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Weather forecasting article

Course

Earth - geology (100)

3 Documents
Students shared 3 documents in this course
Academic year: 2019/2020
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Technische Universiteit Delft

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Questions

1. What advantage does Doppler radar offer over conventional radar?

The advantage the Doppler radar offers over the conventional radar is that it offers the ability to determine the detailed motion of the targeted precipitation toward or away from the radar unit. This feature allows the air circulation pattern within a thunderstorm or storm cloud to be measured. The Doppler radar is able to determine the “detailed circulation within a weather system rather than just the general displacement of an area of precipitation” which what a conventional radar would provide. The Doppler radar provides more information such as the inside of clouds, thunderstorms, detects tornadoes and strong wind shears, and color codes motions (greens and blues mean motion toward the radar and reds and yellows mean motion away from the radar). In addition, the Doppler radar is able to show wind motion inside a storm, detect any motion like insects in the air, show a tornado warning up to 20 minutes compared to the two minute interval of a conventional radar, provide a view on bands of heavy snow with lighter snow between, and it can be programmed to sound an alarm if the weather systems its tracking becomes dangerous.

2. Can conventional radar detect clouds? Why or why not.

No, conventional radars cannot detect clouds. A conventional weather radar “emits short pulses of microwaves having wavelengths of 5 to 10 centimeters.” These radar waves are reflected by precipitation particles which means the small droplets and ice crystals that compose clouds are not able to reflect the microwaves. Hence, weather radars are able to only detect precipitation like rain and snow and not the parent clouds they come from.

3. Conventional radar sometimes encounters ground clutter. What is ground clutter?

According to the article, ground clutter is referred to “to echoes from nearby objects on the ground such as buildings or smokestacks.” Ground clutter can sometimes be mistaken for precipitation.

4. Why was the invention of radiosonde a major step forward in monitoring the atmosphere?

The invention of the radiosonde was a major step forward in monitoring the atmosphere because the device was able to transmit continuous altitude readings of temperature, air pressure, and humidity to a ground station. A radiosonde was an instrument that was carried by a balloon and equipped with a radio transmitter. In addition, the radiosonde was able to provide data to the ground station immediately and the instrument did not have to be recovered.

5. What advantages do satellites bring to weather observation?

The advantages of satellites when it comes to weather observation are 1) they are “eyes in the sky” which means they provide a general continuous field view, 2) they have “sophisticated sensors capable of monitoring patterns of temperature and water vapor concentrations, upper-air winds, and the life cycles of severe storms”, 3) they provide global weather conditions, and 4) they have imagers that can detect and measure “the strength of various frequencies of infrared energy” and they provide infrared images before sunset.

6. What is the advantage of the Polar-orbiting satellites over the two U. “next generation” satellites?

The advantage of the Polar-orbiting satellites over the two U. “next generation” satellites is they have view of the Earth from the north to the south which is beneficial because the Earth is rotating under them, so the satellites can see every single part of the Earth each 12 hours. The images of Earth are mostly new and will never be older than 6 hours. The two U. “next generation” satellites only have view of most of the Unites States, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean which means some parts are not visible such as parts of Alaska.

7. What does the National Center for Environmental Prediction do?

The National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) “forecasts and other data go to local National Weather Service offices, other government agencies, private meteorologists (such as those for television stations and airlines) and other countries.” The NCEP provides discussions between meteorologists comparing a day’s run from computer models with previous runs and also how they compare with each other. This information helps forecasters make their own predictions by looking at the data.

8. In what ways has computers assisted meteorologists in making weather forecasts?

Computers have assisted meteorologists in making weather forecasts by 1) helping meteorologists analyze large amounts of data extremely fast, 2) plotting the data as well as predicting the weather, 3) creating models that can calculate what the atmosphere will do at specific points in a large area and from the ground to the top of the atmosphere, 4) making ensemble forecasts, and 5) indicating major storms before they begin.

9. What is an ensemble forecast?

An ensemble forecast is a term used to describe when a center runs several forecasts instead of one for 10 days. An ensemble forecast is used to show if the weather is going to do what was predicted (if all runs look the same) or if the weather will change (if runs look different in certain areas).

10. Explain why computer models are never likely to replace human weather forecasters?

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Weather forecasting article

Course: Earth - geology (100)

3 Documents
Students shared 3 documents in this course

University: Santiago Canyon College

Was this document helpful?
Questions
1. What advantage does Doppler radar offer over conventional radar?
The advantage the Doppler radar offers over the conventional radar is that it offers the
ability to determine the detailed motion of the targeted precipitation toward or away from
the radar unit. This feature allows the air circulation pattern within a thunderstorm or
storm cloud to be measured. The Doppler radar is able to determine the “detailed
circulation within a weather system rather than just the general displacement of an area of
precipitation” which what a conventional radar would provide. The Doppler radar
provides more information such as the inside of clouds, thunderstorms, detects tornadoes
and strong wind shears, and color codes motions (greens and blues mean motion toward
the radar and reds and yellows mean motion away from the radar). In addition, the
Doppler radar is able to show wind motion inside a storm, detect any motion like insects
in the air, show a tornado warning up to 20 minutes compared to the two minute interval
of a conventional radar, provide a view on bands of heavy snow with lighter snow
between, and it can be programmed to sound an alarm if the weather systems its tracking
becomes dangerous.
2. Can conventional radar detect clouds? Why or why not.
No, conventional radars cannot detect clouds. A conventional weather radar “emits short
pulses of microwaves having wavelengths of 5 to 10 centimeters.” These radar waves are
reflected by precipitation particles which means the small droplets and ice crystals that
compose clouds are not able to reflect the microwaves. Hence, weather radars are able to
only detect precipitation like rain and snow and not the parent clouds they come from.
3. Conventional radar sometimes encounters ground clutter. What is ground clutter?
According to the article, ground clutter is referred to “to echoes from nearby objects on
the ground such as buildings or smokestacks.” Ground clutter can sometimes be mistaken
for precipitation.
4. Why was the invention of radiosonde a major step forward in monitoring the
atmosphere?
The invention of the radiosonde was a major step forward in monitoring the atmosphere
because the device was able to transmit continuous altitude readings of temperature, air
pressure, and humidity to a ground station. A radiosonde was an instrument that was
carried by a balloon and equipped with a radio transmitter. In addition, the radiosonde
was able to provide data to the ground station immediately and the instrument did not
have to be recovered.
5. What advantages do satellites bring to weather observation?

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