2-4 Clouds Flashcards
A measure of the amount of water vapor in the air
Humidity
The percentage of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount the air could hold
Relative humidity
A has two thermometers, a wet- bulb and a dry-build thermometer. The wet bulb thermometer has a cloth that is moistened with water. Air is then blown over both thermometers. Because the wetbulb thermometer is cooled by evaporation, it’s readings drop below that of the dry thermometer. If the relative humidity is high, the water on the wet bulb will evaporate slowly and the well bold temperature will not change much. If the relative humidity is low, the water on the wet bulb will evaporate rapidly in the wetbulb temperature will drop. The relative humidity can be found by comparing the temperatures of the wetbulb and dry bulb thermometers on a table
Psychrometer
The process by which molecules of water in the air become liquid water
Condensation
The temperature at which condensation begins
Dewpoint
Water that condenses from the air onto a cold surface
Dew
Clouds that look like fluffy round in piles of cotton. These clouds form less than 2 km above the ground but may grow in size and high until they expand upward as much as 18 km. Usually a sign of fair weather
Cumulus clouds
Towering clouds with flat tops that often produce thunderstorms
Cumulonimbus clouds
Clouds that form in flat layers, spread out, and cover most of the sky are called
Stratus clouds
Wispy, feathery clouds that form only at high levels (above about six km) where temperatures are low, made mostly of ice crystals
Cirrus clouds
Clouds that look like rows of cotton balls that often indicate that a storm is on its way
Cirrocumulus clouds
The two main types of clouds with the prefix -alto
Altostratus and altocumulus clouds
Clouds that form at or near the ground, often forms when ground cools at night after a warm humid day. The ground cools the air just above the ground to the air’s dew point.
Fog
As stratus clouds begin to thicken they may produce rain or snow, the they are called
Nimbostratus clouds
The process by which water molecules in liquid water escape into the air as cater vapor
Evaporation