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GEOG 3010 > EXAM 1 > Flashcards

EXAM 1 Flashcards

1
Q

what is Dalton’s Law of partial pressure?

A

total pressure inside the parcel = the sum of the pressures of the individual gases

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2
Q

what are the three temperature scales?
how do you convert between them?

A

FAHRENHEIT = 9/5 C + 32
CELCIUS = (F-32) / 1.8
KELVIN = C + 273.15

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3
Q

what is specific heat?

A

the amount of energy required to raise one gram of substance by 1ºC

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4
Q

what is latent heat?

A

change of state (pr phase change) represents change between solid, gas, and liquid

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5
Q

** what is sensible heat?

A
  • heat required to change the temperature of a substance with no phase change
  • heat you can feel
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6
Q

what processes release latent heat to the atmosphere?

A

condensation and freezing

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7
Q

which processes take latent heat away (remove it) from the atmosphere?

A

evaporation or melting

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8
Q

what is Kirchhoff’s Law?

A

objects that selectively absorb radiation also selectively emit radiation at the same wavelength

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9
Q

what is the Stefan Boltzmann Law?

A
  • describes energy emitted based on its temperature
  • hotter bodies emit more energy than colder bodies
  • I= σT^4
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10
Q

what is Wien’s Law?

A
  • details the wavelength of peak emission of a body based on its temperature
  • λmax = b / T
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11
Q

what is the difference between shortwave and longwave radiation?

A

energy levels
shortwave acquires more energy compared to longwave

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12
Q

what is the atmospheric window?

A
  • exists between 8-13 micrometers where very little IR radiation is absorbed by atmosphere
  • allows for some of earth’s emitted radiation to escape directly to space
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13
Q

how do clouds alter energy receipt at the surface during day and night?

A

since clouds can trap heat, temperatures will be warmer during day or night when clouds are present

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14
Q

what is Rayleigh scattering?

A

short wavelengths
gases in atmosphere
all directions

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15
Q

what is Mie scattering?

A

all wavelengths equally
forward primarily
aerosols

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16
Q

how do these processes work to create blue skies and red sunsets?

A
  • blue skies - rayleigh scattering due to short wavelengths
  • red sunsets - rayleigh scattering blocked and only mie scattering dominates with long wave radiation (reds and oranges)
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17
Q

what is meant by selective absorbers, and what role do they play in the atmospheric greenhouse effect?

A
  • objects such as gases in the atmosphere that selectively absorb and emit radiation (Kirchhoff’s Law)
  • greenhouse effect: the atmosphere selectively absorbs infrared radiation from the earth’s surface but acts as a window and transmit shortwave radiation
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18
Q

what is albedo?

A

the percent of reflected solar radiation

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19
Q

what are the main processes in the hydrologic cycle?

A

evaporation, condensation, precipitation

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20
Q

what are the phases of water, and particularly, the terms given to each of the phase changes?

A
  • solid (ice crystals, snow, hail)
  • liquid (rain drops, cloud drops)
  • gas (water vapor)
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21
Q

the terms given to each of the phase changes?

A

release latent heat: evaporation, melting, sublimation
cool environment: condensation, freezing, deposition

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22
Q

how to calculate and distinguish between absolute humidity?

A

mass of water vapor per volume of air (g/m^3 = volume)

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23
Q

know how to calculate specific humidity?

A

mass of water vapor / mass of (all) air

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24
Q

know how to calculate mixing ratio?

A

mass of water vapor / mass of dry air

25
Q

how to calculate relative humidity?

A

1) RH = vapor pressure / saturation vapor pressure x100%
2) RH = mixing ratio / saturation mixing ratio x100%
3) RH = specific humidity / saturation specific humidity x100%

26
Q

what is meant by saturation?

A

equilibrium
condition in which for each molecule evaporates
one condenses

27
Q

what is meant by the dew point temperature?

A

dew point is the temperature at which saturation occurs
(a good measure of actual water vapor content)

28
Q

what are the relationships between RH, dew point, and saturation?

A

RH indicates how close to saturation
dew point indicates amount of water vapor
saturation is when evaporation = condensation

29
Q

how does relative humidity (indoor vs. outdoor) and dewpoint impact human comfort?

A

high relative humidity equates to less evaporative cooling (sweat cannot evaporate), mold

30
Q

what is the difference between dew, frozen dew, and frost?

A
  • dew forms when cooled to the dew point temperature
  • frozen dew is vapor that first condenses and then freezes
  • frost forms through deposition when the dew point is below 0ºC
31
Q

what are condensation nuclei, and why are they important?

A
  • particles suspended in the air around which water condenses or freezes
  • necessary for cloud growth
32
Q

what is radiation fog?

A
  • lots of radiational cooling
  • no/slight breeze
  • can help evaporate & supply moisture
33
Q

what advection fog?

A
  • horizontal movement at air = advection
  • warm, humid air to move over a cold surface
34
Q

what is upslope fog?

A
  • formed when air mass rises up slope and then cools
35
Q

characteristics of cloud height?

A

high, mid, low

36
Q

characteristics of cloud form?

A
  • cirrus – thin, wispy clouds of ice
  • stratus – layered clouds, flat appearance
  • cumulus – vertical development, puffy picture appearance
  • nimbus – rain (storm) clouds, tinted (grey, black, green)
37
Q

what are scud clouds?

A
  • fractus cloud at low height above ground, detached, and of irregular form
  • ragged or wispy in appearance
38
Q

what are mammatus clouds?

A
  • formed by cold air sinking down to form the pockets
  • indicate convectively induced turbulence
39
Q

what are lenticular clouds?

A

normally develops on the downwind side of a mountain or mountain range

40
Q

what are nacreous (stratosphere) clouds?

A
  • form in the lower stratosphere over polar regions when the sun is just below the horizon
  • ice particles are much smaller than those that form more common clouds
41
Q

what are nocticulnet (mesosphere) clouds?

A
  • diffuse scattering layer of water ice crystals near the summer polar mesopause
  • resemble cirrus clouds
42
Q

what is the concept of parcel theory?

A
  • the atmosphere operates like a lava lamp
  • small pockets of air (parcels) rise and sink
  • parcel temperature changes are due to expansion or contraction of parcel
43
Q

what are adiabatic processes?

A

(change in temperature with a change in height)
- environmental lapse rate (ELR)
- dry adiabatic lapse rate (DALR)
- saturated adiabatic lapse rate (SALR)

44
Q

why is the saturated adiabatic rate less than the dry adiabatic lapse rate?

A

the cooling of the parcel of air in the SALR during rising is divided into energy released upon condensation

45
Q

what is the environmental lapse rate?

A

observed temperature profile of atmosphere on any given day

46
Q

what is a neutral atmosphere?

A
  • ELR is the same as DALR or SALR
  • rising air will always be the same as the environmental temperature
47
Q

what is a conditionally unstable atmosphere?

A
  • ELR is between DALR and SALR
  • ELR averages at 6.5ºC / km (atmosphere usually in this state)
48
Q

what is an absolutely unstable atmosphere?

A
  • ELR greater than the DALR
  • rising air is always warmer than surrounding air
  • as air parcel rises, it forms a vertical cloud (which further enhances instability)
49
Q

what happens to a layer of air as it rises or sinks, especially in terms of its stability?

A

when warmer air than environment rises, unstable
when colder air than environment sinks, stable

50
Q

what is convective instability?

A

its ability to resist vertical motion

51
Q

what factors lead to unstable atmospheres?

A
  • warmer air than environment rises
  • rising air is always warmer than surrounding air
  • stable below cloud, unstable above cloud base
52
Q

what are the four main sources of lift in the atmosphere?

A
  • convergence
  • convection
  • frontal lifting
  • physical lifting
53
Q

what is the lifted condensation level?

A

lifted condensation level (LCL)
- saturation occurs first
- uniform
- the height at which the relative humidity of an air parcel will reach 100%

54
Q

what is the level of free convection (LFC)?

A

the level at which a lifted parcel begins a free acceleration upward to the equilibrium level

55
Q

what is entrainment?

A

a phenomenon when a turbulent flow captures a non-turbulent flow

56
Q

how does entrainment affect cloud growth / development?

A

dilute cloud properties and degrade the buoyancy characteristics of cloudy air

57
Q

what is the rain shadow effect?

A

an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region

58
Q

the terms given to each of the phase changes?

A

release latent heat: evaporation, melting, sublimation
cool environment: condensation, freezing, deposition

GEOG 3010 (12 decks)

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