Water in the Atm.
Cloud Formation
Types of clouds
Precipitation
Layers of the Atmosphere
Relative Humidity
Cloud Base Alt.
Cloud Base Alt.
100
Saturated air is said to have a relative humidity of ____%
What is 100%
100
The tool used to measure wind speed is the:
What is anemometer
100
Where do cumulus clouds form (low, middle or high elevation)?
What is middle?
100
A very large visible mixture of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air when relative humidity reaches 100% are known as?
What are clouds?
100
Lowest layer of the atmosphere?
How many miles to the top?
What is the troposphere?
7 miles.
100
What is the relative humidity if the dry-bulb temp. is 20oC and the wet-bulb temp. is 15oC?
What is about 60%
200
The point at which water vapor condenses
What is dew point? (Condensation point - ok)
200
Cirrus clouds which form very high in the atmosphere are mainly composed of these.
What are ice crystals
200
Name a cloud with the highest cloud base:
What is cirrus, cirrocumulus, or cirrostratus
200
Clouds will not precipitate until...
they reach 100 % relative humidity (saturation point - dew point).
200
What percent of all air is in the troposphere?
What is 75%?
200
What is the relative humidity if the dry-bulb temp. is 10oC and the wet-bulb temp. is 20oC?
What is 25% (anything BETWEEN 20 and 30 & is OK
300
A sling psychrometer works on the principle that _______ is a cooling process.
What is evaporation?
300
Describe the conditions for Cirrus cloud formation.
When warm air rises in the troposphere it cools down, and its capacity to hold water vapor decreases.
As the air packet rises the temperature decreases as does the air pressure and water vapor turns directly into ice crystals (deposition), bypassing the liquid phase. This happens at high altitudes where the air pressure is low, when the air is dry and the temperature is low enough to support ice formation.
300
What would you name a low-laying cloud in elevation, sometimes even on the ground?
What is stratus?
300
The precipitation that forms in a cumulonimbus cloud when small ice pellets fall throught it and grow by collecting supercooled water is, cycling higher, then lower until their increased weight causes them to fall?
What is hail?
300
What percent of all air is in lowest two layers of the atmosphere combined?
How high is this in miles?
What is 99%?
30 miles.
300
What does a relative humidity reading of 70% mean if saturation would be 20. g / m3?
That the parcel of gases is 70% of saturation = 14.0 g of water vapor held per cubic meter.
(0.7)(20. grams) = 14 grams
400
As water vapor rises in the Troposphere, what happens to the temperature?
What is decreases?
Due to the expansion of air as it moves to higher altitudes with lower atmospheric pressure, causing the air to cool down; this cooling process allows water vapor to condense into liquid water droplets, forming clouds.
400
The process by which air is forced to rise over a mountain or hill, causing the air to cool and condense into clouds or precipitation, is known as..
What is orographic lifting?
400
Severe, dark thunderstorms capable of producing hail and tornadoes occur in this type of cloud. It has a flat bottom.
What is Cumulonimbus?
400
This form of precipitation occurs when snowflakes partially melt in a layer of warm air and then refreeze in a layer of freezing air.
What is sleet?
400
In which layer is the ozone layer found?
Why is the ozone layer critical for life preservation?
What is the lower stratosphere?
It acts as a protective shield, filtering out most of the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
400
As the temperature outside increases the relative humidity ........
What is decreases?
Warmer air can holds more water vapor, so the percent will decrease.
500
The name of the instrument for measnruring relative humidity.
What is a hygrometer?
500
The small particles in the atmosphere, around which cloud droplets can form, are called:
What is condensation nuclei
500
Clouds which form when stratus clouds are on the ground?
What is fog?
500
The tool which uses a funnel to collect and measure the amount of rainfall is known as a...
and
List the 4 types of precipitation.
What is a rain gauge?
and: rain, hail, sleet, snow.
500
Off what layer are radio waves bounced?
What is the ionosphere? - found in the mesosphere and stratosphere.
500
In the evening when the temperature decreases the relative humidity......
What is increases?
The cooler air cannot old as much water vapor, so the relative humidity percent increases.