Chap 7 Water And Atmospheric Moisture

Front 1

Outgassing

Back 1

process which water and water vapor is released from within earth

Front 2

where did water come from

Back 2

-coalescence of icy planetesimals or impact of icy comets.

-still not completely understood.

Front 3

Water structure dictates its properties

Front 4

covalent bonding

Back 4

bonding of atoms through the sharing of electrons (very strong)

Front 5

polarity

Back 5

electric charge causing the attraction and repulsion of atoms/molecules

-like a magnet

Front 6

Hydrogen bonding

Back 6

bonding between water molecules (weaker than covalent, but still strong).

Front 7

Heat properties

Back 7

phase change requires absorption or release of heat energy

-sublimation/deposition (solid-gas phase)

-Melting/freezing (solid-liquid Phase)

-Condensation/evaporation (liquid- gas phase)

Front 8

latent heat

Back 8

energy stored in phase changes it is either released or absorbed.

-heat prop of water in nature.

Front 9

Humidity

Back 9

amount of water vapor in air

Front 10

relative humidity

Back 10

ratio: actual water vapor in air/max water vapor possible.

-at a specific temp

-expressed as a %

-Dry air-low RH

-Wet air- High RH

-Saturation-100%

Front 11

condensation

Back 11

addition of more water vapor or decrease in air temp.

Front 12

Dew-point Tempature

Back 12

the temp at which the air will become saturated

Front 13

Vapor pressure

Back 13

air pressure made up of water-vapor molecules.

-water molecules evap-now part of the air

-exert pressure (just like other molecules)

Front 14

Specific humidity

Back 14

mass of water vapor per mass of air at any specified temp.

-remains constant as temp & pressure change

-useful in describing moisture content of large air masses that are interacting in weather system.

Front 15

saturation vapor pressure

Back 15

air that contains as much water vapor as possible at a given temp

Front 16

Sling psychrometer

Back 16

measures RH

-two therm

- 1 dry bulb

-2 wet bulb

Front 17

Air parcel

Back 17

body of air with a specific temp and humidity

Front 18

two opposing forces

Back 18

buoyancy and gravity

Front 19

what happens if parcel of air is less dense than surrounding air

Back 19

parcel rises and expands

Front 20

what happens if the parcel of air is less dense than surrounding air

Back 20

parcel sinks and compresses

- temp of volume of air determines density of the air parcel

Front 21

stability

Back 21

tendency of an air parcel to remain in place or change vertical position

-stable air resists displacement

-unstable air rises until reaches an altitude where a surrounding air has some density & temp

Front 22

Atmospheric Stability

Back 22

- Rising air cools by expansion (responds to thereduced pressure at high altitudes)

- Falling air heats by compression

-Temperatures change inside the parcel, but noexchange of heat with the surroundingenvironment  Adiabatic

Expansion = Cooling; Compression = Warming

Front 23

Dry Adiabatic rate

Back 23

when air is not at saturation

Front 24

Moist adiabatic rate

Back 24

when air is at saturation

Front 25

what are clouds

Back 25

aggregate of tiny moisture droplets & icy crystals

-suspended in air

- large enough in volume/concentration to be seen

Front 26

indicate overall atmospheric conditions

Back 26

stability

moisture content

weather

-form cause air is saturated with water

Front 27

cloud formation process

Back 27

begin as large mass of moisture droplets

-1 million droplets = 1 raindrop

Front 28

Different types of clouds

Back 28

stratus=layer

cumulus=heap

cirrus=thin

nimbus=rain or rainstorm

Front 29

type 1

LOW CLOUD

Back 29

featurless gray clouds look like high fog. soft, gray,drizzling rain, low clouds

-up to 2000m

water

-stratus (5t), stratocumulus, nimbostratus

Front 30

middle clouds

Back 30

2000-6000 m

ice and water

-altostratus,altocumulus

-thin to thick clouds with no halos suns outline just visible through clouds on a gray day.

-clouds like patches of cotton balls, dappled, and arranged in line of groups.

Front 31

high clouds

Back 31

6000-13000m

ice

-wispy,feathery, with delicate fibers,streaks, or plumes.

-clouds like veils from sheets of ice crystals having a milky look and sun moon halos.

-diploid clouds in small white flakes or tufts. occurs in lines or groups/ripples. forming mackerel sky.

-cirrus,cirrostratus,cirrocumulus

Front 32

vertically developed clouds

Back 32

-near surface 13,000m

-water below,ice above

-sharply outlined,puffy, flat based,sweeping tops with fair weather.

-dense,havy, massive cloud associated with dark thunderstorms, hard showers,towering, anvil-shaped head.

-cumulus, cumulonimbus

Front 33

fog

Back 33

cloud layer on the ground, air temp and dew point temp identical at ground level.

-moisture droplets are warm, above freezing

Front 34

different types of fog

Back 34

radiation fog

advection fog (includes upslope and valley fog)

evaporation fog

Front 35

Radiation fog

Back 35

moist/wet ground cools at night

-air temps reach dew point temp

-short duration, often dissipates by afternoon

-typically remain in one place

-common in CA central valley

Front 36

Advection fog

Back 36

air in one place migrates to where it can condense

-cover large areas, last several day

-moist air moves over cooler ocean currents

Front 37

*upslope fog

Back 37

moist air flows to higher elevations along a hill or mountain-clouds form as air is pushed up

Front 38

*valley fog

Back 38

cool air is denser than warm air, settles in low lying areas, chilled, saturated layer near ground in valleys.

Front 39

* evaporation fog (sea smoke)

Back 39

water evap from water surface cold air overlying water surface condensation.