Quiz 1 Flashcards
Explain the movement of water in the Hydrologic cycle and saturation.
It is a continuous cycle.
It will evaporate and condense.
Evaporating will change from liquid to gas then when temperature decreases it will condense.
Saturation occurs when evaporating water equals water condensing
What are Condensation nuclei and why we like em?
They are small particles in which vapour condenses. They form clouds :)
How does actual vapour pressure differ from the saturation pressure? When are they same?
Actual: air’s total water vapour content
Saturation: how much water is required to saturate the air
they are same at 100% humidity
Why do hot and humid summer days usually feel hotter than hot and dry summer days?
When air is humid sweat evaporation is slower because the air can’t hold more
Explain how dew, frozen dew and visible frost form?
Dew: when surface cools to a temperature below the dew point due to lack of infrared
Frozen dew: when surface temp is above freezing level but air temp is below freezing
Frost: When dew point and air is at or below freezing point. Change directly from water to ice
Describe the conditions for:
a. radiation fog
b. advection fog
a. radiation fog : Clear nights, when moist air is under drier air. The ground cools quickly through radiation emitted by the earth. Earth is cooling so does the air. The moist air will now form a fog.
b. advection fog: Warm, moist air moves over cold surface. Water vapour condenses to form fog.
How does evaporating fog form?
The air is filled with water vapour by the process of evaporation.
List the major height categories of clouds (4)
High, middle, low and vertical development
list and describe the types of high clouds (3)
Cirrus: thin, layered. Mainly composed of ice crystals
Cirrocumulus: rounded white puff. look like fish scales
Cirrostratus : thin sheet-like layered cloud
List and describe the types of middle cloud(2)
Altocumulus: puffy or wave like
Altostratus: grey or blue-grey. thin layer cover entire sky
list and describe the types of low clouds (3)
stratus: layered cloud, uniform grey
Stratocumulus: low lumpy clouds in patches
nimbostratus:
dark, wet looking.
list and describe with the types of vertical development (2)
cumulus: puffy cotton
cumulonimbus: anvil top and dark base
Explain how heat is transferred in the atmosphere
- conduction
- Convection
- radiation
- Conduction: between surfaces that are in contact with each other
- Convection: transfer of heat by movement of fluid
- Radiation: waves from the sun
What is latent heat? how is it good?
Heat required to convert a solid into a liquid or gas without changing temp
It is important to control the hydrolic cycle
How does the amount of radiation emitted by the earth differ from the amount by sun?
The earths surface acts as a blackbody, absorbing rather than emitting.
List four important green house gases?
H20, Co2, ch4 and N20
Explain how greenhouse effect works?
Absorbs selective and emitting infrared while allowing shortwave radiation.
How is the lower atmosphere warmed from the surface upward?
Radiation given off the by earth that was previously adsorbed
What are the main factors that determine seasonal variations?
The axis of the earth and its rotation
Explain why the warmest time of the day is noon?
The air from the surface of the earth has mixed with air above.
On calm, sunny day, why is the air next to the ground normally warmer than air serval feet above?
The radiation emitted from the earth also is responsible for warming the air.
Explain how incoming energy and outgoing energy regulate the daily variation in air temp?
Incoming solar is only during the day at the same time there is outgoing solar. At night there is only outgoing solar. Therefore cooler at night
Explain how radiational cooling at night produces a radiation temperature inversion?
Earths max temp is at noon. After that it starts decreases.Earth is a better conductor than air. Therefore at night earth reaches a lower temp than air. That is radiational inversion (earth cooler than air above)
