Temperature

Temperature is a basic weather element that influences other weather elements. Temperature varies considerably in both time and space and for various reasons, most of which are related to the heating or cooling of the earths surface. Differences in temperature create differences in air density and atmospheric pressure and therefore cause vertical and horizontal air movement. Through air movement, temperature differences influence the transport of heat, moisture, and atmospheric pollutants such as smoke, haze, and industrial contaminants. The influence of temperature on atmospheric moisture is fundamental, not only in moisture transport, but in changes of state, particularly evaporation and condensation.

Surface air temperatures are strongly influenced by the differing materials that make up the earths surface as the air is primarily heated/cooled by contact with these surfaces. Winds, vegetation, and water/moisture have moderating effects on surface air temperatures. Latitude and season have a pronounced large scale influence on incidence angle, but there are also local factors such as topography to consider.

Air temperatures also vary vertically, generally decreasing with height. Lapse rates describe this rate of temperature change with height. At night or near coastal areas, inversions can form where air temperature will actually increase with height. Lapse rates and inversions are key components in determining atmospheric stability.

• Temperature, Heat, and the Atmosphere
  • Radiation
• Horizontal Variations in Surface Air Temperature
  • Effects of Forests on Surface Temperature
• Diurnal and Seasonal Variations in Surface Air Temperatures
• Lapse Rates and Inversions
  • Night Inversions
  • Marine Inversions