The Basics
What is the process of water vapor changing to a liquid form?
Condensation.
What is the temperature at which condensation occurs?
The dew point.
Stratus/Cumulus/ and Cirrus describes what about a cloud?
Its shape
What is the term for very fine water droplets that fall slowly and close together?
Drizzle
What is the level in the atmosphere where condensation begins called?
Condensation level
In the process of evaporation, is heat released or absorbed?
Absorbed
What forms when water vapor condenses on a surface?
Dew
What two prefixes refer to clouds that can produce rain?
Nimbo and Nimbus
What happens on the windward-side of a mountain?
Air rises up the mountain, cools, shrinks and rains.
If air movement is horizontal, how will the cloud form?
In layers.
Dry ice changing from solid to gaseous form is an example of what?
Sublimation
Describe one of the two requirements for cloud formation.
Air must cool to or below dew point & there must be material for the water droplets to condense onto.
Cloud types are classified according to what three things?
In what two places does it rarely rain?
What is the difference between how sleet and freezing rain are formed?
the thickness of the layer that the rain falls through.
When the rate of condensation=the rate of evaporation, how can we describe the air?
It is saturated.
What is the specific term that refers to the tiny particles that water condenses onto to form clouds and fog?
Condensation nuclei
Describe elevation and shape of an altocumulus cloud
globular masses/patches that are fluffy with a flat bottom in the middle layer.
Why does hail have layers like an onion?
The wind/updraft continuously blows it back up into the top of the cloud where it will freeze new layers.
How does the size of the "dust" that water droplets condense onto affect the size of the rain drop?
Larger dust= larger raindrop
Which change of state of matter allows a psychrometer to work?
Evaporation
What happens to the dew point when you have a higher humidity?
It would be higher.
What exact type of air motion is required to make a stratocumulus cloud?
Both vertical and horizontal
Why does the air rising more cause more precipitation?
Because the air is cooling more/the air is shrinking more.
What is the relative humidity of the air if nothing evaporates from a psychrometer?
100