Chapter 6 Flashcards
Most atmospheric moisture is in the form of water vapor
A gas
Water comes in three phases, and which are the one most found everywhere on Earth?
Solid,liquid, and gas
Liquid
Water has strong hydrogen bonding that causes…
Surface tension and capillary
Water has a high specific heat
Expands when frozen and is a universal solvent
What is required to covert water to its different phases?
Latent Energy
What is latent energy?
Energy released or absorbed during phase change (e.g., evaporation or condensation)
Thus, latent energy is a source of atmospheric energy!
What is evaporation and where it takes place?
It is a cooling process that takes heat away from a surface.
What is evapotranspiration?
Water conveyed to atmosphere via evaporation+transpiration from plants.
What is the actual water vapor content in the air?
Absolute Humidity
Whys is it highest near the equator? Absolute Humidity
This region receives, on average, the most insolation, which in turn causes a relatively high amount of evaporation and higher content of water vapor in he air.
Why are air temp and relative humidity inversely related?
Because colder air doesn’t require as much moisture to become saturated as warmer air.
What is relative humidity?
It is the amount of water vapor as a percent of the amount needed for saturation.
What is Dew Point?
Temp to which a given parcel of air must be cooled for water to condense.
