5.5: Alternative Text Descriptions for Investigation 5

Figure 5.2.1: A Blank Stüve Diagram

This is a Stüve diagram, a type of thermodynamic chart used in meteorology to analyze vertical profiles of the atmosphere. It displays how temperature varies with pressure and altitude, and is used to assess atmospheric stability, moisture, and wind data.

Axes:

• Temperature (°C) ranges from -80°C to +40°C in 10°C intervals.
• Pressure (mb) ranges from 1000 mb (near surface) to 100 mb at upper levels, in a logarithmic scale.
• Altitude (km) ranges from 0 km to 16 km, linearly spaced to correspond with pressure levels.

Grid Lines:

• Horizontal lines: Represent constant pressure levels.
• Vertical lines: Represent constant temperature values.
• Dry adiabats, sloped from lower left to upper right, showing the temperature change for rising or sinking unsaturated air parcels.
• Moist adiabats, representing the temperature change for saturated air parcels during ascent or descent.
• Shallower slope lines are Isotherms, running vertically to track constant te mperature values. 
• Near-vertical dashed brown lines represent mixing ratio lines, indicating constant values of water vapor in grams per kilogram of dry air.

Figure 5.2.2: Stüve Diagram with lines

This is a Stüve diagram, labeled “Vertical Atmospheric Chart (Stüve),” used in meteorology to analyze vertical profiles of the atmosphere. It plots temperature versus pressure and altitude, and overlays highlighted examples of a dry adiabat and a moist adiabat.

Axes:

• Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C), ranging from -80°C to +40°C.
• Pressure in millibars (mb), ranging from 1000 mb (surface) at the bottom to 100 mb near the top, on a logarithmic scale.
• Altitude in kilometers (km), from 0 km to 16 km, increasing linearly upward.

Grid Lines and Background:

• Vertical lines: Constant temperature.
• Horizontal lines: Constant pressure (or height).
• Dry adiabats, sloping upward.
• Moist adiabats, also upward sloping  but more curved and variable.

Highlighted Features:

• A Dry Adiabat is shown, beginning at approximately 20°C and 1000 mb, extending upward to around -80°C and 250 mb. This line represents the temperature change of a rising unsaturated air parcel, cooling at about 10°C/km.
• A Moist Adiabat is also plotted, starting near the same surface point but curving slightly rightward as it rises. This line represents the cooling of a saturated air parcel, which cools more slowly with height d ue to latent heat release from condensation.

Figure 5.3.1: Average Annual Rainfall 

This map depicts the average annual precipitation across parts of Northern California, including the San Francisco Bay Area, based on data collected from 1900 to 1960. The geographic region extends from the coastline near San Francisco and Santa Cruz inland to Livermore, Tracy, and parts of the Central Valley.

Map Overview:

• City names such as San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Fremont, Sunnyvale, Santa Cruz, and Livermore are labeled on the map for spatial reference.
• The base map uses colored contours to indicate zones of average annual precipitation in inches.
• The map legend on the right categorizes precipitation into 13 ranges, from 3–4 inches up to 125 inches per year.

Precipitation Ranges and Patterns:

The color-coded contour regions represent the following precipitation ranges (in inches):

• 3–4
• 5–6
• 7–8
• 9–10
• 11–15
• 16–20
• 21–25
• 26–30
• 31–50
• 51–125

Key patterns:

• Lowest precipitation areas (3–10 inches per year) are concentrated in valleys and interior lowlands, especially near San Jose, Fremont, and parts of the East Bay.
• Moderate precipitation zones (15–25 inches) appear in much of the San Mateo Peninsula, Redwood City, and parts of the inland hills near Livermore and Concord.
• Higher precipitation zones (over 30 inches) are found along the coastal mountains, including the Santa Cruz Mountains west of San Jose and near Santa Cruz and parts of the coastal Pacific slope.
• A small area near Big Basin or the Santa Cruz Mountains may reach over 50 inches per year.

Figure 5.3.2: Topography of the San Francisco Bay Area

This is a topographic map showing part of central coastal California, with a focus on the San Francisco Bay Area and nearby terrain. The map uses shaded relief to represent elevation and terrain texture, but does not include contour lines, colors, or elevation labels beyond land shading.

Geographic Scope:

• Several prominent cities are labeled, including San Francisco (located in the northwest corner of the map, near the ocean), San Jose (in the center of the map, inland from the bay), Santa Cruz (in the southwest portion of the map, near the coast), and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
• The San Francisco Bay is visible, extending inland toward the east and splitting into multiple channels.  

Topographic Features:  

• The Santa Clara Valley, where San Jose is located, is surrounded by mountainous terrain.
• The Santa Cruz Mountains lie to the west of San Jose and extend south toward Santa Cruz.
• The Diablo Range lies to the east of the Santa Clara Valley.
• The elevated terrain is represented by darker shaded areas, forming ridges and valleys.
• Lowland valleys and plains are shown in lighter shading and are mainly located around San Jose and east of San Francisco Bay.

Figure 5.4.1: Weather Balloon data for Dallas, TX

This is a Stüve diagram representing an atmospheric sounding taken at Dallas Ft. Worth (FWD), Texas, at 00Z on May 21, 2019. It displays the vertical profile of the atmosphere in terms of temperature, dew point, and pressure, with annotations for CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) and CIN (Convective Inhibition).

Axis and Grid Structure:

• The vertical axis represents pressure in millibars (mb) decreasing logarithmically from 1000 mb at the surface to 100 mb aloft.
  • Left-side labels also include approximate altitudes in meters.
• The horizontal axis shows temperature in degrees Celsius, increasing diagonally from bottom left to top right.
•  The background includes:
  • Dry adiabats: solid lines sloping from bottom right to top left.
  • Moist adiabats: curved lines extending upward.
  • Mixing ratio lines: nearly vertical dashed lines.
  • Isotherms: diagonal temperature lines

Figure 5.4.2: Weather Balloon data for Topeka, Kansas

This is a Stüve diagram for Topeka, Kansas, valid at 00Z on May 29, 2019. It provides a vertical atmospheric profile of temperature, dew point, and parcel trajectory used to assess atmospheric stability.

Axis and Grid Layout:

The vertical axis represents atmospheric pressure in millibars, decreasing from 1000 millibars at the bottom (surface) to 100 millibars near the top (upper atmosphere). The corresponding altitude scale in meters is labeled on the left side. The horizontal axis shows temperature in degrees Celsius, increasing diagonally from lower left to upper right.

The grid includes:

• Sloped lines for dry adiabatic temperature (unsaturated rising or sinking air).
• Curved dashed lines for moist adiabatic (saturated air).
• Near-vertical lines for mixing ratio and diagonal lines for temperature isotherms.

Plotted Data:

The jagged line on the right is the environmental temperature profile, and the line on the left is the dew point temperature profile. These lines indicate the observed temperature and humidity structure of the atmosphere from the surface upward. A curve traces the path of the parcel ascent, showing how a hypothetical surface air parcel would behave if lifted vertically.

Interpretation:

The temperature and parcel paths are closely aligned through much of the lower and mid-level atmosphere. There is little separation between the parcel path and environmental temperature, suggesting minimal Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE), which indicates limited buoyancy. Similarly, the absence of a pronounced Convective Inhibition (CIN) region suggests the air parcel does not encounter strong resistance to initial lifting. Winds, shown on the right-hand side as wind barbs, generally indicate modest directional and speed variation with height.

Figure 5.4.3: Severe Weather Report on May 28, 2019 

This is a NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center map displaying filtered severe weather reports across the United States for May 28, 2019. The map includes tornadoes, damaging wind events, and hail reports, as recorded by the National Weather Service.

General Layout:

• The map covers the contiguous U.S. with state boundaries outlined.
• The location of Topeka, Kansas is labeled near the central part of the map.
• Symbols are used to denote different types of storm reports:
  • Tornadoes
  • Damaging wind (including high wind reports)
  • Hail (including large hail over 2 inches in diameter)

Storm Report Totals:

• Tornado Reports: 35
• Wind Reports: 136 total, including 1 high wind report (gusts ≥ 65 knots or ~75 mph)
• Hail Reports: 263 total, including 36 large hail reports (hail ≥ 2 inches in diameter)
• Total Reports: 434  

Geographic Distribution of Reports:  

• A dense band of storm reports stretches from eastern Kansas and northern Oklahoma eastward through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and into the Northeast U.S., including Pennsylvania and New York.
• The highest concentration of tornado reports is near Topeka, Kansas, and the surrounding region.
• Hail reports dominate the central U.S., with many reports across Kansas, Missouri, and further east.
• Wind damage reports (including the one high wind report) are scattered along the same path from the Plains through the Northeast.
• A few isolated storm reports also appear in Oregon, Texas, and parts of the Southeast U.S.