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Weather and Climate Test 2
Shephard's T-TH 11am
50
Meteorology
Undergraduate 3
03/09/2011

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Cards

Term
Three Types of Humidity
Definition
Absolute humidity, specific humidity, and mixing ratio
Term
Absolute Humidity
Definition
mass of WV in air X volume of air
Term
Specific Humidity
Definition
Mass of WV in air/total mass of air
Term
Mixing ratio
Definition
mass of WV in air/mass of dry air
Term
RH=
Definition
(specific humidity/saturation specific humidity) X 100
Term
relative humidity
Definition
amount of water vapor present in relation to its saturation point
Term
relative humidity can be affected by either:
Definition
1) change in temperature 2) change in amount of WV
Term
In the morning, relative humidity is ____. Temperature is lower, so saturation humidity is ____.
Definition
Higher, Lower
Term
dew point temp
Definition
temperature to which air must be cooled to reach saturation
Term
dew point depression
Definition
difference between water vapor capacity and actual water vapor content (if equal, saturation occurs)
Term
ways to measure humidity
Definition
hair hygrometer, sling psychrometer
Term
saturation
Definition
max amount of water vapor that can exist in the atmosphere that can exist at a certain temperature
Term
when evaporation=condensation, ____ occurs
Definition
saturation
Term
Is the saturation curve linear?
Definition
no, it is expontential
Term
different ways to acheive saturation
Definition
add water vapor to the air, mix cold and warm air, or lower the temperature to dew point
Term
adding water vapor to the air
Definition
showers; water vapor added by rainfall causes fog under clouds
Term
adding warm air to cool air
Definition
jet plane conetrails, temperature balances, but as curve is exponential, more water vapor is present than can be held. fog forms
Term
high droplet curvature means
Definition
less resistant to evaporation (less surface area),
Term
low droplet curvature means
Definition
high surface tension, more resistant to evaporation
Term
supersaturation
Definition
in excess of 100%
Term
the more curved the droplet...
Definition
the higher the supersaturation required to keep it from evaporating away (decreases rapidly with increasing droplet size)
Term
homogenous nucleation
Definition
when droplets form by chance collisions and WV molecules bond under supersaturated conditions
Term
hygroscopic aerosols
Definition
water-attracting particulates that assist in droplet formation at relative humidities far below that of homogenous nucleation
Term
heterogeneous nucleation
Definition
when hygroscopic aerosols assist in roplet formation at relative humidities far below that of homogenous nucleation
Term
condensation nuclei
Definition
hygroscopic aerosol particles onto which the droplets form in heterogeneous nucleation
Term
the effect of solution and size is _____ to that of curvature
Definition
opposite
Term
soluble condensation
Definition
results in cloud droplets with lower saturation points than pure water
Term
droplets formed by soluble condensation are _____ likely to evaporate than those formed by_____. this effect promotes_______.
Definition
less, homogenous nucleation, condensation
Term
a large insoluble condensation nuclei is (more/less) likely to condense than a small drop of pure water. Why?
Definition
more, it is covered in a film of water
Term
in nature, condensation nuclei consists of a mix of ____ and _____particles.
Definition
soluble and insoluble
Term
the combined effects of solution and size are _____ to that of droplet curvature
Definition
about equal
Term
at relative humidities near or below 100%.....
Definition
condensation naturally occurs
Term
haze
Definition
extremely small droplets created by some condensation nuclei capable of attrating water below 90% RH
Term
two ways to lower air temperature
Definition
diabatic and adiabatic processes
Term
two ways to lower air temperature
Definition
diabatic and adiabatic processes
Term
1st law of thermodynamics (purpose)
Definition
describes what happens when heat is added or removed from a gas
Term
1st law of thermodynamics (formula)
Definition
change in heat=(pressure X change in volume)+(specific heat of air X change in temperature)
Term
diabatic process
Definition
energy is added or removed from a system
Term
air that passes over a (warm/cool) surface (gains/loses) heat
Definition
warm and gains, cool and loses
Term
adiabatic process
Definition
temerature changes but but no heat added/lost
Term
how can a temperature be changed w.o a loss or gain of feet
Definition
warm air cools, cool air expans
Term
orographic uplift
Definition
upward displacement of air that leads to adiabatic cooling, sometimes clouds
Term
frontal lifting
Definition
cold front pushes into warm air, lifting it. if reversed the warm air still rises
Term
convergence
Definition
low pressure ell, winds converge on center and push up
Term
convection
Definition
air warms and rises
Term
static stability
Definition
air's susceptibility to uplift
Term
unstable air_____, while stable air_____ after lifting mechanism ends
Definition
continues to rise, sinks back
Term
absolute stability
Definition
parcel never becomes warmer than environment, cools faster
Term
absolute instability
Definition
air parcel is never cooler than environment, cools slowly
Term
conditional stability
Definition
parcel is unsaturated and stable,
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