Final Flashcards
(66 cards)
<p>What two elements are necessary for condensation?</p>
<p>Saturation and temperature</p>
<p>If condensation starts at freezing, hits dew point above freezing, and ends above freezing, what condensation will occur?</p>
<p>Dew</p>
<p>If condensation starts above freezing, reaches dew point above freezing, but ends below freezing, what type of condensation will occur?</p>
<p>Frozen dew</p>
<p>If condensation starts above or below freezing, hits dew point below freezing, and ends below freezing, what type of condensation will occur?</p>
<p>Frost</p>
<p>What type of condensation will occur if it starts below freezing, reaches dew point below freezing, and ends below freezing?</p>
<p>Ice fog</p>
<p>What kind of condensation occurs when it starts above freezing with light wind, remains above freezing at dew point, and ends above freezing?</p>
<p>Regular fog</p>
<p>How do you find saturation point on a Skew T diagram?</p>
<p>1. Follow the temperature sounding up a dry adiabat. 2. Move up the dew point sounding on a mixing ratio line until you intersect your first line. </p>
<p>What does LFC stand for?</p>
<p>Level of free convection.</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>Where is the LFC?</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>At the saturation point</p>
<p>What is the equilibrium level?</p>
<p>The point where the air parcel is cooler than the environmental lapse rate.</p>
<p>How do you find the equilibrium level?</p>
<p>Follow a moist adiabat from the LFC or saturation point until it crosses the temperature sounding dry adaibat.</p>
<p>What is vapor pressure?</p>
<p>the amount of the total atmospheric pressure that is due to water vapor.</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>What is saturation vapor pressure?</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>When you have more water going from liquid to vapor than vapor to liquid.</p>
<p>What is relative humidity?</p>
<p>The amount of water vapor in the air expressed in a percent of what could be in the air. It has no scientific value whatsoever, but is a good indicator of comfort.</p>
<p>How do you find relative humidity?</p>
<p>Divide vapor pressure by saturation vapor pressure and multiply that number by 100%. OR divide the mixing ratio by saturation mixing ratio and multiply by 100%.</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>What is the mixing ratio?</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>The ratio of water vapor in the air per 1 kilogram of dry air.</p>
<p>What symbol is used for mixing ratio?</p>
<p>"W"</p>
<p>How do we figure mixing ratio?</p>
<p>Divide water vapor in grams by dry air in kilograms.</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>What is Saturation mixing ratio?</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>Mixing ratio multiplied by the temperature.</p>
<p>How is saturation mixing ratio expressed?</p>
<p>W sub s</p>
<p>What is LCL?</p>
<p>Lifting Condensation Level</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>What is lifting condensation level?</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>The saturation point and the point at which the base of a cloud can form.</p>
<p>What is CCL?</p>
<p>Convective Condensation Level</p>
<p>What is Convective Condensation Level?</p>
<p>The height at which a cloud will form based on buoyancy alone. To find it, follow the the mixing ratio line through the LCL until it hits the temperature sounding.</p>
What is LCL?
Lifting condensation Level
What is lifting condensation level?
The height at which a parcel is warmer than its surroundings and can therefore rise due to buoyancy.
What is Equilibrium level?
The level at which a parcel becomes cooler than its environment and can no longer rise on its own. This will be where the top of the parcel is located.
What are the two inhibitors or limitations to the parcel concept?
Wind shear and entrainment.
What is lifted index?
An indicator of how severe a thunderstorm might be.
How do you find lifted index?
Find the saturation point and move to 500mb- find the parcel and environmental temperature there. Subtract the two. That number is your lifted index.
How do we know how severe a storm is by the lifted index?
The more negative the lifted index is, the more severe the system will likely be.
What does CAPE stand for?
Convective Available Potential Energy
What is CAPE?
The "power" that an environment has available for thunderstorm development. On a Skew T, it is the positive area between the LFC and Equilibrium level.
What does CIN stand for?
Convective Inhibition.
What is CIN?
Energy that keeps air from rising for thunderstorm development. On a skew T, it is the area below the LFC where the parcel has a lower temperature than the environment.
What is a hodograph? Hint- its not from Star Wars.
A visual representation that depicts the direction and strength of wind as you move up in the atmosphere.
What does a clockwise spiral turning outwards on a hodograph represent?
A potentially strong thunderstorm.
What kind of hodograph display would indicate a strong thunderstorm?
A clockwise spiral turning outwards.
How does radar work?
Radiation is emitted from a central location and the strength and direction of the reflected radiation indicates what quanity and/or quality of atmospheric hydrometers/aerosols/particulates that may be present.
Fronts are typically associated with what kind of systems, highs or lows?
Lows
Cold fronts move in what direction?
South and west
What kind of fronts move south and west?
Cold fronts
Warm fronts typically move in what direction?
North and east
What kind of fronts move north and east?
Warm fronts
What kind of fronts produce more severe weather, cold or warm?
Cold fronts
Cool fronts typically produce what kind of weather, severe or mild?
Severe
Warm fronts typically produce what kind of weather, severe or mild?
Mild
The area between the cold front and the warm front is called the what?
Warm sector
Where is the warm sector located?
Between warm and cool fronts
If any, what kind of precipitation is typically found at warm fronts?
Straight falling and short rainfall
In order tp produce a tornado, do we go from vertical to horizontally spinning air, or horizontal to vertical spinning?
Vertical spinning to horizontal spinning
What causes winds to shift in a thunderstorm to produce a tornado?
Wind shear caused by downdrafts
Any spin in the atmosphere is called what?
Vorticity
What is the wind threshold for a hurricane?
Greater than 73 mph
What is the wind threshod for a tropical storm?
39-73 mph
What are the two wind impacts from storms?
Outflow boundary and microburst
What is outflow boundary?
Gradient density that allows for winds to propogate miles from storm center
What is a microburst?
A particularly stong downdraft based on vertical pressure/density differences which spread out once they reach the surface - can smackdown planes.
Hurricanes must form over warm or cool waters?
Warm- at least 82 degrees F minimum.
What continental mechanisms help hurricanes to form in the Atlantic?
Waves or Jets from the coast of Africa.
Does wind shear hurt or help hurricanes after formation?
Hurts
Where are the strongest winds of a hurrican located?
The eyewall
Why are there no clouds or rain in the eye of a hurricane?
Warm air descends and circulates through the hurricane.
Where are there no clouds or rain in a hurricane?
The eye
Do spiral rainbands reach out from the centre of the storm?
Yes, for hundreds of miles
What mechanism causes the most damage in hurricanes?
Storm surges
