Quiz 2 Flashcards

1
Q

Types of Fog

A

Radiation, Upslope, Advection, Evaporation (Steam and Frontal)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Radiation Fog

A

forms at night when ground cools through radiation; air above ground is cooled to dew point

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Upslope Fog

A

air is forced upwards by topography and cools to dewpoint as it rises

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Advection Fog

A

warm moist air is blown across cool surface causing air to cool to the dew point (SF)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Evaporation Fog (2 types)

A

warm air evaporates water to become to moist, then mixes with cool dry air that cools it to the dew point. Steam - warm surface water evaporates then condenses in cooler air. Frontal - warm raindrops into a cold region, resulting in evaporation to saturation air (warm over cold)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Stratus (def)

A

“layer”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Cumulus (def)

A

“clumpy”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Cirrus (def)

A

“wispy”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Nimbus (def)

A

“rain”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Low Clouds (3)

A

(0-2 km)
Stratus - gray, can’t see sun.
Stratocumulus - fist sized, sky between
Nimbostratus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Middle Clouds (2)

A

(2-7 km)
Altostratus - watery sun
Altocumulus - thumb sized

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

High Clouds (3)

A

(5-18 km)
Cirrus
Cirrostratus - halo around sun
Cirrocumulus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Clouds of Vertical Development (3)

A

(0-18 km)
Cumulus - flat base, bulging top, cotton
Cumulus congestus - cauliflower
Cumulonimbus - anvil shaped top, heavy rain + thunder

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Lenticular Cloud

A

Lens shaped clouds formed by mt waves

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Lapse Rate

A

remember that the sign is opposite (i.e, if positive T decreases with height)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate

A

unsaturated parcel. 10 c/km

17
Q

Wet Adiabatic Lapse Rate

A

saturate parcel. 6 c/km. less b/c of latent heat release upon water condensation with rising

18
Q

Types of Inversions (5)

A
E < W -> absolutely stable
E = W -> saturated neutral
D > E > W -> conditionally unstable
E = D -> unsaturated neutral
E > D -> absolutely unstable
19
Q

Inversion Thickness

A

Ztop - Zbase

20
Q

Inversion Strength

A

Ttop - Tbase

21
Q

Cloud Formation (4)

A

surface air must rise

1) surface air heated by sun
2) topographic barrier forces uplift
3) convergence at surface low pressure areas
4) frontal forcing

22
Q

Dew Point lapse rate

A

2 c/km. important for cloud formation

23
Q

Cumulus Cloud Development

A

Bottom of cloud forms when Dew Point Lapse rate intersects dry adiabatic rate. Top of cloud is where wet adiabatic rate from pt of cloud bottom meets enviro lapse rate

24
Q

Rain Drops and Precipitation (2 effects)

A

Curvature Effect. Solute Effect

25
Q

Precip: Curvature Effect

A

Pvs is greater over a curved surface than flat surface

this effect increases relative humidity necessary for condensation over a small drop (large curvature)

26
Q

Precip: Solute Effect

A

adding solute decreases Pvs

smaller drops are affected more

27
Q

Precip: Kohler Effect

A

Pvs is subject to Curvature Effect + Solute Effect. rate of drop growth is proportional to (Pv-Pvs)

1) Pv>Pvs vapor will condense on those drops, however drops too small to form clouds
2) PvPvs vapor will condense, these drops are large enough to form drops

r1 < r2 (contains rcritial) < r3

28
Q

Why does the size of drops in a cloud matter?

A

cloud reflectivity is proportional to total surface area of drops
precip is easier with larger drops

29
Q

Collision Coalescence Process

A

large drops fall faster than small drops. result: collisions and coalescence into bigger drops
major mechanism for precip formation in warmer (T>0) clouds

30
Q

Ice Crystal Process (Overview)

A

Pvs is greater above liquid than ice
when Pvswater>Pv>Pvsice, liquid drops will evaporate and ice crystals grow
large ice crystals form at the expense of cloud drops

31
Q

Ice Crystal Process (Mechanics)

A

100,000:1 is optimal ratio of cloud condensation nuclei to ice deposition nuclei
if ratio greater -> all moisture will build up on few crystals and little precip results
if ratio smaller -> liquid will spread out across many ice crystals, none will be heavy enough

32
Q

Precip Processes in Clouds

A

from 0 - -40 C ice crystal process
from T >0 collision/coalescence process
downdraft at cloud edges
updrafts in center