Ch 4 Mats Flashcards
whats deposition
ice forms directly from water vapor
what happens to boiling point when pressure is decreased?
lower boiling point
what powers the growth of cumulonimbus storm clouds
latent heat released by condensing water vapor
whats the mixing ratio formula
mass of water vapor in grams / mass of dry air in kilograms
absolute humidity forumla
mass of water vapor in grams / volume of air in cubic meters
whats saturation
balance b/w evaporation and condensation
where does adiabatic cooling and warming come from
expansion or compression
what are the 4 causes of the lifting of air parcels
orographic lifting
frontal wedging
convergence
convective lifting
orographic lift
the windward side of a mountain is much wetter than the leeward side
frontal wedging
the horizontal flow of warm air pushes the warm air above the cold
convergence
converging winds meet to rise the air parcel
absolute stability
occurs b/c the parcel is cooler than the local environment everywhere, and thus tends to SINK!
absolute instability
air parcel warmer than the environment tends to rise and keep rising
what happens w/ absolute instability
dramatic and rapid cloud growth
conditional instability
dry rate and wet rate on either side of the level of free convection
in mountain diagram, what happens when you reach the condensation level (dew point)
its no longer the dry lapse rate, but the wet lapse rate (until the to p of the mountain)
what is the hydrologic cycle
the movement b/w the oceans, the atmosphere, and the continents
what happens to hydrogen bonds when water changes states?
the hydrogen bonds are either broken or formed
evaporation
the process of converting a liquid into a gas (vapor)
condensation
water vapor changes to the liquid state
assumed dry lapse rate
10
assumed wet lapse rate
5
