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Weather and Climate > Moisture in the Atmosphere > Flashcards

Moisture in the Atmosphere Flashcards

1
Q

What is absolute humidity?

A

The amount of water vapor in the atmosphre

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2
Q

What is relative humidity?

A

The ratio of the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere compared to the amount the air can hold at that temperature.

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3
Q

How is relative humidity determined?

A

Using instruments such as hygrometers, sling psychrometers and thin polymer films.

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4
Q

A parcel of air has a relative humidity of 60%. If the temperature of the air increases, but the amount of water vapor remains constant, what happens to the relative humidity?

A

Relative humidity will decrease.

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5
Q

Warm air can hold more or less water vapor compared to cold air?

A

Warm air can hold more water vapor.

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6
Q

What three processes can put water vapor into the atmosphere from Earth’s surface?

A

Evaporation from surface water, sublimation of snow and ice, and transpiration by plants.

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7
Q

What process converts water vapor to liquid water?

A

Condensation

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8
Q

What process converts water vapor directly to ice crystals?

A

Deposition (I will accept sublimation)

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9
Q

What process in the water cycle moves water from the Atmosphere to Earth’s surface?

A

Precipitation

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10
Q

Under what conditions is the relative humidity 100%?

A

When the amount of water vapor in the air equals the amount of water vapor that the air can hold at that temperature.

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11
Q

What is saturated air?

A

When the amount of water vapor in the air equals the amount of water vapor that the air can hold at that temperature.

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12
Q

On Day A, the wet bulb thermometer decreased by 3 degrees. On Day B, the wet bulb thermometer decreased by 5 degrees. The air temperature on both days was the same. Which day had the higher relative humidity?

A

Day A had the higher relative humidity because less evaporation occurred. The air was already holding more water.

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13
Q

Why do tables listing the percentages of gases in Earth’s atmosphere exclude the amount of water vapor?

A

Most gases make up a uniform percentage of the atmosphere anywhere on Earth. The percentage of water vapor is different in different locations.

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14
Q

Why does warm air hold more water vapor?

A

The other gas molecules are spread further apart as they move faster, creating more space for the water vapor to intermingle.

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15
Q

How can the wet bulb and dry bulb thermometer readings determine the relative humidity?

A

Subtract the wet bulb temperature from the dry bulb temperature to get the temperature difference. Use a chart to find where the dry bulb temperature and the temperature difference meet to determine the relative humidity.

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16
Q

Why is the dry bulb temperature the same or larger than the wet bulb temperature?

A

Heat energy from the wet bulb thermometer evaporates water from the cloth, which lowers the wet bulb temperature.

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17
Q

What is the relative humidity if the wet bulb temperature is the same as the dry bulb temperature?

A

Relative humidity would be 100%.

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18
Q

What are some possible condensation nuclei in the atmosphere?

A

Dust from storms, meteor dust, salt particles, pollen and volcanic dust.

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19
Q

What role do condensation nuclei play in the formation of clouds?

A

Condensation nuclei are solids upon which water droplets and ice crystals can form.

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20
Q

What can form when the dew point temperature is below freezing?

A

Frost

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21
Q

What is the dew point temperature?

A

The temperature at which a parcel of air is saturated.

22
Q

What is adiabatic cooling?

A

Heat from the surface will warm a parcel of air, which causes it to rise. As the air rises, less pressure on the air causes it to expand and cool.

23
Q

Does adiabatic cooling rely on energy transfer from the warm air parcel to the colder air around it?

A

No

24
Q

How can moving air masses form clouds?

A

A cold air mass will move under a warm air mass, causing the warm air mass to rise and cool adiabatically.

25
Q

How can topography form clouds?

A

As the sun hits one side of a mountain, it can warm air above it and cause it to rise and cool adiabatically.

26
Q

What is advective cooling?

A

Warm moist air loses energy when it moves horizontally over a cold surface.

27
Q

What factors determine how clouds are named?

A

Altitude of the cloud and shape

28
Q

What shape is a cirrus cloud?

A

Thin and wispy. Named for the Latin word for curl.

29
Q

What shape is a cumulus cloud?

A

Puffy cloud. Named for the Latin word for heap.

30
Q

What shape is a stratus cloud?

A

Large, flat cloud that covers a lot of the sky. Named for Latin word for sheet

31
Q

What is a nimbus cloud?

A

A rain cloud

32
Q

What is the name of the extremely thick cloud that is associated with thunderstorms?

A

Cumulonimbus

33
Q

Low level clouds whose base is at an altitude of 0-2000m above Earth’s surface use which prefix?

A

Strato-

34
Q

Middle clouds whose base is at an altitude of 2000-6000m use which prefix?

A

Alto-

35
Q

High clouds whose base is above 6000 m use which prefix?

A

Cirro-

36
Q

What is fog?

A

Condensation near the Earth’s surface

37
Q

How does radiation fog form?

A

Nightly cooling of Earth’s surface causes air to cool also.

38
Q

How does advection fog form?

A

Warm, moist air moves over a cooler surface.

39
Q

How does steam fog form?

A

Cool air moves over warm water

40
Q

What is rain?

A

Liquid precipitation

41
Q

What is snow?

A

Solid precipitation that falls as small crystals or a network of crystals.

42
Q

What is sleet?

A

Rain that freezes when it passes through a cold enough layer of air to cause drops to solidify.

43
Q

What is freezing rain?

A

Supercooled liquid drops that freeze when they hit the ground. Form glaze ice

44
Q

What is hail?

A

Pellets of ice formed in cumulonimbus clouds

45
Q

How can droplets or crystals in a cloud form precipitation?

A

The air movement causes droplets or crystals to coalesce and grow larger. Gravity will pull larger drops or crystals to the surface.

46
Q

What is supercooling?

A

Air cooled below the freezing point without changing state. The air will need additional freezing nuclei in order to form precipitation.

47
Q

How is the amount of rain that falls in a given area determined?

A

With a rain gauge

48
Q

How is the amount of snow fall in a given area determined?

A

Measured with a measuring stick

49
Q

What information does Doppler Radar provide?

A

Doppler radar measures the intensity and movement of precipitation.

50
Q

How does Doppler Radar work?

A

An antenna sends out a radio wave pulse. The amount of returned energy and the wavelength of the returned energy determines the intensity and movement of the precipitation.

Weather and Climate (4 decks)

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