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70 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Density
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mass/volume, kg/m3, rho
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can in houston and phoenix, which cools faster?
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houston. same net evaporation, but more net condensation in houston cause of higher humidity. condensation releases energy.
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how does a swamp cooler work?
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heat energy from the surrounding air causes evaporation, thus cooling the room. works better in AZ where rate of evaporation is higher.
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swimmer fills lungs with air and floats, sinks with no air in lungs, why?
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when she fills her lungs with air she increases the volume of her body and decreases her density, which allows her to float.
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describe relative humidity/effect of temp and p.p. of water
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RH=PP of water/SVP
temperature increase leads to SVP increase. increased vapor means increased PP of water. |
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define saturation vapor pressure of a parcel/what two fundamental process govern it
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SVP is the p.p. of a gas at equilibrium with its liquid form. the 2 processes that govern it are evaporation and condensation. equilibrium is reached when net evaporation = net condensation.
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explain the difference between wet and dry adiabatic lapse rates/which is faster
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they refer to the rate at which temperature decreases as a parcel rises. dry is faster because in WALR condensation occurs, which releases latent heat, thus slowing rate of cooling
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explain dew point temperature/compare to normal ambient temp
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d.p. temp is the temp at which the P.P. of water = SVP, where RH =1. usually smaller, otherwise there would be fog/clouds everywhere.
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name all of waters states/transitions it can go through
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ice, liquid, gas. ice to liquid requires energy. liquid to gas requires energy. gas to liquid releases energy. liquid to ice releases energy.
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what is meant by an adiabatic process? why does adiabatic pressure change imply temp. change?
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adiabatic means no heat is transferred outside its environment. pressure change either requires energy or releases it, but since it's in an adiabatic environment, it must change the temp for this energy.
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what property of earth's atmosphere is used to identify different layers/wha are the 1st two?
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property=temp change. in troposphere, temp is decreasing. in stratosphere, temp is increasing. this has to do with the densities of the gasses that make up these layers/their ability to interact with UV light.
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define temp and pressure/explain on molecular scale
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temp = avg. kinetic energy. i.e., affected by how fast the paricles are moving. pressure = force applied to an area.
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define albedo/identify 3 primary contributors
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albedo is a measure of how well something can diffusely reflect light. clouds are the largest contributor, but snow and water also contribute
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how would an increase in albedo affect earth's temp?
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it would reduce the amount of energy absorbed by earth, which would decrease earth's IR radiation, decreasing temp.
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how do GHG warm earth?
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absorb IR radiation released from earth, and releases some of that energy back towards earth, and some out to space.
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what does the stephan boltzman equation represent, define and give units for each of the terms.
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stefan boltzman equation states that the emmissive power of an object is directly proportional to the 4th power of its temperature. this is expressed in joules per second meter squared. the constant = 5.67x10^-8 joules/sm^2k^4
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describe what wiens law implies/ give units and name terms
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There is an inverse relationship between the peak emmission wavelength and temperature. wavelength in micrometer and temp. in K.
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what does steady state mean?
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all state variables remain at a constant level despite ongoing processes that seek to change them.
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what's negative feedback/one example?
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occurs when the response to a change acts in the opposite direction of the original change itself. for example, increased temp leads to more evaporation of ocean water, which makes more clouds on earth's surface, which increases albedo, which decreases earth's temp.
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what's positive feedback/one example?
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occurs when the response to climate change amplifies the original change. for example increased temp causes more snow to melt, which reveals more land, which decreases earth's albedo, which increases temp.
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what's the aerosol indirect effect on climate?
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increases particles in the air allow for more and smaller cloud droplets to form, which are more reflective to sunlight than larger less numerous drops.
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what 2 processes contribute to sea level rise/how long does it take to reach a new steady state after temp becomes steady?
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ice melting - glacier and ice sheets. water expansion due to increased temp. it would take about 2000 years (how long it take for oceans to turn over)
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define aerosol. typical size. two natural and two anthropogenic sources.
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tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere. about 10^5 meters each. natural sources - volcanos, forrest fires. anthropogenic sources - fossil fuel burning, biomass burning.
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is day or night temp going to increase more due to increase in GHG?
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night because GHG is the only radiative force acting on earth at night. daytime temp will increase less because the sunlight is responsible for most of the heating.
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cirrus clouds
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thin, wisp-like clouds very high in the sky. composed of ice since its too cold for water.
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stratocumulus clouds
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large, dark, rounded, and shallow masses.
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cumulus clouds
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puffy, clearly defined, vertical shape.
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cumulonimbus
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tall, dense clouds often associated with thunderstorms.
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describe the process by which clouds are formed
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rising air (with some amount of water vapor in it) cools. the colder the air is the less moisture it can hold. once it reaches a certain temp, vapor begins to condense because the air can no longer hold it as vapor. this condensation is what causes clouds.
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what role do aerosols play in cloud formation.
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particles are necessary for water to condense on to. the more particles available to condense to, the smaller and more numerous cloud droplets will be.
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how does rain form in warm clouds?
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collision coalescence. large water droplets begin to quit floating, and as they fall they collect more and more drops on their way down. once they reach a certain size, it begins to break into smaller droplets and the process continues.
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how does rain form in cold clouds?
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the bergeron process forms ice. this ice then melts before it hits the ground.
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explain why collector drops are needed to form rain by the warm rain process.
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drops
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describe the bergeron process
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at the same temp, svp of ice is less than the svp of water. basically, in an environment with ice and super cooled water, the ice will always want to absorb more vapor and water will always want to evaporate vapor to reach equilibrium. this invariably leads to an increasing amount of ice and a decreasing amount of water.
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why do larger drops fall faster than smaller ones?
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air resistance affects small drops much more than large drops because volume increase occurs at a faster rate than surface area increase.
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explain collision coalescence.
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when drops in a cloud collide then stick together it is considered collision coalescence. This is important in helping droplet reach the size necessary to fall from the cloud.
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how large can rain drops become? what limits them?
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5 mm, air resistance causes raindrops to break-up into smaller ones, and is what limits their size.
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what are freezing rain and sleet? associated with warm or cold fronts?
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freezing rain - rain that freezes when it hits the ground. sleet - rain that freezes on the way down to the ground. associated with passage of warm fronts, since the ground must already be cold before the rain starts.
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what latitudes do we find the earth's rain forests? deserts? why?
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rain forests - equator, due to constantly rising air. deserts - between 30 and 60 degrees, caused by sinking air.
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define monsoon. explain why it occurs.
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monsoon is the seasonal reversal of wind. could be described as a large scale sea breeze, which brings lots of moisture from the ocean to land.
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define geostrophic flow. what causes it? where are they found? why?
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flow - a balance between coriolis and PGF, lack of friction in the air causes it. most common between 30-60 degrees.
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define pressure gradient force and isobars and explain how they're connected.
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PGF is the acceleration of air from high pressure areas to lower pressure areas. isobars are theoretical lines of constant pressure. on a map with isobars, PGF will blow wind from higher pressure to lower pressure perpendicularly to the isobars.
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what 3 forces act together to cause wind? how do each affect the wind relative to isobars?
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PGF, coriolis, and friction. PGF blows wind from high pressure areas to low (perpendicular to isobars). coriolis pushes the wind to the right in the northern hem and left in the southern hem. friction essentially reduces the effect of coriolis.
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mid latitude cyclones
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in the northen hem forms where warm air from the south meets cold air from the north.
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how are mid latitude cyclones and the jet stream often connected to each other?
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areas in the jet stream with highly negative vorticity form low pressure areas since air is diverging their. these low pressure areas are great places for mid latitude cyclones to form, since they require a low pressure center.
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what's an occluded front? 2 types. typical weather pattern.
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occluded front occurs when a cold front over takes a warm front. in cold occlusion, the cold air which overtakes the warm air is cooler than the cold air in front of the warm front. usually results in rain due to rising warm air.
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what is a dryline? where in US? where do these air masses originate? why thunderstorms?
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dryline is where warm dry air meets warm moist air. forms vertically over great plains as a result of warm moist air from the gulf of mexico meeting with warm dry air from the southwest states.
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continental
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dry
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maritime
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moist
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polar
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cold
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tropical
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warm
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why does occlusion signal the end to a mid latitude cyclone?
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because an occlusion is stable, there's no more rising air.
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define vorticity. explain the equation relating vorticity and divergence.
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vorticity: the tendency for elements to spin.
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what is a rossby wave? why are mid latitude cyclones formed on poleward moving segments?
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rossby waves are the curves of high altitude winds (jetstream). mid latitude cyclones form on poleward moving segments because their vorticity is decreasing, which means air is diverging, which is needed to maintain a low pressure area on the surface.
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energy
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force x distance, units N x m, which is a joule
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pressure
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force/area, N/m^2, Which is a pascal
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force
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mass x acceleration, units kg m/s^2, which is a newton
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power
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energy/time, units J/s, which is a watt
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what is a shortwave/significance to mid latitude cyclones
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warm air advection caused by the shortwave allows for the formation of a midlatitude cyclone.
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describe 3 conditions necessary for a hurricane to form.
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-low wind shear so that the hurricane doesn't spread out.
-at least 500 meters from equator so that coriolis can help maintain the low pressure area. -warm ocean of sufficient depth so that despite disturbances, warm air will continue to rise from the ocean. |
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why do they think hail is important to lightning?
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they hypothesize that hail collides with ice crystals and steals an electron. the positively charged ice crystals float to the tops of clouds, while the negatively charged hail goes to the bottom, creating the charge separation needed to form lightning.
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describe the feedback that makes small disturbances into a hurricane
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surface low draws in moisture and forces air to rise, releasing latent heat. this heat intensifies the high pressure are aloft, which intensifies the low pressure system on the surface, completing the loop.
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describe how hail forms
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hail forms from ice crystals recycling through super cooled water. when these ice crystals fall, they begin to melt and become spherical. then they get blown upwards again by an updraft, which allows them to once more interact with the super cooled water and grow before they fall again. the need for intense winds means that hail is usually associated with thunderstorms.
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why do hurricanes form between 5-20 degrees latitude?
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because that area has warm enough waters as well as the coriolis force to form a hurricane.
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what is a mesocyclone? how does it form? what is its role in tornado formation?
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mesocyclone is a large wind system within which a tornado is located. vertical wind shear creates the cyclonic motion. when this wind mass crosses a warm mass on the ground, the cyclone is moved upwards and eventually becomes a tornado.
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what is a step-leader?
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a conductive path formed by leaders working their way down to the ground. once the step leader makes contact with the ground, the electrons can begin to release their charge.
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what is storm surge? why during hurricanes?
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storm surge is an off shore rise in water, usually associated with a low pressure system or hurricane. cyclonic wind allows water to pile up higher than normal, and when this higher than normal water meets shore, storm surge occurs.
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describe the 3 stages of a thunderstorm.
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the first stage is the cumulus stage where rising air accumulates and begins to condense. the next stage is the mature stage, where rain is falling at the same time that warm air is rising, which fuels the storm. the final stage is the dissipating stage. by this time the updraft has stopped and it is raining lightly since there is no updraft to furl the storm.
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what 2 processes cause downdraft in thunderstorms? why do these lead to dissipation of the storm?
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1. drag caused by falling rain.
2. cooling at the tops of clouds due to entrainment mixing. eventually, these downdrafts cut off the updraft which is fueling the storm with moisture. |
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why is lightning extremely bright? is thunder always associated with lightning?
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it's bright because it's extremely hot (as hot as 5x the surface of the sun). anytime there is lightning, there is also thunder.
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