Exam 2 (Lessons 4-6) Flashcards
How is temperature and kinetic energy related?
They are directly related. As one increases so does the other
Energy is always transferred from ____ objets to ____ objects.
warmer…colder
What is heat?
Energy in transit
What is the melting point of ice in degrees Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin?
0 degrees Celsius
32 degrees Fahrenheit
273.12 Kelvin
What is the boiling point of water in degrees Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin?
100 degrees Celsius
212 degrees Fahrenheit
373.15 Kelvin
What is absolute zero?
The temperature at which all molecular motion stops
At what temperatures does absolute zero occur?
-459.67 degrees Fahrenheit
-273.15 degrees Celsius
0 Kelvin
What are the 4 types of heat transfer?
Radiation
Conduction
Convection
Latent Heat (Phase change in water)
When does Radiational Heating occur?
When absorption is at greater rate than emission
When does Radiational Cooling occur?
When emission is at a greater rate than absorption
What is Radiative Equilibrium?
When absorption and emission of radiation are equal
What is conduction?
It is the transfer of kinetic energy between atoms or molecules due to collisions with other atoms or molecules
What is convection?
It is the transport of heat within a fluid due to motion of the fluid itself
What is sensible heating?
It is the energy needed in order to change temperature without a phase change; a combination of conduction and convection
What is a phase change?
When water changes from one state (phase) to another
What is latent heat
It is the amount of heat needed in order for water to have a phase change
What are the phase changes of water that absorb latent heat from the environment?
Melting (solid to liquid), Evaporation (liquid to vapor), and Sublimation (solid to vapor)
What are the phase changes of water that releases latent heat into the environment?
Condensation (vapor to liquid), Freezing (liquid to solid), and Deposition (vapor to solid)
Water has a ____ thermal inertia than land.
Higher
What is thermal inertia?
It is a substances resistance to a change in temperature
What is specific heat?
The amount of heat needed to raise a gram of a substance 1 degree celsius
Why does the atmosphere circulate?
As a response to temperature gradients
Air moves from ____ pressure areas to ____ pressure areas.
High…Low
Define Air Pressure
The weight of overlying air on a unit area
What is Dalton’s Law?
The total pressure that a mixture of gasses exerts is equal to the sum of the pressures that each constituent gas exerts
What is the worldwide unit for air pressure?
Pascal
What is the US unit for air pressure?
Millibar
What is the sea-level air pressure in pascals?
101,325 Pa
How is altitude and air pressure related?
They are inversely related. As one increases the other decreases and vice versa
What factors impact density and air pressure?
Altitude Temperature Humidity Cold/Warm air advection Convergence/Divergence of winds
What has the biggest impact on air pressure?
Temperature
How is temperature and air pressure related?
They are inversely related. As one increases the other decreases and vice versa.
What is the 500 mb surface?
It represents the point in the atmosphere where half the atmosphere is below and half is above, by mass
How is humidity and air pressure related?
They are inversely related. As one increases the other decreases and vice versa
How is temperature and density related?
They are inversely related. As one increases the other decreases and vice versa
How is humidity and density related?
They are inversely related. As one increases the other decreases and vice versa
How does air pressure impact weather conditions?
When air pressure falls the weather becomes stormy, but when air pressure rises the weather becomes clear/remains fair
How does converging/diverging winds impact air pressure?
If more air diverges at the surface, air density and surface air pressure decrease and a low pressure system forms
If more air converges at the surface, air density and surface air pressure increase and a high pressure system forms
Air ____ from H and ____ on L
Diverges…Converges
What is Charles’ Law?
When pressure is held constant, the absolute temperature (in Kelvin) is inversely proportional to the density of the gas, in an ideal gas
What is Boyle’s Law?
When temperature remains constant, the pressure and density air directly proportional in an ideal gas
What is the Ideal Gas Law?
The pressure that air exerts is directly proportional to the product of its density and temperature
When does expansional cooling occur? What happens during expansional cooling?
Occurs when an air parcel rises. It will expand and temperature and pressure will decrease
When does compressional warming occur? What happens during compressional warming?
Occurs when an air parcel decreases. It will compress and temperature and pressure will increase
Net gain of water mass on ____; net loss from the ____
Land…Ocean
What does humidity describe?
The amount of water vapor in the air
What factors impact relative humidity?
Temperature Vapor pressure (Mixing ratio) as long as temperature and pressure remain constant
How is humidity and temperature related?
They are inversely related
Stable air ____ vertical motion while unstable air ____ vertical motion.
Inhibits…Enhances
What causes sounding (and air stability) to change?
Local radiational heating or cooling
Air mass advection
Large-scale ascent or descent of air
When does absolute instability occur?
When the air temperature is dropping more rapidly with altitude than the dry adiabatic lapse rate (9.8 degrees Celsius/1000 m)
When does conditional instability occur?
When air temperature is dropping more rapidly with altitude than the moist adiabatic lapse rate (6 degrees Celsius/1000 m), but less rapidly than the dry adiabatic lapse rate
When the air layer is stable for unsaturated air parcels and unstable for saturated air parcels
When does absolute stability occur?
When the air layer is stable for both unsaturated and saturated air parcels
Temperature of ambient air drops more slowly with altitude than moist adiabatic lapse rate
Temperature does not change with altitude (isothermal)
Temperature increase with altitude (inversion)
When do neutral air layers occur?
When sounding coincides with either the moist or dry adiabatic lapse rate
Rising or descending parcel has same temperature (and density) as its surroundings
When does air rise?
As the ascending branch of a convection current
Along the surface of a front
Up the slopes of a hill or mountain
Where surface winds converge
What is the rain shadow effect?
Air rises on the windward side of the mountain, expanding and cooling which increases the relative humidity and saturation occurs. Air descend on the leeward side of the mountain, compressing and warming which decreases the relative humidity causing precipitation to be less likely
