chapter 9 Flashcards
Clouds are composed of what 2 things
water droplets and ice crystals
3 main factors that determine cloud characteristics
Stability of the air (type of cloud)Moisture content of the air (thickness of cloud)Temperature of the air (type of droplet)
Stratiform clouds are what type of clouds
Layer clouds
Cumuliform clouds are what type of clouds
clouds of vertical development
Most clouds form as a result of?
Adiabatic cooling
In stable air, when will vertical motion cease?
When the lifting agent ceases to operate at a given altitude
In unstable air, when will vertical motion cease
Only when the temperature of the air reaches equilibrium with the temperature of the surrounding air
what are the 5 types of cloud classified as vertical development clouds
CF CU TCU CB ACC
List the 5 lifting processes
Convection Convergence frontal lift orographic lift mechanical turbulence
List the major factors that which contribute to the formation and dissipation of clouds formed by orographic lift
Formation: Slope steepness Height of terrain wind direction wind speed humidity stability
Dissipation: change of air mass
change of wind direction
List the major factors that which contribute to the formation and dissipation of clouds formed by Mechanical turbulence
Formation: Wind speed stability humidity rough ground
Dissipation:
change of air mass
decrease in wind speed
List the major factors that which contribute to the formation and dissipation of clouds formed by Convergence
formation:
Humidity
stability
horizontal and vertical extent of the convergence
dissipation:
change in air mass
filling of the low
What is the product of condensation/sublimation of atmospheric water vapor which is deposited on the ground
precipitation
Describe the Bergeron effect
when ice crystals and water droplets are present in the same environment, the water droplets will evaporate and then sublimate onto the ice crystals
by what 2 processes do cloud particles grow
The Bergeron Effect and the Collision process
What 3 types of precipitation are created by stratus clouds
Drizzle, Freezing drizzle, and snow grains
What 2 clouds produce freezing rain
NS and AS
How are Ice Pellets formed?
Snow flakes that have melted and refrozen
Explain the difference between intermittent, continuous, and showery precipitation
Intermittent and continuous precipitation fall from clouds formed in stable air. intermittent precipitation falls from thinner clouds (SC,AC, ST, AS) Continuous precip falls from thick clouds (SC,ST,NS,AS) Showery precipitation falls from cumuliform clouds.
Snow pellets can fall from which cloud if CU is embedded
SC
List 3 conditions required for the formation of fog
Condensation Nuclei
High relative humidity
Cooling of the air or adding water vapor
Name the 6 types of fog
Radiation fog Advection fog Steam Fog frontal fog ice fog upslope fog
