Assignment Wk6
1. Describe how the use of a tall smoke stack might improve air quality near a large industrial facility.
A taller smoke stack in an industrial area would improve air quality over shorter stacks. At night, when there is a temperature inversion, pollution from shorter stacks can become trapped and cannot rise any higher than the inversion’s top. The only place it can go is to spread out horizontally in all directions. This keeps all the pollutants spewing out of the stack to remain closer to the ground, lowering the air quality. A taller stack, on the other hand, would allow pollution exit above the inversion and disperse downwind.
2. How can topography contribute to pollution in a city or region?
Topology can have a great impact on pollution in a region. We tend to build cities down in valleys, not on hills. Above a layer of cold air in the valleys is a warmer layer. This warm layer prevents pollution from rising which creates a layer of smog in the valley. The hills surrounding the valley act as barriers preventing winds from moving in to disperse the pollution. The same polluted air just recirculates in the valley unable to leave.
3. From where do hurricanes derive their energy? What factors tend to weaken hurricanes? Would you expect a hurricane to weaken more quickly if it moved over land or over cooler water?
A hurricane’s energy comes from the transfer of both sensible and latent heat from the surface of the ocean. A cluster of thunderstorms must form around an area of low pressure for a hurricane to form. Warm water drives a hurricane, so when it moves over an area of colder water it slows down and begins to decay. A rising wind shear aloft also hinders a hurricanes momentum. Land does weaken more quickly when it makes land fall. The terrain tends to break up its wind movements, slowing it rapidly. Land also helps to suck the moisture out of the storm which further aids in its rapid decay.
4. Where is the Bermuda high located during the summer and
A taller smoke stack in an industrial area would improve air quality over shorter stacks. At night, when there is a temperature inversion, pollution from shorter stacks can become trapped and cannot rise any higher than the inversion’s top. The only place it can go is to spread out horizontally in all directions. This keeps all the pollutants spewing out of the stack to remain closer to the ground, lowering the air quality. A taller stack, on the other hand, would allow pollution exit above the inversion and disperse downwind.
2. How can topography contribute to pollution in a city or region?
Topology can have a great impact on pollution in a region. We tend to build cities down in valleys, not on hills. Above a layer of cold air in the valleys is a warmer layer. This warm layer prevents pollution from rising which creates a layer of smog in the valley. The hills surrounding the valley act as barriers preventing winds from moving in to disperse the pollution. The same polluted air just recirculates in the valley unable to leave.
3. From where do hurricanes derive their energy? What factors tend to weaken hurricanes? Would you expect a hurricane to weaken more quickly if it moved over land or over cooler water?
A hurricane’s energy comes from the transfer of both sensible and latent heat from the surface of the ocean. A cluster of thunderstorms must form around an area of low pressure for a hurricane to form. Warm water drives a hurricane, so when it moves over an area of colder water it slows down and begins to decay. A rising wind shear aloft also hinders a hurricanes momentum. Land does weaken more quickly when it makes land fall. The terrain tends to break up its wind movements, slowing it rapidly. Land also helps to suck the moisture out of the storm which further aids in its rapid decay.
4. Where is the Bermuda high located during the summer and
References: Ahrens, C. D. (01/2014). Essentials of Meteorology: An Invitation to the Atmosphere, 7th Edition [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781305439733