Lightning in the Peaks: Northern Arizona Climate and Lightning Strikes: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geogr

3/31/24, 11 : 17 PM Lightning in the Peaks: Northern Arizona Climate and Lightning Strikes: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring) Page 1 of 7 https://canvas.asu.edu/courses/178831/quizzes/1343074 ? module_item_id=12797102 Lightning in the Peaks: Northern Arizona Climate and Lightning Strikes Due Feb 14 at 11:59pm Points 5 Questions 3 Available after Jan 21 at 12am Time Limit None Instructions For the following questions, investigate the monthly changes in lightning strike, temperature, dew point, and precipitation data for Flagstaff, Arizona. Remember, dew point simply is the temperature that the air would have to cool to in order for moisture in the air to condense into water droplets (forming dew or clouds). Humidity on the other hand is the ratio of moisture in the air compared to how much it can hold. This is dependent on temperature, so we'll stick with dew point as it easier to see a seasonal shift. In essence, the higher the dew point, the more moisture that exists within the atmosphere - however, dew point cannot exceed air temperature and is dependent on air temperature. Colder air simply cannot hold as much moisture, so there is less available to condense and form clouds (think of polar deserts like Antarctica!). When you hear of dry heat, that often is associated with warm, dry air, meaning a large difference between temperature and dew point. When that begins to change, and dew point increases, it feels humid and uncomfortable, and you are more likely to have rain and storms. Changes in dew point are one of the driving features for the change in precipitation and lightning strikes across the southwestern United States during the summer, as the North American Monsoon becomes more prominent. Monthly climate data for Flagstaff, Arizona can be found below. Monthly Air Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec C 1.7 2.8 4.4 7.2 11.6 18.3 19.4 16.6 15.0 10.0 3.9 0.6 F 35.1 37.0 39.9 45.0 52.9 64.9 66.9 61.9 59.0 50.0 39.0 33.1 Monthly Dew Point Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec C -9.4 -5.0 -6.1 -5.6 -3.9 -3.9 10.6 11.1 10.0 2.8 -5.6 -3.9 F 15.0 23.0 21.0 22.0 25.0 25.0 51.0 52.0 50.0 37.0 22.0 25.0 Monthly Precipitation o o o o

3/31/24, 11 : 17 PM Lightning in the Peaks: Northern Arizona Climate and Lightning Strikes: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring) Page 2 of 7 https://canvas.asu.edu/courses/178831/quizzes/1343074 ? module_item_id=12797102 Attempt History Attempt Time Score LATEST Attempt 1 2 minutes 5 out of 5 Score for this quiz: 5 out of 5 Submitted Feb 14 at 8:02pm This attempt took 2 minutes.  Question 1 2 / 2 pts Answer 1: .06% Correct! Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec mm 50.0 54.0 50.0 34.0 35.0 12.0 121.0 132.0 67.0 35.0 33.0 45.0 in 2.0 2.1 2.0 1.3 1.4 0.5 4.8 5.2 2.6 1.4 1.3 1.8 Study Area Lightning Strikes Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Count 0 0 10 25 25 10 3200 3500 500 10 0 0 First, let's understand why we are using lightning strikes in August, and not in May or June. It has to do with the change of moisture in the atmosphere, brought by the North American Monsoon. To prove this, answer the following questions using the data table above: Monthly Percentage = ((Sum of May, June OR July, August) / Total Precipitation)*100 Calculate the percentage of annual precipitation that falls in May and June: 7.8% Calculate the percentage of annual precipitation that falls in July and August: [ Select ] Which month of the year had the greatest difference between temperature and dew point: [ Select ] Which two months had the highest number of lightning strikes: [ Select ] Recall your knowledge from the lecture on the North American Monsoon. Why does the precipitation and lightning strike count change so dramatically throughout the summer? [ Select ]