Meteo 300 -- Introduction to the Atmospheric Sciences
Study Sheet for the Final Exam

Study everything on this study guide.  If you really understand everything on this study guide, you have a very good chance of doing well on the final exam.  The exam with have one section of short answer questions, definitions, and equations.  The rest of the exam will be questions that require somewhat longer answers and problems related to those you have already done or seen.  About a third of the exam will be on the material not covered by the other two exams.
 

  1. Fraction of air that is nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, and carbon dioxide.
  2. Variation of pressure with altitude: equation -- p = po exp(-z/H)
  3. Vertical temperature distribution: "spheres" amd "pauses".
  4. Ideal gas law: equation in any form -- for example, pV = nR*T.
  5. Avagadro's number: 6.02x1026 molecules per mole
  6. Dalton's law of partial pressures: concept.
  7. Virtual temperature: concept.
  8. Hydrostatic equilibrium: equation -- dp/dz = -g r
  9. Geopotential: definition and concept.
  10. Hyposometric equation and thickness: concept and important variables.
  11. Relationship between thickness and average temperature of the layer.
  12. The First Law of Thermodynamics: equation -- du = dq - dw.
  13. Relationship between work and pressure and volume: equation -- dW = p dV.
  14. Specific heat: constant pressure and constant volume: equations and concepts -- du/dT = cv, for example.
  15. Latent heats; concepts for water vapor.
  16. Latent heats and change in air temperature.
  17. Dry adiabatic lapse rate: concept and rough value.
  18. Potential temperature: equation and concept.
  19. Water vapor mixing ratio: concept and equation.
  20. Relative humidity: concept and equation.
  21. Lifting condensation level: concept and method for determining.
  22. Saturated adiabatic lapse rate: concept and approximate value.
  23. Equivalent potential temperature: concept.
  24. Stability -- be able to identify stable, unstable, and neutrally stable air.
  25. Second Law of Thermodynamics
  26. The Carnot Cycle: description
  27. Carnot Cycle Efficiency: concept
  28. Entropy: definition and examples of entropy increases
  29. First Law of Thermodynamics: equation with entropy in it
  30. Reversible and Irreversible processes: definition
  31. Clausius Clapeyron Equation: concept and equation
  32. Lifting Condensation Level in terms of adiabatic expansion and the Clausius Clapeyron Equation
  33. Cloud types and their characteristics (thickness, LWC, vertical velocities, lifetimes)
  34. Synoptically forced thunderstorms: characteristics
  35. Squall lines: characteristics
  36. Five Latin roots for clouds
  37. Aerosols: definition and types
  38. Supersaturation and subsaturation: definitions
  39. Homogeneous nucleation: concept
  40. Heterogeneous nucleation: concept
  41. Koehler Theory: How the Kelvin Effect and the Raoult Effect work to make a cloud droplet
  42. Cloud growth by vapor deposition
  43. Cloud growth by collision-coalescence
  44. Cloud droplet growth and precipitation development in a warm cloud: the big picture and the importance of each step
  45. Cloud drop growth and precipitation development in a cold cloud: the big picture and the importance of each step
  46. Electromagnetic spectrum: relationship among frequencis, wavelengths, and energies
  47. Absorption of a photon by a molecule: where the energy can be stored
  48. The order of energy for electronic excitation, vibration, rotation, or translation of a molecule
  49. Solar zenith angle: concept
  50. Solar constant: dependence on distance from the sun and approximate value for Earth
  51. Black-body radiation: concept and shape of the emission spectra
  52. Solar radiation absorbed by Earth: concept and equation
  53. Infrared radiation emitted by Earth: concept
  54. The Greenhouse Effect: concept
  55. Poleward energy flux: concept
  56. Four stages of cyclogenesis
  57. Converting x,y coordinates to r, latitude, longitude coordinates: know Figure 8.1.
  58. Four vertical coordinates that are commonly used
  59. Two apparent forces - effective gravity and the Coriolis force - causes and concepts
  60. Two real forces
  61. Geostrophic wind: concept
  62. Effects of friction on the wind: where is friction effective and what does it do?
  63. The five primitive equations: list them
  64. Thermally driven circulation: concept

    65.