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Weather Test 2
Moisture and Atmospheric stability, condensation and precipitation, and optics
82
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Undergraduate 3
02/21/2011

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Term
water cycle
Definition
85% on land
97.2% of that oceans
2.15% " ice/glaciers
other 15% =evaporation
Term
freezing
Definition
liquid to solid. 80cals of latent heat released
Term
melting
Definition
solid to liquid. 80 cals of heat sensible absorbed
Term
evaporation
Definition
liquid to a gas. 600 cals of sensible heat absorbed
Term
condensation
Definition
gas to liquid. 600 cals of latent heat released
Term
deposition
Definition
gas to solid. 680 cals of latent heat released
Term
sublimation
Definition
solid to gas 680 cals of sensible heat absorbed
Term
humidity
Definition
amount of water vapor in the air
Term
types of humidity
Definition
absolute, mixing ration and relative humidity
Term
absolute humidity
Definition
mass of water vapor in a given volume of air. hard to measure directly. changes in location causes changes in volume via pressure and temperature. grams per cubic meter
Term
mixing ration humidity
Definition
mas of water vapor in a unit mas of dry air. grams per kilogram. hard to measure directly
Term
relative humidity
Definition
actual mixing ratio to the saturation mixing ratio. how close air to saturation in percent. acts in opposite direction of temperature
Term
saturation mixing ratio
Definition
is the theoretical maximum amount of water vapor that air at a specific temperature and pressure can hold
Term
daily variations of humidity
Definition
because the temperature varies throughout the day, the humidity will also vary in the opposite direction of the temperature
Term
dew point
Definition
temperature at which a parcel of air must be cooled to reach saturation
Term
hygrometers
Definition
used to measure the humidity of the air
Term
types of hygrometers
Definition
sling hygrometer, hair hygrometer, electric hygrometer
Term
Sling hygrometer
Definition
2 identical thermometers: wet bulb and dry bulb. evaporation on wet bulb causes tempterature to drop. amount of cooling is directly proportional to dryness of air. Use the wet bulb depression to find relative humidity. the bigger the depression the lower the relative humidity. WET BULB IS ALWAYS COLDER OR EQUAL TO DRY BULB
Term
Hair hygrometer
Definition
human hair expands or contracts with humidity. does not stay calibrated. slow reacting. bad for lower temperatures and only good for a rough idea
Term
electric hygrometer
Definition
contact with moisture absorbing surface. reads current accross surface. radiosondes
Term
Lifting Condensation Level (LCL)
Definition
height to which air must be lifted for condensation to begin. usually seen as base of a cloud. usually given as a temperature
Term
Adibatic
Definition
A body is said to go under an adiabatic change when its condition is alter without heat loss/gair
Term
Adiabatic temperature change
Definition
when either heat is added or subtracted. when air expands as it cools. compression heats air
Term
lapse rate
Definition
the rate at which the temperature decreases vertically in the atmosphere.
Term
lapse rate for dry air
Definition
1C/100Meter or 10C/10Km or 5.5F/1000F.
Term
lapse rate for wet/saturated air
Definition
.5C/100Meters (high moisture)
.9C/100Meters (low moisture)
Term
stability vs. instability
Definition
stable air molecules will always return to starting point. unstable air will continue to move to find stability. If it's warmer inside an air molecule, the tendency will be for it to be unstable. or rise
Term
Absolute stability
Definition
The state of a column of air in the atmosphere when its lapse rate of temperature is less than the saturation-adiabatic lapse rate.
Term
Absolute instability
Definition
The state of a column of air in the atmosphere when it has a superadiabatic lapse rate of temperature, that is, greater than the dry-adiabatic lapse rate. Also known as autoconvective instability; mechanical instability
Term
conditional instability
Definition
The state of a column of air in the atmosphere when its lapse rate of temperature is less than the dry adiabatic lapse rate but greater than the saturation adiabatic lapse rate.
Term
Reaching Instability
Definition
1) from intense solar heating from below
2) heating of air mass as it passes over a warm surface
3)upward movement of air
-orographic-up a mountain
-frontal wedge
-convergence
4)radiation cooling cloud tops
Term
Reaching stability
Definition
1)radiational cooling after sunset
2)cooling air passes over cold surface
3)subsidence of air column
Term
History of cloud naming
Definition
1802-Lamarack 1st scheme
1803-Howard latin naming scheme
1887-abercromby and Hildebranasson-by height and latin name
Term
Clouds
Definition
a visible mass of water droplets or frozen ice crystals suspended in the Earth's atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or other planetary body.
Term
High clouds (above 1900 ft.)
Definition
1)Cirrus:
2)Cirrocumulus:
3)Cirrostratus
Term
Middle clouds (6-19,000 ft.) alto
Definition
Altocumulus and Altostratus
Term
Altocumulus
Definition
long bands or contain a series of puffy clouds in rows. mostly liquid water. often dark grey
Term
Altostratus
Definition
more extensive than cirrostratus b/c of more liquid water. absence of shadows. scatters large amounts of light back to space
Term
Cirrus
Definition
mostly ice crystals about 1.5km thick. 1mph fall rate. more tails.
Term
Cirrocumulus
Definition
long rows of 3 individual puffy clouds caused by wind shear "mackeral sky"
Term
Cirrostratus
Definition
more extensive horizontally. sunlight shows through. "halo 22 degrees". lower concentration of ice crystals
Term
Low Clouds (below 6,000ft)
Definition
Stratocumulus and Stratus and nimbostratus
Term
Strato Cumulus
Definition
low layered clouds with some vertical develpment. darkness from below varies. not as uniform as a stratus from below
Term
Stratus
Definition
mainly caused by stable air being lifted. horizontal coverage over several states. very slow uplifts. no precipitation because water content is low.
Term
Vertical Development
Definition
Cumulus,cumulonimbus,cumulus congestus
Term
cumulus
Definition
cumulus humilius one plume localized heating. "fair weather cumulus"
Term
nimbostratus
Definition
looks like stratus but has light precipitation
Term
cumulonimbus
Definition
most violent cloud type. anvil top. stop updrafts. vertical speeds of 50 m/sec (100mph)
Term
cumulus congestus
Definition
multiple plumes. last up to 10 minutes
Term
cloud formation fog, dew and clous
Definition
all must have 2 items 1)sat. air 2) surface to form on.
Term
condensation nuclie
Definition
hydroscopic and hydrophopic
Term
fog
Definition
cloud on the ground
Term
fog formed by cooling
Definition
radiation and avection and upslope
Term
radiation fog
Definition
nighttime only, fairly high RH, clear skies, no wind
Term
avection fog
Definition
warm moist air over a cold surface, need a certain amount of turbulence
Term
upslope fog
Definition
moist air moves up a sloping plain, air cools adiabatically
Term
fog formed by evaporation
Definition
steam and frontal
Term
"steam fog"
Definition
cool air movs over warm water, fall and early winter
Term
frontal fog
Definition
warm air lifted over colder air
Term
foggy places
Definition
west coast
Term
dew types
Definition
liquid, frozen and frost
Term
liquid dew
Definition
Min temp and DP greater than O Celcius
Term
frozen dew
Definition
min temp less than 0 celsius. DP greater than 0 celsius
Term
frost dew
Definition
min temp and DP les than 0 celsius
Term
Bergeron Proces. cold cloud
Definition
liquid water below 0 Celcius until hit ice crystal. saturation vapor pressur lower over ice crystals RH with respect to water is 100% RH w/ repsect to ice is 100% plus
Term
collision and coalescence (warm cloud)
Definition
relative drop size, electrical charge of the droplets, cloud thickness, updrafts of the cloud
Term
forms of precipitation
Definition
rain, snow and hail
Term
rain
Definition
greater or equal to .5mm droplet
Term
snow
Definition
plate, column or dendrite
Term
meaturing precipitation
Definition
standard rain gauge
Term
sleet
Definition
hits ground as solid, deep freezing layer
Term
freezing rain
Definition
hits ground as liquid then freezes
Term
incident rays vs. reflected rays
Definition
incident ray reflects in the opposite direction at the same angle as a reflected ray but not refracted ray which goes through the water
Term
primary colors of rainbows
Definition
40 to 42 degrees. sun-violet over red (flips when passes through lens)
Term
secondary colors of rainbows
Definition
50 degres red over violet
Term
superior mirage
Definition
eye taks bent light in on bottom of eye so eye thinks its above horizon (ie: ship)
Term
inferior mirage
Definition
eye takes bent light in on top of eye so eye things it's below horizpon
Term
halos
Definition
light passes through a thin layer or a cirrus cloud. seen early morning or late afternoon can occur around hoon. 22 degree halo is most common may have 46 degree halo. white
Term
sun dogs or parhelia
Definition
ice crystals in a vertical alignment. 2 bright regions. 22 degrees from sun sun usually on horizon
Term
sun pillars
Definition
viewed near sunrise or sunsent rays are hitting the underside of plates or cap columns. reddish because of the absoption of the rays by the atmosphere
Term
the glory
Definition
altostratus liquid water. usually sen from airplane. reflection of uniform water droplet. shadow of aircraft in center of halo. size will change as aircraft moves oveer cloud and droplet size changes.
Term
corona
Definition
sun or moon. bright ring. colored rays. smaller than halo. thin layr of H2O droplets. altostratus cloud. bending of light when rays pass the edge of the cloud
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