Quiz 1

Question 1

Explain the movement of water in the Hydrologic cycle and saturation.

Answer 1

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

Question 2

What are Condensation nuclei and why we like em?

Answer 2

They are small particles in which vapour condenses. They form clouds :)

Question 3

How does actual vapour pressure differ from the saturation pressure? When are they same?

Answer 3

Actual: air’s total water vapour content

Saturation: how much water is required to saturate the air

they are same at 100% humidity

Question 4

Why do hot and humid summer days usually feel hotter than hot and dry summer days?

Answer 4

When air is humid sweat evaporation is slower because the air can’t hold more

Question 5

Explain how dew, frozen dew and visible frost form?

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Describe the conditions for:

a. radiation fog
b. advection fog

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

How does evaporating fog form?

Answer 7

The air is filled with water vapour by the process of evaporation.

Question 8

List the major height categories of clouds (4)

Answer 8

High, middle, low and vertical development

Question 9

list and describe the types of high clouds (3)

Answer 9

Cirrus: thin, layered. Mainly composed of ice crystals

Cirrocumulus: rounded white puff. look like fish scales

Cirrostratus : thin sheet-like layered cloud

Question 10

List and describe the types of middle cloud(2)

Answer 10

Altocumulus: puffy or wave like

Altostratus: grey or blue-grey. thin layer cover entire sky

Question 11

list and describe the types of low clouds (3)

Answer 11

stratus: layered cloud, uniform grey

Stratocumulus: low lumpy clouds in patches

nimbostratus:
dark, wet looking.

Question 12

list and describe with the types of vertical development (2)

Answer 12

cumulus: puffy cotton
cumulonimbus: anvil top and dark base

Question 13

Explain how heat is transferred in the atmosphere

1. conduction
2. Convection
3. radiation

Answer 13

1. Conduction: between surfaces that are in contact with each other
2. Convection: transfer of heat by movement of fluid
3. Radiation: waves from the sun

Question 14

What is latent heat? how is it good?

Answer 14

Heat required to convert a solid into a liquid or gas without changing temp

It is important to control the hydrolic cycle

Question 15

How does the amount of radiation emitted by the earth differ from the amount by sun?

Answer 15

The earths surface acts as a blackbody, absorbing rather than emitting.

Question 16

List four important green house gases?

Answer 16

H20, Co2, ch4 and N20

Question 17

Explain how greenhouse effect works?

Answer 17

Absorbs selective and emitting infrared while allowing shortwave radiation.

Question 18

How is the lower atmosphere warmed from the surface upward?

Answer 18

Radiation given off the by earth that was previously adsorbed

Question 19

What are the main factors that determine seasonal variations?

Answer 19

The axis of the earth and its rotation

Question 20

Explain why the warmest time of the day is noon?

Answer 20

The air from the surface of the earth has mixed with air above.

Question 21

On calm, sunny day, why is the air next to the ground normally warmer than air serval feet above?

Answer 21

The radiation emitted from the earth also is responsible for warming the air.

Question 22

Explain how incoming energy and outgoing energy regulate the daily variation in air temp?

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Explain how radiational cooling at night produces a radiation temperature inversion?

Answer 23

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)