GEO CH 7

Question 1

Phase change:

Answer 1

when the state of matter changes to another

Question 2

Why is finding pure water very rare on earth?

Answer 2

Water is polar, making it attract and dissolve almost any substance. So it is always mixed in with stuff and rarely actually found pure.

Question 3

what is Deposition?

Answer 3

when water vapor attaches to ice causing frost

Question 4

Sublimation

Answer 4

when water goes from ice to gas

Question 5

what is more dense, ice or water?

Answer 5

Water is more dense than ice, that’s why ice floats in water

Question 6

describe latent heat when water freezes and when it heats up

Answer 6

when water freezes it releases latent heat

when ice melts, it absorbs latent heat

Question 7

Latent heat of vaporization:

Answer 7

540 Cal in latent heat to be absorbed to go from liquid to vapor

Question 8

Latent heat of condensation:

Answer 8

540 Cal in latent heat released from vapor to return to liquid form

Question 9

Latent heat of sublimation:

Answer 9

680 Cal in latent heat to go from solid to vapor

Question 10

Humidity:

Answer 10

The amount of water vapor in the air

Question 11

relative humidity:

remember it as X vs X

Vapor in cooler air

Vapor in warmer air

Answer 11

the amount of water vapor that’s actually in the air vs the max amount of water vapor that could possible be in the air at a certain temperature

Cooler air = less maximum amount of water vapor in the air possible

warmer air: maximum amount of water vapor in the air possible

Question 12

What happens at saturation, or 100% relative humidity if extra addition of water vapor or decrease in temperature occurs?

Answer 12

active condensation if reduced the evaporation rate

Question 13

Air can be saturated by:

Answer 13

1- being cooled down to dew-point temperature

2- addition of more water vapor to the air

3- mixing of both warm and cold air parcels which are both close to saturation

Question 14

explain dew point temperature

Answer 14

The temperature at which air becomes saturated with water vapor, leading to condensation and the formation of water droplets

Question 15

When does saturation occur in the air?

Answer 15

when dew-point temperature = air temperature

Question 16

What is frost point?

Answer 16

when the air becomes saturated at temperatures below freezing

Question 17

When is relative humidity the highest and lowest throughout the day?

Answer 17

It peaks at dawn, like 5-6 am, and is at its lowest in the afternoon, like 3-4 pm

Question 18

Vapor pressure:

Answer 18

the share of air pressure that is made up of water vapor molecules

the higher the temperature = the higher the vapor pressure

Question 19

hair hygrometer

Answer 19

simple terms: A tool used to measure relative humidity using a strand of hair.

real definition (how it works): an instrument used to measure relative humidity. It uses the principle that human hair changes as much as 4% in length between 0% and 100% relative humidity. It puts a bundle of human hair in a gauge, and shows how its length changes when humidity is absorbed or released by the hair

Question 20

Sling psychrometer: (2)

Answer 20

1- Dry-bulb thermometer: records the surrounding air temperature

2- Wet bulb thermometer: covered by a wet cloth

They are both then waved around to see the temperature difference on both bulbs

Question 21

parcel:

Answer 21

bubble of air of no definite size that retains its shape and general characteristics as it rises or sinks in the atmosphere

Question 22

A parcel’s position is determined by 2 forces:

Answer 22

1- Upwards buoyance force

2- Downwards gravitational force

Question 23

Buoyant force:

Answer 23

The parcel is lower density than the air surrounding it causing it to rise.

Question 24

downwards gravitational force

Answer 24

If the parcel is higher density than the air surrounding it then it sinks/descends

Question 25

define stability of parcels:

Answer 25

It is when a parcel remains in place, or changes its vertical position by rising or falling.

Question 26

What causes a parcel to be unstable

Answer 26

When it reaches an altitude where the surrounding air is similar to the parcel

Question 27

Dry adiabatic rate:

Answer 27

The rate at which “dry” air cools by expansion as it rises or heats by compression as it falls

Question 28

Moist adiabatic rate

Answer 28

the rate at which an ascending air parcel that is moist, or saturated, cools by expansion

Question 29

stratocumulus clouds:

Answer 29

patchy, grey, lumpy low level clouds

Question 30

Altocumulus clouds

Answer 30

patchy rows, wave patterns, a “mackerel sky,” or lens-shaped clouds

Question 31

Cirrus

Answer 31

feathery, hairlike fibers

Question 32

What exactly is fog?

Answer 32

Just a cloud layer on the ground air temp = dew point temp

Question 33

Radiation fog:

Answer 33

formed by radioactive cooling of a land surface, especially on clear nights on areas with moist ground, when the air layer above the surface is chilled to the dew-point temperature

Question 34

Rime fog:

Answer 34

supercooled water droplets which turn to rime frost when interacting with freezing objects

Question 35

Ice crystal fog (sublimation)

Answer 35

when a lot of sublimation occurs, and the air is full of ice crystals

Question 36

advection fog:

Answer 36

When air in one place migrates to another area where conditions are right for saturation. example: - warm moist air is moves over to cooler ocean currents which cools that air down to dew-point temperature then that causes a visible fog

Question 37

Upslope fog:

Answer 37

when moist air is forced upwards to higher altitude, then it cools down causing a visible fog

Question 38

Valley fog

Answer 38

fog in the valley because the cool air is less dense than the moist air causing a visible fog

Question 39

Evaporation fog

Answer 39

water molecules evaporate from the water surface into the cold overlying air, effectively humidifying the air to saturation, followed by condensation to form fog