Water Cycle & Precipitation

Question 1

Hydrological Cycle

Answer 1

Is the movement of water among the great global reservoirs

Question 2

states of water

Answer 2

• A change of state from solid to liquid or liquid to gas absorbs latent heat from the surroundings which means latent heat is released when clouds form and absorbed when water evaporates from the planets surface

Question 3

Evaporations is associated with…

Answer 3

Net radiation energy

Question 4

Condensation releases…

Answer 4

Energy

Question 5

Humidity

Answer 5

Is a measure of the water vapour in the air
- The max quantity of moisture that air can hold increases with air temperature - warm air holds more moisture than cool air

Question 6

Dew point temperature

Answer 6

Is the temperature at which a mass of air holds its maximum capacity of water vapour

Question 7

Adiabatic Processes

Answer 7

• Is a change in temperature within a gas that occurs only as a result of change in pressure

Question 8

Why is the adiabatic process important in studying weather and the motion of air?

Answer 8

Because the atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude, if you lift a parcel of air away from the surface, the pressure in the parcel decreases

Question 9

Condensation occurs depending on…

Answer 9

Dew point temperatures, and the need for water droplets to form on a solid surface

Question 10

Clouds

Answer 10

Are composed of water droplets and ice crystals.

- They also contain tiny supercooled water droplets

Question 11

What do clouds require?

Answer 11

Microscopic particles known as cloud condensation nuclei

Question 12

High clouds

Answer 12

Cirro

Question 13

Middle clouds

Answer 13

Alto

Question 14

Low clouds

Answer 14

strato/stratus

Question 15

Clouds with vertical development

Answer 15

Cumu

Question 16

Flat, thin, blanket-like cloud

Answer 16

Stratiform

Question 17

Puffy mass cloud

Answer 17

Cumuliform

Question 18

Wispy, made of ice cloud:

Answer 18

Cirroform

Question 19

Stormy or rainy cloud

Answer 19

Nimbo

Question 20

Fog

Answer 20

Is a cloud at the surface instead of the atmosphere

Question 21

Radiation Fog

Answer 21

Forms when a surface cools the air directly above, often forming night

Question 22

Valley Fog

Answer 22

Is when a cold air descends down a valley like a radiation fog

Question 23

Advection Fog

Answer 23

Forms when air migrates to a place where the conditions allow saturation to occur which happens along coastlines and is called sea fog

Question 24

Almost all precipitation begins as…

Answer 24

snow or ice

Question 25

What happens when ice crystals descend down??

Answer 25

The temperature warms and we get rain

Question 26

Atmospheric Stability

Answer 26

Is the tendency of an air parcel, to either remain in place of change vertical position

Question 27

Stable

Answer 27

Resists vertical movement and returns to its starting place if disturbed

Question 28

Unstable

Answer 28

Continues to rise until reaching an altitude where the air has a similar density

Question 29

What indicates how an air parcel will behave?

Answer 29

The temperature

Question 30

What happens to an air parcel when the air is warm?

Answer 30

The parcel moves up

Question 31

What happens when the temperature of the air parcel is less than the air//

Answer 31

The air parcel goes down to the bottom

Question 32

If unstable..

Answer 32

You will get clouds and rain

Question 33

Absolute Instability

Answer 33

The air parcel is warmer than the surrounding environment

- ELR>DALR>MALR

Question 34

Absolute instability forms what type of clouds?

Answer 34

Clouds with vertical development which is associated with thunderstorms and precipitation

Question 35

Absolute Stability

Answer 35

Is when the air parcel is cooler than the surrounding environment which means it is stable

Question 36

Absolute stability is associated with what type of weather?

Answer 36

Calm weather