Atmosphere
Fly through the puffy pink clouds that have been romanticized for centuries.
Stability and Cloud Formation
Clouds are everyday phenomena that hold a surprising amount of complexity. Ranging from fluffy and thick, to wispy hair, to flat expanses of gray, each shape can tell you something about the atmosphere that formed it. They can also indicate if there’s good or bad weather ahead! But what drives the formation of these ubiquitous structures? Read on to find out.
Air Pressure and Winds
All weather events on earth are driven by atmospheric circulation at varying scales. This is in turn driven by differences in pressure. Winds are really just the movement of air from two different regions of high and low pressure. This handout will cover everything about air pressure and winds, as well as local systems of wind.
Air Masses and Fronts
From an average point of view, the air seems to be uncomplicated. However, this perception of the atmosphere could not be further from the truth. In reality, many factors play a role in the myriad weather and cloud systems we can observe from day to day. Read on to find out more about this constantly shifting sphere.
Climate Change
Climate change is a vast topic, pervasive in modern-day research, and readily apparent in our own lives. It occurs periodically, due to a number of factors, particularly variations in the Earth’s orbit, but is becoming increasingly anthropogenic. This handout will review aspects of climate change covered in USESO-administered exams.