interpretation on height and temperature
Answers
GEOPOTENTIAL HEIGHT
BY: UNIVERSITY OF IllINOIS
Geopotential height approximates the actual height of a pressure surface above mean sea-level. Therefore, a geopotential height observation represents the height of the pressure surface on which the observation was taken. A line drawn on a weather map connecting points of equal height (in meters) is called a height contour. That means, at every point along a given contour, the values of geopotential height are the same. An image depicting the geopotential height field is given below.
Height contours are represented by the solid lines. The small numbers along the contours are labels which identify the value of a particular height contour (for example 5640 meters, 5580 meters, etc.). This example depicts the 500 mb geopotential height field and temperatures (color filled regions). The height field is given in meters with an interval of 60 meters. Geopotential height is valuable for locating troughs and ridges which are the upper level counterparts of surface cyclones and anticyclones.
The primary characteristic of a trough is that it is a region with relatively lower heights. Height is a primary function of the average temperature of the air below that height surface. For example, if it is 500 mb heights then the 500 mb height is based on the average temperature between the surface and 500 millibars. The density of air changes with temperature. As the temperature of air cools in becomes more dense and thus more compacted (takes up less volume). Thus, as air cools the height lowers since the air is becoming more dense. Air will cool when it rises, thus a trough can be found where there is a lifting of air. A trough can also be found in a region dominated by a very cold air mass. This troughing will be most pronounced in the upper levels. A trough can bring in cloudy conditions and precipitation or they can bring in a cold air mass.
A ridge is a region with relatively higher heights. A broad region of sinking air or a deep warm air mass will both lead to ridging. Since air is often sinking within a ridge they tend to bring warmer and drier weather.