Lecture 20: Atmosphere Part 2

Question 1

What is Dalton’s law of partial pressures?

Answer 1

The pressure of a mixture of gases can be expressed as the sum of partial pressures of all the components.

Question 2

What is partial pressure?

Answer 2

The amount of water vapor.

Question 3

When is the air saturated?

Answer 3

When the rate of evaporation and condensation are balanced.

Question 4

What is the saturation pressure?

Answer 4

The partial pressure of water at saturation.

Question 5

What is relative humidity?

Answer 5

It is the partial pressure of water divided by the saturation pressure.

Question 6

What is a adiabatic lapse rate?

Answer 6

The rate at which atmospheric temperature decreases with increasing altitude in conditions of thermal equilibrium.

Question 7

What is nucleation energy?

Answer 7

The energy input that the first nucleus of a new water drop or ice crystal requires.

Question 8

What makes nucleation easier?

Answer 8

If a solid surface is available (blade of grass or particle in the atmosphere).

Question 9

How does density lifting happen?

Answer 9

It occurs because warm, lower density air rises and expands.

Question 10

How does frontal lifting happen?

Answer 10

It occurs when the movement of air masses drives warm air over cold air.

Question 11

What is a warm front?

Answer 11

A type of frontal lifting where warm air rises over cold air.

Question 12

What is a cold front?

Answer 12

A type of frontal lifting where cold air is forced under warm air.

Question 13

How does orographic lifting happen?

Answer 13

It occurs where mountain ranges force air masses to rise.

Question 14

How does convergence lifting happen?

Answer 14

It occurs where masses of air collide, forcing them to rise.

Question 15

What are the three major cloud types?

Answer 15

1. Cumulus
2. Stratus
3. Cirrus

Question 16

What are cumulus clouds?

Answer 16

Clouds that have a flat base and a dome top that is typical of rising warm air.
They generally form at lower altitudes.

Question 17

What are stratus clouds?

Answer 17

Clouds that form horizontally extensive flat layers, and are typical of frontal lifting where warm air spreads over cold air.
They generally form at lower altitudes.

Question 18

What are cirrus clouds?

Answer 18

Cloud that are wispy.

They generally form at high altitudes.

Question 19

What are cumulonimbus clouds?

Answer 19

Cumulus -> heap and nimbus -> rain cloud

Are associated with heavy rain and lightning.

Question 20

What are nimbostratus clouds?

Answer 20

Stratus -> flattened

Theses are stratus clouds that cover the entire sky and are associated with steady rain or snow.

Question 21

What are stratocumulus clouds?

Answer 21

Occurs when cumulus clouds merge to form a semi-continuous layer in the atmosphere, with little or no precipitation.

Question 22

What is energy flux?

Answer 22

Amount of energy in an electromagnetic wave that passes perpendicular through unit surface area per unit time (W/m^2).

Question 23

What three things work together to pace long-term, natural, climate change

Answer 23

1. Tilt
2. Precession
3. Eccentricity