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FUNDAMENTALS OF
WEATHER COURSE
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Introduction
Welcome to Fundamentals of
Weather, the Canadian Power & Sail Squadron's
introductory weather course. The course will cover many of the
significant aspects of the formation and behavior
of the weather around us. Meteorology - or the
scientific study of the principles of weather - can
be somewhat technical. This course has been
presented in a straightforward form which has
eliminated much of the technical "jargon", while
retaining the essence of the material. You will discover that the subject
of weather is both fascinating and satisfying. All
it will need is your enthusiasm to observe and
record the daily "goings-on" of the air in which we
live and the water on which we boat. With practice,
it will even become possible for you to make a
short-term forecast. You will not always be right,
but neither are professional forecasters, and you
will have satisfaction - and fun - doing it!
Course Content
1.0 How the Sun Causes Weather
- 1.1 The Atmosphere
- 1.2 The Troposphere,
Tropopause, and Stratosphere
- 1.3 How the Sun Causes
Weather
- 1.4 The Earth's Heat Budget,
and How It Is Balanced
- 1.5 Why Is the Sky Blue,
Daddy?
2.0 What Causes the Wind To Blow
- 2.1 What Is Pressure?
- 2.2 Measurement of Barometric
Pressure
- The Mercury Barometer
- The Aneroid Barometer
- 2.3 High and Low
Pressures—Airflow and Circulation
- 2.4 Land and Sea Breezes
- 2.5 High and Low Pressure
Patterns
- 2.6 Buys-Ballot's Law
- 2.7 The Beaufort Scale
- 2.8 Marine Weather Warnings
- 2.9 Winds and Waves
3.0 Water in the Atmosphere
- 3.1 The Different States of
Water
- Water Vapour
- Liquid Water
- Ice
- 3.2 The Hydrologic Cycle
- 3.3 Precipitation
- Rain
- Drizzle
- Snow
- Freezing Rain
- Freezing Drizzle
- Hail
- 3.4 Fog
- Radiation Fog
- Dew or Frost?
- Advection Fog
- Frontal Fog
- Upslope Fog
- Smog
- Play It Safe in Fog
4.0 Clouds—The Signposts of the
Skies
- 4.1 Clouds and Cloud
Classification
- 4.2 Cloud Shape
- 4.3 Cloud Height
- 4.4 Cloud Types
- High Clouds
- Medium Clouds
- Low Clouds
- Clouds of Vertical
Development
- 4.5 Other Cloud Types
- 4.6 Vapour Trails, or
Contrails
- 4.7 Low Clouds as Weather
Indicators
5.0 Fronts and Frontal Weather
- 5.1 What Is a Front?
- 5.2 Warm Fronts
- 5.3 Weather Patterns
Associated with Warm Fronts
- Precipitation
- Pressure
- Temperature
- Wind
- 5.4 Cold Fronts
- 5.5 Weather Patterns
Associated with Cold Fronts
- Precipitation
- Pressure
- Temperature
- Wind
- 5.6 Stationary Fronts
- 5.7 Frontal Depressions
- 5.8 Occlusions
- 5.9 TROWAL
- 5.10 The Jet Stream
6.0 Thunderstorms and Tornadoes
- 6.1 Thunderstorms
- 6.2 Equilibrium of the
Atmosphere—Stability and Instability
- 6.3 What Causes Air To Rise?
- 6.4 Air Mass Thunderstorms
- The Development Stage
- The Mature Stage
- The Dissipating Stage
- 6.5 Cold Front Thunderstorms
- 6.6 Lightning
- 6.7 Thunder
- 6.8 What Can We Do To Be Safe
During a Thunderstorm?
- Before You Set Out
- If You See a Thunderstorm
Coming
- During the Storm
- 6.9 Tornadoes
- Tornado Formation
- Tornado Characteristics
- Tornado Precautions
- 6.10 Waterspouts
7.0 Forecasting the Weather
- 7.1 Forecast First—Sail Later
- 7.2 Weather Forecasts
- 7.3 Sources of Weather
Forecasts
- 7.4 Know Your Own Boating
Area
- 7.5 Weather Log
- 7.6 Your Own Forecast!
- 7.7 Some Weather Trivia
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