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Physical Geography Test 2 > UNIT 9 > Flashcards

UNIT 9 Flashcards

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1
Q

Cloud

A

Visible masses of suspended, minute water droplets and or ice crystals

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2
Q

Cloud formation ingredients

A

moisture, rising motion, condensation nuclei

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3
Q

Classify clouds based on..

A

height and shape

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4
Q

cirrus

A

thin; wispy cloud; composed of ice crystals; typically found at higher levels (above 6 km)

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5
Q

stratus

A

Flat layered appearance, fairly thin, and cover a large region

- low: stratus; below 3km (10,000 ft)
- middle: altostratus; 3-6 km (10,000-20,000 ft)
- upper: Cirrostratus; above 6 km
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6
Q

nimbostratus

A

low level thin cloud; rain producing

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7
Q

cumulonimbus

A

very tall cumulus clouds, anvil shaped top, violent weather; extends from 500 m to 12 km

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8
Q

cumulus

A

Thick, puffy masses that often develop to great heights

- Low: Cumulus/ stratocumulus; (Below 3 km)
- Middle: altocumulus; (3-6 km)
- Upper: cirrocumulus; (above 6 Km)
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9
Q

Mammatus Clouds

A

usually associated with severe weather and hail

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10
Q

Lenticular Clouds

A

found on top of mountains

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11
Q

Kevin-Helmholtz clouds

A

wave like appearance; turbulence

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12
Q

Contrails

A

help block sun radiation and prevent long wave radiation from escaping at night

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13
Q

Fog

A

visible masses of suspended, minute water droplets and or ice crystals; very near to the ground; NEEDS MOISTURE AND CONDENSATION NUCLEI

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14
Q

Does fog form adiabatically or diabatically?

A

diabatically; air reached saturation through contact with cold air or exchanges of sensible heat with a colder surface( supports less moisture)

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15
Q

radiation fog

A

occurs as the surface loses its heat to space; the air near the ground cools; water vapor condenses; most common type, generally occurring on clear, cool nights; thickets before dawn

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16
Q

Advection Fog

A

Warm moist air advects over cold surface and cools to dew point; common near oceans; can be found over snow-covered grounds; thicker band more persistent; ex: San Francisco (Advection is horizontal transport of something)

17
Q

steam fog

A

cool air moves over warm water, producing enough moisture to saturate the air above it

18
Q

DEW

A

visible masses of minute water droplets; water droplets on the surface. NEEDS MOISTURE AND CONDENSATION NUCLEI & FORMS DIABATICALLY

19
Q

precipitation

A

falling water/ice from the sky

20
Q

rain

A

precipitation that falls when temperature is above freezing

21
Q

sleet

A

partially melted snowflake that refreezes before it hits the ground

22
Q

snow

A

ice crystals that fall through atmosphere and do not encounter any layers above freezing temperatures

23
Q

freezing rain

A

precipitation that falls as rain, but freezes when it comes in contact with sub- freezing surface

24
Q

hail

A

precipitation that forms ice crystals are blown about within a tall and very moist cloud; NEEDS MOISTURE, CONDENSATION NUCLEI, AND RISING MOTION

25
Q

If you get enough moisture droplets, they collide and combine and grow in size which causes them to fall out of the sky; all precipitation originates from parcels of moist air rising (cooling adiabatically)

A

know this!

26
Q

Air mass thunderstorms

A
  • a very large individual towering cumulonimbus
  • don’t last long
  • move slow
  • need maritime tropical air mass
27
Q

Air mass thunderstorms form when…

A
  • moisture
  • rising motion
  • condensation nuclei
  • weak winds aloft (keep storm perfectly vertical)
  • Updraft is warm and downdraft is cold air; rain creates downdraft
28
Q

The Life Cycle of an air mass thunderstorm

A
  • cumulus (developing stage): only an updraft because you must build the cloud; is NO DOWNDRAFT
  • mature: updraft continues while cloud builds; heavy rain begins to fall producing a downdraft of cold air because they come from high levels of troposphere
  • dissipating: downdraft dominates weakening the updraft, moist air; system “suffocates”
29
Q

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM (only need one of these conditions)

A
  • must have a surface wind gust of 58 mph or greater
  • hail 1 inch or greater in diameter
  • produces a tornado
30
Q

severe thunderstorms form when…

A
  • moisture
  • rising motion
  • condensation nuclei
  • vertical wind shear
31
Q

vertical wind shear

A

want wind to change in speed and direction with height; the updraft gets tilted and it no longer interferes with downdrafts

32
Q

Squall Line

A

occurs when individual severe thunderstorms 1-5 miles wide become arranged in a line; typically form in front of COLD FRONT

33
Q

Mesoscale convective complex

A

form when multiple single thunderstorms converge together; the storms feed off of one another

34
Q

Supercell

A

individual thunderstorms that assume their own rotation; most dangerous type

35
Q

Lightning and Thunder

A
  • Lightening is an electric discharge from a thunderstorm based on charge differences in the atmosphere (positive at the top and negative at the bottom)
  • Thunder produced by rapid expansion of air by lightning bolt
36
Q

Hail

A
  • precipitation phenomena
    • ice crystals pass thorough subfreezing and above freezing layers collecting water
    • hail will take a layered appearance: clear vs. opaque
    • When a hailstone is high in the troposphere freezing very quick and traps air bubbles which makes the layer of ice opaque
    • When a hailstone is at the bottom of a cloud, it freezes at a slower rate and air bubbles are allowed out making it clear
    • once hail gets large enough, the updraft cannot support it allowing it to fall
37
Q

Tornado

A
  • small vortex of air
    • associated with low pressure
    • Descends from the wall cloud at the base of the thunderstorm
    • winds can range from 110mph-200+
    • tend to see tornadoes in May and June; there needs to be a clashing of air masses

Physical Geography Test 2 (5 decks)

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