Moisture, Clouds and Precipitation
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Created by:
marijuanahigh on May 1, 2012
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64 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 absolute instability | air that has a lapse rate greater than the dry adiabatic rate |
| absolute stability | air with a laps rate less than the wet adiabatic rate |
| adiabatic temperature range | cooling or warming of air caused when air is allowed to expand or is compressed, not because heat is added or subtracted |
| advection fog | a fog formed when warm, moist air is blown over a cool surface |
| bergeron process | a theory that relates the formation of precipitation to supercooled clouds, freezing nuclei, and the different saturation levels of ice and liquid water |
| calorie | the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of water 1 degrees C |
| cirrus | one of three basic cloud forms; thin, delicate ice crystal clouds often appearing as veil-like patches or thin, wispy fibers |
| cloud | a form of condensation best described as a dense concentration of suspended water droplets or tiny ice crystals |
| cloud of vertical development | a cloud that has its base in the low-height range but extend upward into the middle or high altitudes |
| collision-coalescence process | a theory of raindrop formation in warm clouds in which large cloud droplets collide and join together with smaller droplets to form a raindrop |
| condensation | the change of state from a gas to a liquid |
| condensation nuclei | tiny bits of particulate matter that serve as surfaces on which water vapor condenses example= pollen, dust |
| conditional instability | moist air with a lapse rate between the dry and wet adiabatic rates |
| convergence | the condition that exists when the distribution of the winds within a given area results in a net horizontal inflow of air into the area |
| cumulus | one of three basic cloud forms; vertical development; billowy individual cloud masses that often have flat bases nice weather stable air aka vertically developed |
| deposition | the process by which water vapor is changed directly to a solid without passing through the liquid state |
| dew point temperature | the temperature to which air has to be cooled in order to reach saturation |
| dry adiabatic rate | the rate of adiabatic cooling or warming in unsaturated air |
| evaporation | the process of converting a liquid to a gas |
| fog | a cloud with its base at or very near earths surface |
| freezing | the change of state from a liquid to a solid |
| freezing nuclei | solid particles that serve as cores for the formation of ice crystals |
| frontal fog | fog formed when rain evaporates as it falls through a layer of cool air |
| front | the boundary between two adjoining air masses having contrasting characteristics |
| frontal wedging | lifting of air resulting when cool air acts as a barrier over which warmer, lighter air will raise |
| glaze | a coating of ice on objects formed when supercooled rain freezes on contact |
| hail | nearly spherical ice pellets having concentric layers and formed by the successive freezing of layer of water |
| high cloud | a cloud that normally has its base above 6000 meters |
| humidity | a general term referring to water vapor in the air but not to liquid droplets of fog, cloud, or rain |
| hygrometer | an instrument designed to measure relative humidity |
| hygroscopic nuclei | condensation nuclei having a nuclei affinity for water, such as salt particles |
| latent heat | the energy absorbed or released during a change in state |
| localized convective lifting | unequal surface heating that causes localized pockets of air to rise because of their buoyancy |
| low cloud | a cloud that forms below a height of 2000 meters |
| melting | the change of state from a solid to a liquid |
| middle cloud | a cloud occupying the height range from 2000 to 6000 meters |
| mixing ratio | the mass of water vapor in a unit mass of dry air |
| orographic lifting | mountains acting as barriers to the flow of air, forcing the air to ascend. the air cools adiabatic rate and clouds and precip may result |
| parcel | an imaginary volume of air enclosed in a thin elastic cover |
| precipitation fog | fog formed when rain evaporates as it falls through a layer of cool air |
| psychrometer | a device consisting of two thermometers that is rapidly whirled and, with the use of tables, yields the relative humidity and dew point |
| radiation fog | fog resulting from radiation heat loss by earth |
| rainshadow desert | a dry area on the lee side of the mountain range |
| relative humidity | the ratio of the airs water-vapor content to its water-vapor capacity |
| rime | a thin coating of ice on objects produced when supercooled fog droplets freeze on contact |
| saturation | the maximum quantity of water vapor that the air can hold at any given temperature and pressure |
| sleet | frozen or semifrozen rain formed when raindrops freeze as they pass through a layer of cold air |
| snow | a solid form of precipitation produced by sublimination of water vapor |
| stable air | air that resists vertical displacement; if it is lifted, adiabatic cooling will cause its temp to be lower than the surrounding environment; if its allowed, then it will sink |
| steam fog | fog having the appearance of steam produced by evaporation from a warm water surface into the cool air above |
| stratus | one of three basic cloud forms; also the name given to one of the flow clouds. sheets or layers that cover much or all of the sky liquid droplets |
| sublimation | the conversion of a solid directly to a gas without passing through the liquid state |
| supercooled | the condition of water droplets that remain in the liquid state at temperature well below 0 degrees C |
| supersaturated | the condition of being more highly concentrated than is normally possible under given temperature an pressure conditions |
| unstable air | air that does not resist vertical displacement. if it is lifted, its temp will not cool as rapidly as the surrounding environment so it will continue to rise on its own |
| upslope fog | fog created when air moves up a slope and cools adiabatically |
| vapor pressure | that part of the total atmospheric pressure attributable to water vapor content |
| wet adiabatic rate | the rate of adiabatic temperature change in a saturated variable |
| 2 ways rain forms | bergeron process collision/coalescence |
| cumulonimbus | lightning hail unstable air |
| nimbostratus | rain cloud |
| 3 things needed for cloud formation | ample water vapor lift air to dew point condensation nuclei |
| how to lift air to dew point | convection orographic lift frontal lift convergence |
| alto | form of cloud mainly made of liquid and higher areas have ice crystals |
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