them.
Wind
The movement of air masses running parallel to the earth's surface forms this weather phenomenon. It is caused by temperature differences. Wind is classified by speed, duration and power of impact. Monsoons blow for several months. They are caused by seasonal temperature changes. Trade winds are winds that never stop. They are permanent. They are caused by differences in air temperatures at different latitudes. In addition, the strength and direction of the wind is influenced by the geography of the area (mountains and steppes, ocean). Air is never static. He is constantly moving, changing direction. This is due to the uneven distribution of atmospheric pressure. The wind blows from areas with a high rate towards those areas where it is lower.
hail
This is another type of precipitation. It should not be confused with snow. Hail is ice falling from the sky. It can go not only on frosty days. If snow is formed by the solidification of water passing through layers of air with a low temperature, then hail forms above, in the clouds. The ice particles themselves can have different sizes - from a few millimeters to a centimeter or even more. Unusual icy precipitation is often described by those who study extreme weather events. In summer, hail can cause a lot of damage to agricultural enterprises. Ice balls harm plants and can completely destroy the crop. This is why weather and weather phenomena are so important for farmers. A special service makes forecasts to prevent the negative effects of precipitation or winds. People have learned to deal with cumulus clouds in which hail originates. Special charges are fired into them, causing it to rain until ice floes of threatening size form.
Fog
This phenomenon is represented by small droplets of water or particles of ice that collect near the surface of the earth. Fog has different densities. Sometimes it greatly reduces visibility, which is dangerous for drivers and passengers. It is formed due to the contact of air flows having different temperatures. At the same time, atmospheric moisture forms particles of fog. Most often it is observed near bodies of water, where there is enough evaporation. But it can also form in places with little humidity. This is explained by human activity. When fuel burns, it causes water vapor to condense, which can cause fog.
Frost
Another type of precipitation. It forms when the daily temperature fluctuation is high enough. That is, it is warm during the day and the moisture evaporates quickly. And at night the temperature drops, then the water settles in droplets on the ground and plants, and they, in turn, freeze. Most often, frost covers objects with low thermal conductivity. We can observe it on grass, wood, and earth. The wind prevents the formation of frost. It simply carries away moist air. There are very interesting cases of this type of precipitation. They are called frost flowers. These are accumulations of ice crystals of various shapes that cover certain areas of surfaces. They really resemble flowers and plants.
Rainbow
You cannot ignore this phenomenon when studying weather phenomena. In summer, rainbows often appear after or during rain. Sunlight is refracted through the droplets, just like on a lens. This results in what physicists call the phenomenon of interference. White light is made up of 7 colors (spectrum). But this does not mean that everything will be visible to the human eye at once. The rainbow appears to the viewer in the form of a multi-colored rocker, whose ends tend to the ground (but do not touch it). It appears only when the sun is shining and raining at the same time. You can also see her near a fountain or waterfall. Rainbow is a very beautiful and impressive phenomenon.
Weather symbols
Since changes in the state of the atmosphere are important for many people, special services study it, forecast it and notify the population about their findings. Nowadays you can see such information on various specialized resources, in newspapers and magazines. In order to unify the data, symbols of weather phenomena were created. They are understandable to people who speak and think in any language. For example, seeing a snowflake, anyone will know what to expect. Rain is indicated by droplets, wind - by an arrow, next to which special indicators are written (speed and direction). In special forecasts, a rainbow is depicted as a short curved curve, and hail as a triangle. It is customary to draw a thunderstorm in the form of lightning, which often accompanies it. There are other, special signs.
How to teach children about natural phenomena
Parents often face this problem. It is difficult for them to put ordinary things into lexical forms. It probably makes sense to start by creating a plan. You can talk about weather phenomena briefly or in detail. It is advisable to conduct several “lessons” so that the child remembers the material. Moreover, he will constantly encounter it in life. The topic: “Weather phenomena” is very interesting for children, especially if the information is presented along with examples. It would be good if you show them “in natural conditions,” but if not, at least prepare some pictures. The fact is that it is easier to perceive this rather complex material. Yes, yes, don't be surprised. This is all clear to us adults, but kids still have a lot to learn. Topic: “Weather phenomena” is still a little difficult for younger children. For example, what can we say about a rainbow? The children in the kindergarten have not yet studied physics; they know practically nothing about light. You can conduct an experiment with a pyramid and try to explain in simple words what is happening. And it’s better, of course, to see any phenomenon with your own eyes. Fortunately, today there is no shortage of video materials containing such information. They definitely need to be used.
Overall plan
It is necessary to talk about weather phenomena harmoniously and consistently. The fact is that they are all interconnected, sometimes born due to the same reasons. In order for children to understand what follows from what, you need to adhere to logic. It is recommended to start with the winds. Consider the precipitation behind them - from simple to complex. If a child understands how rain is produced, he will also understand the sources of hail and snow. The appearance of fog and frost will be more difficult. You may just have to point out their existence without going into their origins. They can be considered later, when the child has acquired the necessary basic knowledge.
In order to prevent children’s attention from scattering (like that fog), it is necessary to “dilute” the stories with facts that would help them concentrate and arouse interest. In this case, these may be signs of weather phenomena. This is a kind of transition from “boring” theory to practice. If you are talking about rain, then you will notice that the harbinger of its appearance will be clouds or clouds. Of course, this is a kind of trick, but this fact is important for understanding the process. In addition, children will be interested in folk signs that exist for almost any of the phenomena. When it rains, swallows fly low, the wind raises dust in a column. But a burgundy sunset indicates that a hurricane is brewing. Will accept a lot. If you accompany a story about weather phenomena with such examples, then there will be no problems with memorization. It is also recommended to repeat the material every time there is a change in the weather.
1. Using the textbook, complete the definition.
Weather is a combination of air temperature, cloudiness, precipitation and wind
2. What words can describe the weather? Ant Questioner offered a whole list of words for this. Underline the words that really describe the weather.
Explain (orally) what components of the weather each of the words you chose refers to.
- Air temperature: cold, warm, hot;
- Cloudiness: cloudy, cloudy;
- Precipitation: dry, damp, rainy;
- Wind: windy, windless.
3. And again the Parrot has prepared riddles for you. Guess them and write the names of weather phenomena in the boxes.
Cut out the pictures from the Appendix and arrange them in the appropriate frames. Ask your deskmate to check on you. After checking, paste the pictures. Mark (fill in the circle) the weather phenomena that you observed.
4. Make and write down a general plan for a story about weather phenomena.
1) What are called weather phenomena.
2) What weather phenomena happen.
3) What weather phenomena have I observed myself?
4) How I feel about certain weather phenomena.
Weather conditions
All changes. events that occur with the weather are called weather events.
For example, weather phenomena include snow, rain, thunderstorm, frost, fog, cold snap, warming, cloudiness, overcast, blizzard, hail, strong wind, etc.
I saw almost all of these weather phenomena with my own eyes and felt their consequences. For example, I have been caught in the rain more than once, walked in the snow, seen a thunderstorm, heard thunder, escaped from a strong wind and admired trees covered with white frost.
I can't say that I like all weather phenomena. I don’t like hail and snowstorms, but I like clear, warm and windless weather.
5. From the text “How the weather is predicted” (p. 34 of the textbook), write down the words that characterize scientific observations of the weather. Reveal (verbally) the meaning of each of these words.
- meteorology - the science of weather
- weather station - a specially equipped building in which scientists monitor the weather
- weather satellites - space satellites designed for weather observations
- meteorological aircraft - aircraft designed for weather observations
- meteorological ships - ships designed for weather observations
- scientific predictions - weather forecast for some time in advance (for a day, for a week, for a month).
6. Try to check folk signs with your own observations. If the sign is confirmed, fill in the circle with a blue pencil; if not, fill in the circle with a red pencil.
If you wish, you can find other weather signs in additional literature and on the Internet. Write down 2-3 of them and try to check them too.
April with water - May with grass.
An evening rainbow foretells good weather, and a morning rainbow foretells rainy weather.
In summer there are many stars in the sky - a sign of clear weather.
If the dew does not fall on the meadows, expect rain.
Sparrows bathe in dust or sand - it could be rain.
Atmospheric precipitation called drops of water and ice crystals falling from the atmosphere onto the earth's surface.
Precipitation is visually divided into light, moderate and heavy. The following types of precipitation are distinguished:
1.Solid- snow, snow pellets, snow grains, ice pellets, freezing rain and hail.
2.Liquid- rain, drizzle.
3.Mixed precipitation- wet snow.
Based on the physical conditions of formation and the nature of precipitation, precipitation is distinguished: cover, stormwater And drizzling.
Cover precipitation- characterized by moderate, little changing intensity. They simultaneously cover large areas and can continue continuously or with short breaks for several hours or even tens of hours.
Rainfall- characterized by the suddenness of the beginning and end of the loss, sharp fluctuations in intensity and relatively short duration. They usually cover a small area. In summer, large drops of rain fall, sometimes together with hail. Summer showers often accompany thunderstorms. In winter, there is heavy snowfall consisting of large snow flakes.
Drizzle- it can be drizzle, tiny snowflakes or snow grains.
hail begins as rain - at first it is drops of water. But before they fall to the ground, the wind picks them up and carries them into the cold layers of air. There they manage to freeze and begin to fall again, colliding along the way with raindrops floating in the cloud, which stick to them and freeze. Sometimes such an ice core manages to rise repeatedly and fall down again, and each time a new layer of ice grows on it. The hailstones become larger and larger until they finally fall to the ground. If you split such a hailstone, you can see how layers of ice have grown on the kernel, like the annual rings of a tree.
A hailstone can reach the size of a chicken egg and, when falling, cause considerable damage to crops and flowering trees, breaking stems and knocking off buds. It is difficult to harvest even the remaining crop from fields damaged by hail. Large hail can also cause damage to homes, vehicles, and even cause death to people and animals.
The frequency of hail varies: in temperate latitudes it occurs 10-15 times a year, near the equator on land - 80-160 times a year, since there are more powerful updrafts. Hail falls less frequently over the oceans.
In our country, methods for identifying hail-hazardous clouds have been developed and hail control services have been created. Dangerous clouds are “shot” with special chemicals, preventing the rain from turning into hail.
Wet snow accumulation can be observed at positive air temperatures close to 0°C, when snowflakes falling from clouds melt slightly or when rain falls along with snow, and the snowflakes merge into flakes. Flakes of such heavy or heavy wet snow stick to trees, poles, wires, etc. and, reaching dangerous sizes and weights, cause serious damage to certain sectors of the national economy.
Ice- deposition of ice on the surface of various objects, caused by the deposition and freezing of drops of supercooled rain, drizzle or fog at negative temperatures in the ground layer of air. The thickness of the deposit is usually several millimeters, and in some cases it can reach 20-25 mm or more.
Fog
Fog and haze represent the result of condensation of water vapor in close proximity to the earth's surface, i.e. in the ground layer of the atmosphere. Fog are a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air that degrade the meteorological visibility range to less than 1 km. With visibility of 1-10 km, this set is called haze.
Depending on the visibility range, the intensity of haze or fog is assessed in the following gradations:
Light haze (2-10 km);
- Moderate haze (1-2 km);
- Light fog (500-1000 m);
- Moderate fog (50-500 m);
- Heavy fog (less than 50 m).
At positive temperatures, fog consists of water droplets with an average radius of 2-5 microns, and at negative temperatures it consists of supercooled water droplets, ice crystals or frozen droplets. The water droplets that form the haze have a radius of less than 1 micron. Visibility in fog depends on the size of the droplets or crystals that form it and on the water content (the amount of liquid or solid water) of the fog.
According to the physical conditions of formation, fogs can be divided into the following types:
1. Cooling mists- are formed as a result of a decrease in the temperature of the air adjacent to the earth's surface. This can happen as a result of: radiation - cooling of the soil surface (radiation fog); the flow of warm air onto a colder surface (advective fog); rising air along the slope of a hill or mountain (slope fogs)
2. Fogs not associated with cooling- evaporation fogs and displacement fogs. Evaporation fogs occur when the surface temperature of the water is higher than the temperature of the adjacent air. Their formation is due to the cooling and condensation of steam entering the air from the water surface. Displacement fogs are formed by mixing two masses of air that have different temperatures and contain water vapor close to the saturation state.
3. Fogs caused by human activities- urban and frosty (furnace) fogs, as well as specially created artificial fogs, for example, to combat frost.
frost- deposition of ice crystals on various objects (antennas, tree branches, etc.) at low air temperatures, mainly on their windward side. It is the result of sublimation of water vapor in fog or freezing of droplets of supercooled fog.
Clouds
Cloud is a visible accumulation of products of condensation or sublimation of water vapor at a certain height.
Precipitation falls from clouds, thunderstorms arise in them, they affect the flow of radiant energy to the active surface and thereby the temperature regime of the soil, water bodies and air. Clouds come in a wide variety of shapes and physical structures.
Depending on the conditions of formation, all clouds are divided into three classes:
1. Cumuliformes- clouds that are highly developed vertically, but have a relatively small horizontal extent. They are formed as a result of intense upward (convective) air movements.
2. Wavy- layers of clouds that have a large horizontal extent and the appearance of “lambs”, shafts or ridges. They are formed as a result of wave movements in the atmosphere.
3. Layered- layers of clouds in the form of a continuous veil, the horizontal extent of which is hundreds of times greater than the vertical dimensions. They are formed as a result of slow, smooth upward movements of air.
Wind
Wind, i.e. the movement of air relative to the earth's surface occurs due to differences in atmospheric pressure at different points in the atmosphere. Since pressure changes vertically and horizontally, the air usually moves at a certain angle to the earth's surface. But this angle is very small. Therefore, wind is mostly considered to be horizontal air movement.
Wind speed and direction characterize the overall movement of the air flow as a whole. But in moving air, due to friction with the earth's surface, as well as uneven heating, turbulence always occurs.
The nature of air movement, caused by individual shocks and gusts, sudden increases and decreases in wind, continuously following each other, is called gusty wind. Measurements show that “elementary impulses”, i.e. abrupt increases and decreases in wind speed average 3 m/s, and their duration is tenths of a second.
A sharp short-term increase in wind in a limited area is called squall. The wind speed during a squall increases to 30 m/s or more, and the duration of the squall reaches several minutes.
Tornado- a vortex with a vertical or curved axis that occurs during a squall or thunderstorm and has a very high rotation speed. The wind speed in a tornado often exceeds 50-70 m/s, which causes catastrophic destruction. The occurrence of tornadoes is associated with strong instability in the lower layers of the atmosphere.
Sukhovey- wind at high temperature and low relative humidity. During dry winds, the temperature is always above 25°C (often rising to 35-40°C), relative humidity is below 30%, and wind speed is more than 5 m/s (often reaching 20 m/s). The dry wind is one of the meteorological phenomena that is most unfavorable for the national economy. Under its influence, evaporation increases, the water balance of plants is disrupted, the water level in rivers decreases, etc.
General snowstorm represents the transfer by a strong wind of snow falling and/or lifted from the underlying surface in an almost horizontal direction, accompanied by vortex movements. However, it is not always possible to determine whether it is transported by falling snow or snow raised from the underlying surface.
Blizzard represents the transfer of dry or freshly fallen snow lifted from the underlying surface by a strong wind. In this case, snow transfer occurs in a layer of air up to 5 m high.
Drifting snow- transfer of dry or freshly fallen snow by strong winds directly above the underlying surface in a layer of air up to 1.5 m high.
Other atmospheric phenomena
Storm- an atmospheric phenomenon in which electrical discharges occur inside clouds or between a cloud and the earth's surface - lightning, accompanied by thunder. Typically, a thunderstorm forms in powerful cumulonimbus clouds and can be accompanied by squalls, torrential rain and hail. It is observed mainly in the warm season, but sometimes in winter.
Rainbow is an optical phenomenon in the atmosphere caused by refraction, diffraction and reflection of light from water droplets. The outer part of the rainbow is colored red, the inner part is purple. The remaining colors are located in the rainbow according to the wavelengths of the solar radiation spectrum. The color, width and intensity of the rainbow are not always the same. Often, on the outside of the main rainbow, a secondary rainbow with reverse alternation of colors is observed, located concentrically with respect to the main one.
Halo- a phenomenon associated with the refraction and reflection of light from ice crystals and is formed mainly in cirrostratus clouds. A halo looks like light colored circles or arcs, light pillars or spots around the sun or moon. This optical phenomenon has the brightest reddish color and a clear border on the inside. Towards the outside, the brightness weakens and the circle gradually merges with the gray or whitish color of the sky.