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124 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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How do we determine atmospheric stability?
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compare temperature of parcel of air as it rises/sinks to the temperature of surrounding air
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Latent Heat of Evaporation
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heat lost to air during evaporation
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Latent heat of condensation
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heat added to air during condensation
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what happens when you force parcel to rise?
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expands and cools
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what happens when you force parcel to sink
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compresses and warms
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what determines rate at which air cools or warms?
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air's moisture content
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adiabatic process
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when air parcel expands/cools or compresses/warms with NO interchange of heat with outside its environment
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diabatic process
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when air parcel expands/cools or compresses/warms WITH interchange of heat with outside environment
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we assume __________ if our atmosphere if air parcels rise or sink
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adiabatic process
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how fast does air cool/heat in unsaturated air
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5.5F/1000 ft
10C/1000 m |
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how fast does air cool/heat in saturated air
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3.3F/1000 ft
6C/1000 m |
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why does air not cool as quickly in saturated air
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because condensation
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how can we determine stability
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looking at environmental temperature profile via thermodynamic diagrams
overall atmospheric temp profile (how quickly it cools with height) can determine stability |
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what happens when Environmental Lapse Rate (ELR) is greater than DALR? (5.5F/1000ft)
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absolutely unstable
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What happens when ELR is greater than MALR but less than DALR
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conditionally unstable
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What does DALR stand for
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dry adiabatic lapse rate (dry parcel)
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what does MALR stand for
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moist adiabatic lapse rate (saturated air parcel)
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What happens when ELR is less than MALR
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absolutely stable
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what happens if ELR is 5.1?
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absolutely unstable
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What type of diagram is thermodyamic diagram? and what does it mean
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Skew-T because lines are slanted
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what is yellow line in thermodynamic diagram
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parcel of air
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if yellow line is left of air temperature
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stable
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if yellow line is right of air temperature
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unstable
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if yellow line is right of right line?
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defective graph
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What enhances stability (3 things)
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1. radiational cooling of Earths surface after sunset
2. Cooling of an air mass from below as it traverses a colder surface 3. subsidence of an air column (also sign of high pressure) |
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what enhances unstability (5 things)
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1. once forced upward initially, air rises
2. heating of an air mass from below as it moves over a warmer surface 3. forceful lifting of air 4. upward motion with surface air convergence 5. radiational cooling from nocturnal thunderstorm cloud tops) |
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what happens when air temp falls below freezing after dew has formed?
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frozen dew
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dew
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water that has condensed onto objects near the ground when the temperature of those objects has cooled below the dew point temperature of the surrounding air
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frost
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a covering of ice crystals produced by deposition on exposed surfaces when the air temperature falls below the surrounding air's dew point temperatures
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What two things must happen for condensation to happen?
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1. air must become saturated
2. must be a surface on which to condense |
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What is the cloud formation process (4 steps)
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1. surface heating and free convection
2. topographic lift 3. Widespread lifting due to surface convergence 4. uplift along weather fronts |
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THERE MUST BE __________ FOR CLOUDS/STORMS/ETC TO FORM
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MOISTURE/SATURATION
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fog
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cloud with base at earths surface
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radiation fog
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forms when little wind but not too much / too little
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advection fog
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west coast, shore water
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evaporation/mixing fog
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breathing fog
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upslope fog
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mountain
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Lamarck (date and what he did/what country from)
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1802 began thinking of cloud classification but not widely accepted
french naturalist |
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Luke Howard
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1803 english naturalist
chose latin words to describe clouds as they appeared to ground observers |
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Abercromby and Hildebransson
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1887 expanded Howards system still widely used
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stratus- what does it mean, stable or un?
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layer, stable
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cumulus- means? stable?
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heap, instable
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nimbus- means?
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violent rain, precipiation
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cirrus
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curl of hair
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0/8th cloud coverage- acronym and definition
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CLR or SKC (clear)
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1/8th-2/8th
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FEW (few)
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3/8th-4/8th
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SCT (scattered)
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5/8th-7/8th
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BKN (broken)
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8/8th
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OVC (overcast)
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Geostationary satellites
where seen? where anchored? how many and where? how many miles above ground? |
seen on TV
anchored above equator always 3 in space- GOES east 75 degrees GOES west 13 degrees stationary one 22,500 |
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Polar orbiting satellite
how far above ground? where anchored? |
532 miles above
parallel to earth's meridian lines |
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three types of satellite images?
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visible, infrared, water vapor
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visible satellite imagery
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monochromic
between view of clouds from above with sun providing light; cant be used at night |
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infrared satellite imagery
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measures cloud top temperature; avail 24/7
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water vapor imagery
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looks at mid/high level moisture!!!!!!!
dark: dry white: more moisture |
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collision process
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precipitation formation process that is a coalescence process
(warmer temperature process) |
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bergeron process
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precip. formation process that is an ice crystal process (colder temp process)
super cool water vapor ->ice crystal->fall to surface thunderstorms can have bergeron process high up, and collision provess in mid/lower levels |
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what is likely accompanied by thunderstorm/lighting
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hail
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snow intensity based on
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visibility
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standard rain guage
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inner tube= 1in
outer=10 in, most accurate measure 5 ft from ground |
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tipping bucket rain gauge
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understimates, not widely used
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weighing type rain gauge
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accurate, anti freeze heats snow and melts
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how to measure snowfall
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1. avoid drifting/blowing
2. away from trees/buildings 3. average 3 places |
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fog dispersal
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happens with cold weather fog at or below freezing
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hail suppression
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non succesful
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tropical cyclone suppression
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not successful
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what does air pressure do as you ^ in elevation
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decreases ALWAYS
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if we move air into column, surface pressure...
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increases
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if we move air out of column, surface pressure...
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decreases
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atmospheric pressure decreases more or less rapidly with elevation in cold column of air
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more
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atmospheric pressure decreases more or less rapidly with elev. in warm column of air
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less rapidly
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colder air aloft is normally associated with ________ atmospheric pressure aloft which results in ______ stable atmosphere
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lower; less
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warmer air aloft is normally associated with _______ atmospheric pressure aloft which results in _____ stable atmosphere
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higher; more
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what causes wind
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unequal heating of earth's surface
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how do we measure air pressure
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mercurial (not used) and aneroid barometers
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corrections in barometers must be made for
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temp (both)
instrument (mercurial) gravity (both) sea level (both) |
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atmos pressure decreases on average of
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1 inch of mercury for each 1000 ft rise in altitude
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what is standard surface atmos. pressure
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29.92" / mercury
1013.2 millibars 14.7 lbs/in |
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whats in altimeter? where used
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in aircrafts- tells how high above ground using pressure
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lowest air pressure??? and what is it?
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pacific hurricanes- 26" of mercury
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highest air pressure??? what is it
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sibera, e. asia, antarctic, poles... 32-33" mercury
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cirrus clouds- acronymn and what about them
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Ci
wispy, made of mostly ice crystals 20,000 ft or higher fair weather, unless turn into Altostratus (ac) mares tales W->E w jet stream stable |
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Cirrocumulus
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Cc
small puffs rippled appearance instability at upper levels mackerel sky always white |
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Cirrostratus (Cs)
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thin layer of white cirus
sun and moon and seen through shadows halo effect fair weather unless thicken to Altostratus (As) |
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virga- what is it and where does it occur
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precipitation that may fall out of cloud but evaporates before it hits ground
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Height of high clouds?
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20,000+ ft
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Height of middle clouds?
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6500-20000 ft
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heigh of low clouds?
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surface to 6500 ft
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Altocumulus
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Ac
gray, puffy base darker than other parts rising castles (castellanus) instability at higher levels ripple effect |
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Altostratus
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As
gray to blue gray (not white) covers entire sky no shadows, sun may slightly be seen form in advance o storms lower/thicker |
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Status
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St
grey uniform layer of low clouds light drizzle/snow fog occurs when in touch w ground |
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Stratocumulus
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Sc
low, lumpy puffs are larger than alto cumulus rows, patches, rounded masses, with blue sky seen between white to dark gray little or no precip |
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nimbostratus
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Ns
dark, gray continuously falling precip of light/moderate intensity no thunder, lighting, hail sun/moon not visible |
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Cumulus
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cu
domes, towers with flat bases fair weather indicate rising air motions (convection) |
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cumulus humilis
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small size cotton puff
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Cumulonimbus
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Cb
large towering thunder, lighting, heavy rain anvil |
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lenticularis
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lense like
assoc. w Altocumulus |
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fractus
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broken or fractured
assoc. with Stratus, cumulus, nimbostratus |
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humilis
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small size
assoc. w cu |
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congestus
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pile up
assoc. w cu |
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undulatus
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having waves
assoc w Ac |
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traslucidus
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shine through
assoc w Cs |
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mammatus
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bag/pouch
assoc. w Cb |
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pileus
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cap
assoc. w Ac |
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castellanus
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small castles
assoc. w Ac |
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contrails
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condensation trails
becomes clouds eventually (can) |
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drizzle
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float
falls from low stratus accompanied by low visibility and fog less than .5mm/.02 in |
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very light drizzle
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exposed surface never completely wet
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light drizzle
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rate of fall .01" per hour
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moderate drizzle
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rate of fall .01-.02" per hour
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heavy drizzle
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rate of fall more than .02" per hour, does not exceed .04" per hour
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rain
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.5 mm/.02 in or greater
produced by Ns or Cn clouds |
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very light rain
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do not wet exposed surface
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light rain
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rate of fall between a trace and .10" per hour
no more than .10" in six min. |
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moderate rain
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rate of fall is between .11"-.3" per hour
max rate being no more than .03" in 6 min |
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heavy rain
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over .3" per hour
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freezing rain
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falls in liquid form but freezes upon impact to form coating of glaze on ground and exposed objects
-droplet size greater than .5 mm/.02" |
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freezing drizzle
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falls in liquid form but freezess upon impact
-droplet size must be less than .5 mm/.02 in |
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ice pellets/sleet
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5 mm/.2 in or less in diameter
freezing of rain droplets or refreezing of largely melted snowflakes falls throuh below freezing layer of air near earth's surface |
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snow
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white or translucent ice crystals
produced in supercooled clouds from deposition |
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light snow
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visibility is 5/8 statue mile or more
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moderate snow
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visibility is less than 5/8, more than 5/16 statue mile
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heavy snow
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visibility is less than 5/16 statue mile
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hail
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produced by cumulonimbus
diameter of 5 mm/.2 in or more |
