GPH 212 - Review Sheet for Exam I - Ahrens Ch. 1,2, and part of Ch. 3

Review sheet provides guidance for studying. It is best if you know your lecture notes well and be organized.  Exam is open book and open notes.  You do not have time to look up every answer - know your notes (lecture material). NO SHARING OF TEXTBOOKS, NOTES, HANDOUTS, OR CALCULATORS. DON'T FORGET A SCANTRON AND #2 PENCIL.

SCANTRON EXAM (multiple choice) + a few short answer and math problems (equations given in lecture, not lab). 40 total questions: 33 are multiple choice + 2 bonus questions (each worth one pt). Approximate number of questions from each section or topic are in parentheses.

Don't forget the practice math problems (with answers) at: http://staff.gc.maricopa.edu/~lnewman/Exam1_212_math.html

* Weather vs. climate - what's the difference?

*gases that make up the early atmosphere
*gases that make up the current atmosphere
*greenhouse gases and what they do
*air pressure and density: how are they defined and how to they change with height

*layers of the atmosphere as defined by temperature; how temperature changes with height in each layer.
*what are the main characteristics in each layer.
*know how and why tropospheric height changes as a function of temperature.

*know the brief history of meteorology

*specific heat: definition and what it means as far as heating rates of different materials
*know the methods of heat transfer: conduction, convection, radiation, advection, sensible heat and latent heat transfer.

*radiation: wavelength, Stefan-Boltzmann law, Wein's law, do a calculation with Wein's law including necessary temperature conversions; energy per photon, greenhouse gases and greenhouse effect.
*know the '3 Fates of radiation': scattering, reflection, absorption. Albedo, net radiation. Be able to calculate albedo and net radiation given formulas from lecture and numerical values for each variable found on the exam.
*How do we get blue skies and red sunsets.

*Longwave vs shortwave radiation; the fluxes are longwave in (counterradiation), longwave out, shortwave in, shortwave reflected. If given all four radiation fluxes, be able calculate net radiation (as mentioned above) and completed in a lab exercise already.

*Earth's radiation balance and Earth's radiative equilibrium temperature; Earth w/ and w/o an atmosphere.

*Latent heat exchanges (e.g., evaporation, condensation, etc.)
*Energy balance of earth/atmosphere system.

*Earth-Sun relationships: seasons, dates they occur, declination of sun on those dates, hours of daylight/darkness at various locations on those dates. What is solar declination?
*Do a calculation to give noon solar altitude and zenith angle (no practice problems on this, see your lab manual and the formula I gave in lecture and lab).

*Know locations of tropic of cancer, tropic of capricorn, Arctic circle, Antarctic circle, circle of illumination, equator, etc. Why are the lines found where they are? Be able to calculate their positions if necessary (like if I changed the tilt of the earth).

*Daytime warming and nighttime cooling. Understand the daily temperature lag from solar noon to hottest time of day (relationship between incoming and outgoing energy - the diagram from lecture and in your book), the time of daily minimum temperature
*Also know the lag in annual max and min temperatures as compared to the max and min dates of solar radiation input.