This chapter introduces learners to tropical meteorology including various methods of defining the tropics. An overview of energy balance and the global climate system is presented. The role of the tropics in the global energy and momentum balance is presented. Atmospheric structure of temperature and humidity are discussed in terms of latitudinal variability. Pressure ranges and scales of atmospheric motion in the tropics are reviewed. Seasonal and geographic distribution and the diurnal cycle of surface temperature and the influencing factors are examined in detail. Finally, we review tropical air masses and tropical climates.
Have an account?
Sign In to write a review.
At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
- Understand the concept of radiation balance between intake and loss of energy by the earth and atmosphere
- Describe the role of the tropics in the global climate system
- List the mechanisms that allow for exchange of energy between the surface and the atmosphere
- Recall at least three methods of defining the tropics
- List the components of the surface energy budget
- Understand the atmosphere and ocean transport in the global energy balance
- Describe how latent heat and tropical deep convection fit into the global energy budget
- Relate the tropical tropopause height to higher latitude tropopause height
- Recall the basic structure of the trade wind inversion and its impact on east-west cloud distribution over the tropical oceans
- Describe the range of surface humidity in the tropics relative to higher latitudes
- Describe the geographic and seasonal distribution of surface temperature and the factors that influence that distribution
- Recall the typical diurnal distribution of temperature and factors that influence that distribution
- Describe the meridional transport of angular momentum and the role of the tropics
- Recall at least three tropical air masses and locations
- Recall at least three tropical climate regions
define the tropics, role of the tropics in global energy balance, surface energy budget, global energy budget, meridional transport of energy, zonal mean energy flux, tropical tropopause, specific humidity profiles, trade wind inversion, temperature distribution, annual temperature range, factors that influence temperature, seasonal temperature, diurnal temperature, angular momentum balance, tropical climates, tropical air masses
February 15 2016: HTML and media assets in this lesson have been updated for current browsers and mobile devices. All links external to COMET's MetEd site have been checked and updated.
