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Arizona Climate

Arizona Climate. Arizona Geography GCU 221. Game Plan. 1. Why is it so hot! 2. General Summer Circulation - Monsoons 3. General Winter Circulation - Cold Fronts 4. Phoenix Climagraph 5. Where do we get our water from?. 1. Why is it so hot in Phoenix?.

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Arizona Climate

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  1. Arizona Climate Arizona Geography GCU 221

  2. Game Plan 1. Why is it so hot! 2. General Summer Circulation - Monsoons 3. General Winter Circulation - Cold Fronts 4. Phoenix Climagraph 5. Where do we get our water from?

  3. 1. Why is it so hot in Phoenix? • Located in a sub-tropical high (clear skies) • Located in the westerlies, down wind of the Pacific ocean (keeps pressures high) • Located downhill from mountains in California (air warms adiabatically on the downhill portion of mountains) keeping it dry

  4. 1. Sub-Tropical High

  5. 1. High Pressure • Clear Skies, let’s in a lot of sunshine • Descending air, very stable, low winds and low circulation

  6. 1. Pacific High Pressure

  7. 1. Pacific High Pressure

  8. 1. Westerlies and the Pacific

  9. 1. Mountains and Adiabatics

  10. 1. Mountains and Adiabatics

  11. 2. Summer Monsoons • Monsoon means a “change in the winds” • Winds shift from “West” to “East” • Azores High Pressure moves westward, driving winds off the Gulf of Mexico and California into Arizona.

  12. 2. Azores High Pressure

  13. 2. High Dew Points and Lifting Mechanism • Arizona’s monsoon starts when three days in a row have dew points 55 degrees or higher. • Moisture comes from the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of California. • Lifting Mechanisms: Convection, Orographic, Downdraft • Need to lift the air to cool it and generate rain

  14. 2. Lifting Mechanisms: Convection

  15. 2. Lifting Mechanisms: Orographic

  16. 2. Lifting Mechanisms: Orographic

  17. 2. Lifting Mechanisms: Downdraft

  18. 3. Winter Frontal Systems • Dominant air masses: Warm Moist to the south Cold and Dry to the north • Low pressures from the jet stream spin counter-clockwise • This forces the warm moist air over cold dry air, causing storms

  19. 3. Winter Frontal Systems

  20. 3. Winter Frontal Systems

  21. 3. Winter Frontal Systems

  22. 4. Phoenix Climate graph

  23. 5. Arizona Watersheds Major Water Sheds – Mogollon Rim, Colorado Rockies, Wind River Mountains, and Utah Highlands Major Rivers – Colorado River, Salt River, and Verde River

  24. 5. Arizona Water issues

  25. 5. Arizona Water issues • Lowering groundwater table • Groundwater contamination • Lake Mead at low levels • Arizona watersheds not sufficient to support Phoenix and sensitive to climate change

  26. Things to know: 1. Why is it so hot! 2. Why do we get rain in the summer time? 3. Why do we get rain in the winter time? 4. Where do we get our water from , highlands and rivers? 5. What are some issues facing our water supply Help: Ask Dr. Douglass

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