GEOG110 Exam 2 Flashcards
name the 5 fog types
advection radiation (ground/morning fog) upslope (valley fog) frontal autumn-steam
what fog type involves cold air moving over a warm surface
autumn-steam
how is fog formed in the 4 popular fog types
by warm air moving over a cool surface and raising relative humidity
name the 3 types of convection processes
strong heating at earth’s surface
forced convection
slantwise convection
strong heating at earth’s surface
upward moving air that forms cumulus clouds
forced convection
air uplift caused by orography, coastlines, or large urban areas
slantwise convection
occurs along fronts
why are adiabatic processes possible?
air is a poor conductor of heat
what are the 3 types of ELR?
normal - decrease in temp with increase height
inverted - increase in temp with increase height
isotherm - temps remains same with height
what rate does temp normally decrease at
-.8 C / 100m or -8 C / 1km
what are the 2 adiabatic lapse rates
dry (unsaturated) RH
what is the condensation level
the level where clouds form
dry ALR
-1 C / 100 m
wet ALR
-.6 C / 100m
why is dry ALR a conserved quantity and why is WLR not?
the rate is the same weather rising or falling when dry
when wet a heat source is required to raise the air through evaporation (this heat source lowers the W-ALR)
what type of weather does sinking air indicate
fair weather and a stable atmosphere
what type of weather does rising air indicate
thunderstorms and unstable atmosphere
what does it mean when the ELR = ALR
neutral atmosphere (rare)
what is the level of free convection?
where the air in parcel is warmer than ELR and continues to rise
creates an unstable atmosphere and cumuloforms
what kinds of clouds are stable?
startiform
sensible heating and where?
heat gained or lost due to temp changes across surfaces (deserts)
latent heating and where?
heat gained or loss due to phase change of water (jungles)
latent heat and energy taken from environment
evaporation
latent heat and energy released into environment
condensation
why is there relative humidity
the air can hold different levels of moisture depending on the temperature
dew point
temperature of condesation
what happens to relative humidity when air temperature is increased?
the relative humidity goes down (feels less humid)
what happens to relative humidity when air temperature is decreased?
the relative humidity goes up (feels more humid)
name the three processes that form clouds
contact cooling (fog) air mass mixing (cold fronts) adiabatic cooling (air rising and cooling)
cloud associated with moist, but stable air
stratus
cloud associated with unstable air
cumulus
cloud associated with neutral air
lenticular or lee wave
both ALR and WALR are to the right of the ELR
absolute instability or superadiabatic
both ALR and WALR are to the left of the ELR
absolute stability or inversion
how do nocturnal thunderstorms develop
clouds that form during the day give off long wave radiation to the atmosphere at night. when they lose this heat the thunderstorms form
name to quasi forms of precipitation
dew and frost
what is precipitation that evaporates before hitting the ground
virga
what is the itcz
inter tropic convergence zone
what controls snowfall in the western US
orography
what controls snowfall in the eastern us
mostly controlled by zones but some lake effect and ororgaphy
what are the three stages of thunderstorm development
cumulus
cumulonimbus
dissipation
name three elements of the first stage of thunderstorm development
vertical cloud development
air rising through cloud
freezing isotherm is pushed up symmetrically
cumulonimbus stage of thunderstorm
precipitation begins
asymmetrical isotherms
updraft of warm air
downdraft of cooled air (wind shear)
what is special about -40 C
it is the same as - 40 F and is the temperature where water freezes instantaneously
dissipating stage
anvil cloud
asymmetrical anvil shows dominant wind direction
no more rising air
cool air sinking
6 types of thunderstorms
air mass frontal cyclonic orographic cold-storm nocturnal convergence
air mass thunderstorms
humid diurnal heat
summer afternoon
frontal cyclonic
thunderstorms that develop near cold fronts
orographic thunderstorms
due to mountains
high alt = more sun
warm air is pushed up by mountain
cold-storm
cold air moving over warm surface
typical of US west coast
convergence
two breezes running toward each other, nowhere to go but up
typical of florida
where do the most thunderstorms on earth occur?
west/central africa
what is the maritime continent?
indonesia, malysia, and new guinea
does subsidence promote evaporation or condensation
evaporation
name a climactic event associated with forced drought
ENSO
what is the usual or long term state of the atmosphere
conditional
what is the area of soil where there is nod difference between night and day temps
damping depth
any water based thing that falls from the air
hydrometeor
where would there be high PE and low AE
deserts
where would there be high PE and high AE
lake mead
where would there be low PE and low AE
arctic
Can AE be higher than PE
no, never
fetch
horizontal distance exposed to the wind
where is precip greatest in the mid latitudes with respect to ororgaphy
at the highest point of the mountain
where is precip the greatest in the tropics with respect to orography
the middle point of the mountain
