Chapter 7-Atmosperic Pressure and Precipitation Flashcards
How much of the Earth’s water is in the oceans?
97.2%
How much of Earth’s water is non oceanic?
2.8%
How much of Earth’s water is fresh?
0.02%
What does the hydrologic cycle consist of?
Evaporation, Precipitation, Infiltration
Where does phase change occur in the hydrologic cycle?
Evaporation
What is latent heat?
Energy released or absorbed during phase changes.
What are the 6 phase changes?
Condensation, Evaporation, Freezing, Melting, Sublimation, Deposition
Is latent heat required for all of the phase changes?
Yes
When is latent heat released?
Deposition, Condensation, Freezing
When is latent heat absorbed?
Sublimation, Vaporization, Melting
Why might orange growers spray their fruits with water before temperatures dip below freezing?
It preserves the state of the crop on the inside.
When releasing latent heat does the environment cool or warm?
Warms
When absorbing latent heat does the environment cool or warm?
Cools
What is humidity?
How much water vapor is in the air
What is maximum humidity?
The maximum amount of water vapor a definable parcel of air can hold
What is the relationship between maximum humidity and air temperature?
Maximum humidity depends on air temperature.
What is saturation?
Point where air cannot hold anymore moisture
What happens when saturation is met?
Condensation occurs
Can warmer or colder air hold more water vapor?
Warmer air
What is specific humidity?
How much water vapor is actually in the air (measurable amount)
What is relative humidity?
The ratio between the
specific humidity and the maximum humidity for a definable parcel of air
How does relative humidity change throughout the day if specific humidity is held constant?
Relative humidity will decrease
What is a Sling psychrometer?
Way to measure how much cooling there is due to evaporation
What is dew point temperature?
The temperature when condensation occurs
What is Evapotranspiration?
Evaporation and transpiration combined
What 3 factors influence evaporation rates?
Net radiation, Air temperature, relative humidity
What are adiabatic processes?
Changes in temperature that occur
due to variations in air pressure
When does adiabatic cooling happen?
Lifting
When does adiabatic warming happen?
Sinking
What is unstable air?
A body of air that has a relatively high environmental lapse rate compared to uplifting air within it, strong convection can occur
What is stable air?
A body of air that has a relatively low environmental
lapse rate compared to potential uplifting air, strong convection cannot occur
What are the 2 requirements for clouds to form?
Saturated air, condensation nuclei
Examples of condensation nuclei?
Dust, dirt, ash, smoke, ice, sea salt
What is cloud seeding?
Supplying condensation
nuclei into the atmosphere to promote condensation
How do we name clouds?
Based on height and shape
What “word” do we include to indicate that a cloud is associated with rain?
Nimbo
What is radiation fog?
air temperature cools at night as surface loses heat
What is advection fog?
air is blown over colder
surface and cools
What are the 4 uplift types?
Convectional, orographic, frontal, convergent
How can droughts form?
Atypical weather patterns, persistent wind, influence of ocean currents
What are the 4 types of winter precipitation?
Snow, sleet, freezing rain, rain
