3. Water In The Atmosphere

Question 1

evaporation

Answer 1

change in the state of water from liquid to gas

Question 2

condensation

Answer 2

change in the state of water from gas to liquid

Question 3

hydrologic cycle

Answer 3

movement of water within the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere

Question 4

transpiration

Answer 4

loss of water to the atmosphere by plants

Question 5

hydrogen bond

Answer 5

bond between water molecules that results from the attraction between one water molecule’s positive end and another’s negative end

Question 6

latent heat

Answer 6

energy that is absorbed or released during a change in the state of a substance, such as during evaporation or condensation of water

Question 7

saturation

Answer 7

point at which an air parcel’s water vapor content is equal to its water vapor capacity

Question 8

humidity

Answer 8

the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere

Question 9

evapotranspiration

Answer 9

combined processes of evaporation and transpiration

Question 10

hygrometer

Answer 10

instrument used to measure humidity

Question 11

vapor pressure

Answer 11

portion of air pressure exerted exclusively by molecules of water vapour

Question 12

millibar (mb)

Answer 12

measure of atmospheric pressure; average sea level pressure is 1013.25 mb

Question 13

saturation vapor pressure

Answer 13

vapor pressure at which saturation occurs

Question 14

specific humidity

Answer 14

water vapor content of the atmosphere, expressed in grams of water per kilogram of air (g/kg)

Question 15

relative humidity (RH)

Answer 15

ratio of water vapour content to water vapour capacity, expressed as a percentage

Question 16

air parcel

Answer 16

body of air of uniform humidity and temperature

Question 17

dew point

Answer 17

temperature at which air becomes saturated

Question 18

adiabatic cooling

Answer 18

cooling of an air parcel through expansion

Question 19

adiabatic warming

Answer 19

warming of an air parcel through compression

Question 20

dry adiabatic rate

Answer 20

rate of temperature change in an unsaturated parcel of air; 10°C/1, 000 m

Question 21

lifting condensation level (LCL)

Answer 21

altitude at which an air parcel becomes saturated

Question 22

moist adiabatic rate

Answer 22

rate of cooling in a saturated air parcel; usually about 6°C/ 1, 000m

Question 23

stable atmosphere

Answer 23

condition in which air parcels are cooler and denser than the surrounding air and will not rise unless forced to do so

Question 24

unstable atmosphere

Answer 24

condition in which air parcels rise on their own because they are warmer and less dense than the surrounding air

Question 25

rain shadow

Answer 25

dry, leeward side of a mountain range

Question 26

convective uplift

Answer 26

rising of an air parcel that is warmer and less dense than the surrounding air

Question 27

orographic uplift

Answer 27

rising of air over mountains

Question 28

frontal uplift

Answer 28

rising of warm air masses where they meet relatively cold air masses

Question 29

convergent uplift

Answer 29

rising of air as a result of converging airflow

Question 30

cloud

Answer 30

aggregation of microscopic water droplets and ice crystals suspended in the air

Question 31

cirrus

Answer 31

high cloud with a feathery appearance that is composed of ice crystals

Question 32

cumulus

Answer 32

dome-shaped, bunched cloud, with a flat base and billowy upper portions

Question 33

stratus

Answer 33

cloud type characterized by low, flat sheets of clouds

Question 34

nimbostratus

Answer 34

rain-producing low-level sheets of clouds

Question 35

cumulonimbus

Answer 35

cloud that extends high into the atmosphere and is capable of strong vertical development and of producing severe weather

Question 36

fog

Answer 36

cloud at or near ground level that reduces visibility to less than 1km

Question 37

radiation fog

Answer 37

fog that results when the ground radiates its heat away at night, cooling the air above it to the dew point

Question 38

advection fog

Answer 38

fog that results from moist air moving over a cold surface, such as a lake or a cold ocean current, that lowers its temperature to the dew point

Question 39

condensation nucleus

Answer 39

small particle in the atmosphere, about 0.2 Mm in diameter, on which water vapour condenses

Question 40

collision and coalescence

Answer 40

process by which cloud droplets merge to form raindrops

Question 41

ice-crystal process

Answer 41

the process by which ice crystals grow within a cloud to form snow

Question 42

hail

Answer 42

hard, rounded pellets of ice that precipitate from cumulonimbus clouds with strong vertical airflow

Question 43

negative feedback

Answer 43

process in which interacting parts in a system stabilize the system

Question 44

positive feedback

Answer 44

process in which interacting parts in a system destabilize the system