Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Whoa cool to physically see the snow up there from the ground! Snowing above North Carolina today mid July. Waaaaay above. Lol. Good graphic and post regarding the clouds!
Abstract. Observations and climate model simulations consistently show a higher climate sensitivity of land surfaces compared to ocean surfaces. Here we show that this difference in temperature sensitivity can be explained by the different means by which the diurnal variation in solar radiation is buffered.
While ocean surfaces buffer the diurnal variations by heat storage changes below the surface, land surfaces buffer it mostly by heat storage changes above the surface in the lower atmosphere that are reflected in the diurnal growth of a convective boundary layer. Storage changes below the surface allow the ocean surface–atmosphere system to maintain turbulent fluxes over day and night, while the land surface–atmosphere system maintains turbulent fluxes only during the daytime hours, when the surface is heated by absorption of solar radiation.
This shorter duration of turbulent fluxes on land results in a greater sensitivity of the land surface–atmosphere system to changes in the greenhouse forcing because nighttime temperatures are shaped by radiative exchange only, which are more sensitive to changes in greenhouse forcing. We use a simple, analytic energy balance model of the surface–atmosphere system in which turbulent fluxes are constrained by the maximum power limit to estimate the effects of these different means to buffer the diurnal cycle on the resulting temperature sensitivities.
The model predicts that land surfaces have a 50 % greater climate sensitivity than ocean surfaces, and that the nighttime temperatures on land increase about twice as much as daytime temperatures because of the absence of turbulent fluxes at night. Both predictions compare very well with observations and CMIP5 climate model simulations. Hence, the greater climate sensitivity of land surfaces can be explained by its buffering of diurnal variations in solar radiation in the lower atmosphere
This is true. Even since I started watching and learning about the weather models in 2010, things have improved a lot.. But Still... We'll never be able to get down to the very precise detail or be accurate to a forecast from days out
There are two main types of turbulence. Storm-related turbulence and clear air turbulence.
Storm-related is the stuff that happens around inclement weather and it’s rather easy to predict.
This type of turbulence happens in areas with rising or sinking air. You might hear us meteorologists talking about vertical wind shear– the movement that causes turbulence.
Often times, this is associated with storms or clouds. Frontal boundaries cause vertical wind shear as the air down at the surface changes temperature, but this can also happen high up in the sky on its own. Water vapor high up in the atmosphere will condense when it cools to the dew point. As this happens it changes it’s density, and that change in density forces some air to rise. But if there is rising in one area there has to be sinking in another in order to keep equilibrium.
Clear air turbulence is the more fun one– the type you look out the window and find clear skies below.
This type of turbulence can be caused by a few different things. The jet stream is one of the main culprits.
Different speeds of winds in and around a jet can cause air to rise or sink under clear skies. This also can happen over a storm and is what we call upper-level support.
Mountains can often times cause a bumpy ride as they affect the way wind moves as it rises and falls over the large landmasses.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
