Ch 2 Section 4 Flashcards
True or False: Warm air holds more water vapor than cold air.
True
All clouds form when ______ ______ in the air becomes liquid water or _____ crystals.
water vapor
ice
What is used to measure relative humidity?
A psychrometer
What are the three classifications of clouds?
Cumulus
Stratus
Cirrus
How are clouds classified?
By their altitude
Each cloud is a part of a different kind of ______.
weather
Cumulus also means:
Mass
Stratus also means:
Spread out
True or False: More water vapor means there is less humidity.
False. Means there is more humidity.
True or False: Water is always moving between the atmosphere and Earth’s surface.
True
True or false: During a rainstorm, the air feels dry.
False
The movement of water between the atmosphere and Earth’s surface is called the ________ ________.
Water Cycle
True or False: In the water cycle, water moves from lakes and oceans into the atmosphere and falls back to Earth.
True
Water vapor enters the air by ________ from the oceans and other bodies of water.
evaporation
The process by which water molecules in liquid water escape into the air as water vapor is called:
Evaporation
True or False: Water vapor is also added to the air by dead matter.
False.
It is added to the air by living things.
Water enters the roots of _________, rises to the _________, and is released as water vapor.
plants
leaves
As part of the water cycle, some of the water vapor in the atmosphere condenses to form _______.
Clouds
______ and other forms precipitation fall from the clouds toward the surface.
Rain
The water then runs off the _______, or moves through the _______, back into the oceans, lakes, and streams.
surface
ground
________ is 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 is called the ________ ________.
Relative Humidity
The amount of water vapor that the air can hold depends on its _________.
Temperature
________ air can hold more water vapor than _______ air.
Warm
Cool
Evaporation of moisture from your skin removes ____ and helps to keep your body’s temperature comfortable.
heat
Do you feel less or more comfortable on a hot day if the relative humidity is high?
LESS
True or False: When the relative humidity is high, evaporation slows down.
True
Since evaporation slows down when relative humidity is high, what effect does it have on your body?
Less cooling effect
A _______ is used to measure relative humidity
Psychrometer
A psychrometer has two _______, a _____-bulb and a dry-bulb ________.
Thermometers
thermometer
The bulb of the wet-bulb thermometer has a cloth covering that is moistened with _____. Then, ____ is then blown over both thermometers.
water
air
Because the wet-bulb thermometer is cooled by evaporation, its reading ________ _____ that of the dry-bulb thermometer.
drops below
If the relative humidity is high, the ________ on the wet-bulb will evaporate (slowly/quickly) and the wet-bulb temperature will not ____ much.
water
slowly
change
If the relative humidity is low, the water on the wet bulb will evaporate (slowly/rapidly) and the wet-bulb temperature will (drop/increase).
rapidly
drop
What is the difference between humidity and relative humidity?
Humidity is the measure of the amount of water vapor in the air.
The percentage of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount the air could hold is called the relative humidity.
The process by which molecules of water vapor in the air become liquid air is called…
Condensation
The temperature at which condensation begins is called the _____ ______.
dew point.
If the dew point is below the freezing point, the water vapor may change directly into ____ ______.
ice crystals
When you look at a cloud, you are seeing millions of tiny _____ crystals or ______ droplets.
ice
water
For water vapor to condense, tiny particles must be present so the water has a surface on which to _______. Most of these particles are _____ crystals, _____ from soil, and _____.
condense
salt
dust
smoke
______ is ice that has been deposited directly from the air onto a cold surface.
Frost
______ form whenever air is ____ to its dew point and ______ are present.
Clouds
cooled
particles
If air is warmed near the ground, it becomes (more/less) dense and (rises/falls) in a ______ current.
less
rises
convection
When rising air expands and becomes _____, clouds may form.
cooler
When wind strikes the side of a hill or mountain, the air is forced (upward/downward).
upward
As air rises along the slope of a hill or mountain what happens to the temperature of the air?
It cools
Rain or snow falls on the windward side of the mountain, also known as the side (facing/opposite) the on-coming wind.
facing
By the time air moves up the mountain and drops toward the other side of the mountain, it has lost much of its ____ ____. The air is then ____ and ____.
water vapor
cool
dry
The leeward side of the mountain is also known as ______ and is in a rain _____.
downwind
shadow
Just as very little light falls in a sun shadow, very little _____ falls in a rain _____.
rain
shadow
True or False: Air loses its water vapor while crossing the mountains.
True
True or False: Air has grown warmer while flowing down the mountainside.
True
On the leeward side of the mountain, the warm, dry air often creates a ______.
Desert
Meteorologists classify clouds into three main types. What are they called?
Cumulus
Stratus
Cirrus
Clouds that look fluffy, rounded piles of cotton are called:
Cumulus Clouds
The word cumulus means _____ or _____.
heap
mass
Cumulus clouds form less than ____ km above the ground but may grown in size and height until they extend upward as much as ____km.
2
18
True or False: Cumulus clouds usually indicate stormy weather.
False. Indicate Fair Weather!
Towering clouds with flat tops are also called _________ ______ and often produce thunderstorms.
Cumulonimbus Clouds
Nimbus comes from the Latin word meaning ____.
Rain
Clouds that form flat layers are called _____ _____.
Stratus Clouds
Strato means:
Spread out
Water vapor enters the air through what:
Evaporation
_______ clouds usually cover all or most of the sky.
Stratus
As stratus clouds thinken, they may produce_____, ______, or _____.
rain
drizzle
snow
Thickened Stratus Clouds are also called ____ ____.
Nimbostratus Clouds
Whispery, feathery clouds are called _____ ____.
Cirrus Clouds
Cirrus clouds form at (high/low) levels, above about ___ km where temperatures are very low. Cirrus clouds are made mostly of ____ _____.
high
6
ice crystals
Three types of Cirrus Clouds:
Cirrus
Cirrostratus
Cirrocumulus
A cloud that is also known as a thunderhead:
Cumulonimbus
Cirrus clouds that have feathery “hooked” ends are sometimes called _____ ____.
mare’s tails.
Cirrocumulus clouds, which look like rows of _____ balls, often indicate that a ___ is on its way.
cotton
storm
Clouds that form between 2 and 6 km above the Earth’s surface have the prefix ____, which means high.
alto
Two main types of alto clouds are:
Altocumulus
Altostratus
Clouds that form at or near the ground are called ____.
Fog
Fog often forms when the ground ____ at night after a warm, humid day.
cools
When fog forms, the ground ____ the air just above the ground to the air’s dew point. The next day the heat of the morning sun ______ the fog off as its water droplets evaporate.
cools
“burns”
