Earth Science, Tarbuck Chapter 17

Question 1

What is latent heat

Answer 1

the heat required to convert a solid into a liquid or vapor, or a liquid into a vapor, without change of temperature.

Question 2

When melting occurs, does latent heat cause heating or cooling

Answer 2

Cooling

Question 3

When freezing occurs, does latent heat cause heating or cooling

Answer 3

Heating

Question 4

What is sublimation

Answer 4

conversion of a solid directly to a gas, without passing
through the liquid state

Question 5

What is vapor pressure

Answer 5

pressure in the air in a saturated environment caused by water vapor

Question 6

What does it mean when the air is saturated

Answer 6

When the air cannot hold anymore water vapor

Question 7

What does increasing vapor pressure cause

Answer 7

more water vapor molecules to return to being liquid

Question 8

What is the mixing ratio

Answer 8

the mass of water vapor in a unit of air compared to the remaining mass of dry air

Question 9

How to determine mixing ratio

Answer 9

Mass of water vapor /mass of dry vapor

Question 10

What is Relative humidity

Answer 10

ratio of the air’s actual water-vapor content to the
amount of water vapor required for saturation at that
temperature

Question 11

A decrease in temperature leads to what reaction in relative humidity levels if water vapor stays constant

Answer 11

relative humidity rises

Question 12

What happens when water vapor is added but saturation is already at 100 percent

Answer 12

Water condenses

Question 13

What is the dew point

Answer 13

temperature at which water vapor starts to condense

Question 14

For every _____ increase in dew-point temperature, air holds about twice as much water vapor

Answer 14

10 Celsius or 18 Fahrenheit

Question 15

Why does dew often occur during the night?

Answer 15

Temperatures are cooler, dew temperature is cooler, relative humidity is increased

Question 16

What is adiabatic temperature changes

Answer 16

When air is compressed, the temperature rises. When air is expanded, it cools down. Heat energy is not added or taken away

Question 17

What is the dry adiabatic rate

Answer 17

Ascending air cools at a constant rate of 10 c for every 1000 meters, and descending air heats at the same rate. Only applies for unsaturated air.

Question 18

What is the wet adiabatic rate

Answer 18

Ascending air cools at a constant rate of 5 c for every 1000 meters, and descending air heats at the same rate. Only applies for saturated air. Occurs at higher elevations once air reaches dew point and water condenses

Question 19

Why is the wet adiabatic rate slower than the dry adiabatic rate

Answer 19

Latent heat is released when water condenses

Question 20

Air tends to _______ vertical movement

Answer 20

resist

Question 21

4 processes that can cause air to rise

Answer 21

Orographic lifting, Frontal lifting, convergence, and localized convective lifting

Question 22

What is orographic lifting

Answer 22

elevated terrain, like a mountain range, acts as a barrier to the flow of air, causing it to ascend the mountain and undergo adiabatic cooling

Question 23

What is a rainshadow desert

Answer 23

When air undergoes orographic lifting, when it reaches the leeward side of the mountain or elevated terrain, most of the water vapor is already lost and it heats adiabatically as it goes down the mountain or elevated terrain.

Question 24

What is frontal lifting

Answer 24

when warm and cool air masses collide, they create fronts. Cool air acts as a barrier to the warm air, which rises.

Question 25

What is convergence in air masses

Answer 25

When air masses meet, air escapes upward

Question 26

What are thermals

Answer 26

air parcels that rise due to being warmer

Question 27

what is localized convective lifting

Answer 27

When air in a small area is warmed by the sun, it rises

Question 28

What are sun showers

Answer 28

mid-afternoon rains caused by localized convective lifting

Question 29

What is stable air

Answer 29

Air that resists upward movement

Question 30

When does air stop rising

Answer 30

When it reaches an altitude where temperature is equal to that of its surrounding air

Question 31

What is unstable air

Answer 31

Air that doesn't stop rising until temperature is equal to surrounding air

Question 32

What is environmental lapse rate

Answer 32

The rate at which the air temperature changes with height in the atmosphere surrounding a cloud or a rising parcel of air

Question 33

stable air creates what type of clouds

Answer 33

widespread and little vertical thickness

Question 34

unstable air creates what type of clouds

Answer 34

towering thunderstorms

Question 35

What are cloud condensation nuclei

Answer 35

Surfaces for water-vapor condensation at high elevations

Question 36

What are hygroscopic nuclei

Answer 36

Water absorbing Cloud Condensation Nuclei

Question 37

3 basic forms of clouds

Answer 37

Cirrus, Stratus, Cumulus

Question 38

Define Cirrus clouds

Answer 38

clouds that form delicate, veil-like strands. Very thin and light

Question 39

Define Stratus clouds

Answer 39

clouds consisting of sheets or layers

Question 40

Define Cumulus clouds

Answer 40

Clouds that consist of globular cloud masses

Question 41

The term "Nimbus" added to the name of a cloud means what

Answer 41

Cloud is a major producer of precipitation

Question 42

Composition of High Clouds

Answer 42

Ice crystals or super cooled water droplets

Question 42

Composition of Middle Clouds

Answer 42

Water droplets or Ice crystals

Question 42

Composition of low clouds

Answer 42

Water droplets

Question 42

Cloud types that make up the high cloud family

Answer 42

Cirrus, Cirrostratus, CirroCumulus

Question 43

What are thermal inversions in air masses

Answer 43

When a warm air mass overlays a cool one, it stops the cooler air mass from rising, trapping pollutants

Question 43

Middle clouds family

Answer 43

Altocumulus, Altostratus

Question 43

What does "Alto" mean when added to a cloud

Answer 43

Belongs in Middle Cloud family

Question 43

Clouds with Vertical Development

Answer 43

Cumulus, Cumulonimbus

Question 43

Low clouds family

Answer 43

Stratocumulus, Stratus, Nimbostratus

Question 44

What is fog defined as

Answer 44

Cloud with base at or near the surface

Question 45

Why does fog dissipate a few hours after sunrise

Answer 45

Fog is evaporated

Question 46

Different Ways fog can be created

Answer 46

Radiation Fog, Advection Fog, Upslope Fog, Steam Fog, Frontal Fog.

Question 47

How is radiation fog created

Answer 47

ground cooled by radiation cools surrounding air, leading to it to meet its dew point and water condenses.

Question 48

How is Advection fog created

Answer 48

Warm, moist air blows over a cold surface, leading to water to condense

Question 49

How is Upslope Fog created

Answer 49

When an air mass goes up a elevated surface, say a mountain for example, it cools adiabatically and can sometimes form fog

Question 50

How does steam fog form

Answer 50

When cool unsaturated air moves over a warm body of water,enough moisture may evaporate to saturate the air above, forming fog that rises.

Question 51

How does frontal fog form

Answer 51

raindrops falling from relatively warm air above the frontal surface evaporate in the cooler air below, causing it to become saturated

Question 52

Water droplets take a long time to drop through the sky, what usually happens to them

Answer 52

Evaporated into unsaturated air

Question 53

2 processes responsible for precipitation

Answer 53

Bergeron Process and Collision-Coalescence Process

Question 54

Liquid Water below freezing is called what

Answer 54

Supercooled

Question 55

Supercooled water does what when in contact of a solid

Answer 55

Freezes

Question 56

Describe the Bergeron Process

Answer 56

Supercooled water comes in contact with Cloud Condensation Nuclei, freezing. More Super cooled water builds on this frozen ice crystal until it is heavy enough to fall down as snow or rain(if melted).

Question 57

Describe Collision-Coalescence Process

Answer 57

When warm clouds, where supercooled water is not found, water on hygroscopic nuclei, such as sea salt, form larger droplets, which fall and collide with other small droplets, eventually falling as rain. Note that Hygroscopic Nuclei is required for this to occur