Geography
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Weather is a fascinating subject. It is such an intricate and amazing process, which our mother earth goes through on a daily basis. All over the world, weather seems to be a very important aspect for our everyday lives. For instance; sunny weather can bring on a very harmonious and beautiful atmosphere, while cloudy and rainy weather can bring about tragedy. In 1998; the earth experienced an El Nino which brought on fierce weather, flooding, and hurricanes. Weather systems are very broad and detailed, so please; sit back and enjoy as I attempt to tackle the subject of weather systems.
Throughout my essay, I will be using the scientific methodology in my research methods to determine what I know, what I want to know, and the many unanswered questions that exist. Before I dig any deeper into the complicated weather systems, I will first describe a very important detail to our “weather drama.” There is a very distinctive body of air called an air mass. This distinctive body of air is the effect of the surface on the air, which created regional, homogeneous masses of air having specific conditions of temperature, humidity, and stability. These masses of air interact to produce weather patterns.
I will explain the differences between winter and summer weather patterns. By using inductive reasoning, we know that winter generally brings cold, and wet weather, while summer generally brings hot, dry weather. By using deductive reasoning, I will now discuss the logistics behind winter weather and summer weather.
Cyclonic storms shift across the continent along storm tracks. These storm tracks shift lattitudinally with the sun and seasons, therefore creating what we know to be the summer months, autumn months, winter months and spring months. The typical storm tracks that cross North America are farther southward in winter.
I will be discussing a weather system for North America, and specifically for California. Here in the North, we have what is called Continental polar, or cP. These cP air masses form only in the Northern hemisphere and are most developed in the winter when they dominate cold weather conditions. An area covered by cP air experienced cold, stable air and clear skies. North America also has what is called Maritime Polar, or mP air masses. mP air masses are in the Northern hemisphere and exist Northwest and northeast of the North American continent over the Northern oceans. Within them, cool, moist, unstable conditions happen throughout the year.
Another difference between winter and summer is the Sub polar Low Pressure cells, or in other words, the North Pacific Aleutian Low, and the North Atlantic Icelandic Low. Both cells are dominant in winter and weaker or disappear in summer with the strengthening of high-pressure systems in the subtropics.
If you were to look at a global pressure map, you would find several high-pressure areas. The Pacific High, or Eastern Pacific High is one of these. The Eastern Pacific high is located East of Hawaii where the Pacific Ocean meets California. It dominates the Pacific in July, and retreats southward in January. The entire high-pressure system migrates with the summer high sun while fluctuating about 5*-10* in latitude. The Eastern sides of these anticyclonic systems are drier and more stable which means that there was less convective activity. There are cooler ocean currants than the Western sides.
Inductively thinking, we know that California is set up with Valleys, mountain ranges, and coastal regions, which means that we are prone to many weather effects. Deductively, I know that orographic lifting is very prominent on the coastal regions of California. The physical presence of a mountain acts as a barrier to migrating air masses. Orographic lifting occurs when the air is forcibly lifted upslope as it is pushed against a mountain. Stable air that has been forced upward by orographic lifting may produce stratiform clouds, whereas unstable air usually forms a line of cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds.
In order to properly discuss the weather systems for California, we must discuss cold fronts, and warm fronts. A front is the line of conflict between two air masses of different temperature, pressure, humidity, wind direction and speed, and cloud development. The leading edge of a cold air mass is a cold front. Due to the shape and size of North America, and its latitudinal position, certain conditions develop where cP and mT air masses are best developed and have the most dirct access to each other. This result can lead to dramatic weather. Particularly in the spring. This explanation of cold fronts is what helps the meteorologists predict the upcoming weather, and storm paths. A day or two ahead of the cold fronts coming, high cirrus clouds appear, telling observers that a lifting mechanism is soon on its way. This is marked by the symptoms of a wind shaft, temperature drop, and lowering barometric pressure due to the lifting. The air pressure reaches a low as the line of most intense lifting passes. This is usually just ahead of the front itself. Clouds may build along the cold front into characteristic cumulonimbus clouds. The rain is usually heavy, and can also be accompanied by hail lightning, and thunder. Meteorologists know that the aftermath of a cold front passage usually brings about the Northerly winds, along with lower temperatures, increasing air pressure, and broken cloud cover.
Inductively thinking, I always assumed that the meteorologists