water vapor
Which gas is most important for understanding atmospheric processes?
a. oxygen c. water vapor
b. ozone d. carbon dioxide
precipitation
Rain, snow, sleet, and hail are all examples of
water
Which of the following can change from one state of matter to another at the temperatures and pressures
experienced at Earth's surface?
a. nitrogen c. water
b. oxygen d. carbon dioxide
0 to 4 percent
Water vapor makes up what fraction of atmospheric gases?
sublimation
Which term describes the conversion of a solid directly to a gas, without passing through the liquid state?
a. evaporation c. condensation
b. sublimation d. deposition
deposition
The process by which water vapor changes directly to a solid is called
condensation
The change of state from a gas to a liquid is called
evaporation
The process of converting a liquid to a gas is known as
latent heat
Which of the following refers to the energy that is stored or released during a change of state of water?
a. caloric heat c. latent heat
b. ultraviolet heat d. evaporation heat
saturated
Air that has reached its water-vapor capacity is said to be
it contains more water vapor than old air
What is true about warm, saturated air?
relative humidity
____ 12. The ratio of air's water-vapor content to its capacity to hold water vapor at that same temperature is the
It indicates how near the air is to saturation
What is true about relative humidity?
a. It indicates how near the air is to saturation.
b. It indicates the actual quantity of water vapor in the air.
c. It is the general term used to describe the amount of water vapor in air.
dew point
Which of the following refers to the temperature to which air would have to be cooled to reach saturation?
a. dew point c. adiabatic rate
b. vapor d. relative point
the air has a high relative humidity
When two temperatures read nearly the same on a psychrometer, you can conclude that
increase in relative humidity
If the water-vapor content of air remains constant, lowering air temperature causes a(n)
10 degrees celcius/1000 meters
What is the dry adiabatic rate?
adiabatic
When air expands or contracts, what type of temperature change does it experience?
of the release of latent heat
The wet adiabatic rate of cooling is less than the dry rate because
both a and c
Which of the following occurs when air is compressed?
a. Air temperature rises. c. Air molecules move faster.
b. Air temperature cools. d. both a and c
middle-latitude cyclones
Weather-producing fronts are parts of storm systems called
divergence
Which of the following is NOT a process that lifts air?
a. convergence c. divergence
b. orographic lifting d. frontal wedging
frontal wedging
Cool air acts as a barrier over which warmer, less dense air rises, in a process known as
mountains
Orographic lifting is associated with
subsidence of an air column
Which of the following will NOT cause air to become unstable?
a. intense solar heating that warms the air from below
b. forceful lifting of air
c. upward movement caused by general convergence
d. subsidence of an air column
afternoon thunderstorms
Which of the following would NOT be associated with stable atmospheric conditions?
a. widespread fog c. temperature inversion
b. afternoon thunderstorms d. buildup of pollutants
it tends to resist rising
What is true about stable air?
smog
Which of the following is NOT produced by condensation?
a. dew c. fog
b. smog d. clouds
all of the above
Which of the following is an example of condensation nuclei?
a. dust c. salt particles
b. smoke d. all of the above
stratus
Which cloud type is best described as sheets or layers that cover much or all of the sky?
a. cumulus c. stratus
b. cirrus d. alto
cumulus
Which cloud type consists of globular cloud masses with a cauliflower structure?
a. cumulus c. stratus
b. cirrus d. alto
alto
Which term is used to describe clouds of middle height?
a. cumulus c. stratus
b. cirrus d. alto
nimbostratus cloud
A low cloud that blankets the sky and often generates precipitation is called a(n)
altostratus
Which cloud type is confined to the middle height range?
nimbus
Which term means "rainy cloud"?
cumulonimbus
Which clouds are often associated with thunder and lightning?
Cool, clear, calm nights
What conditions favor the formation of fog by radiation cooling?
at lower altitudes
Compared to clouds, fogs are
both a and b
Most fogs are the result of which of the following?
a. radiation cooling
b. the movement of air over a cold surface
c. orographic lifting
d. both a and b
The atmospheric subduction process
Which of the following is NOT a process that has been proposed to explain the formation of precipitation?
a. the atmospheric subduction process
b. the collision-coalescence process
c. the Bergeron process
d. none of the above
the bergeron process
Which of the following processes can produce either rain or snow?
a. the Bergeron process
b. the collision-coalescence process
c. both the Bergeron process and the collision-coalescence process
the Bergeron process
In which of the following processes do freezing nuclei play a role?
sleet
Which type of precipitation consists of small clear-to-translucent ice particles?
cumulonimbus
What type of cloud is associated with hail?
sleet
Which form of precipitation is likely to occur when a layer of air with temperatures above freezing overlies a
subfreezing layer near the ground?
precipitation
Water vapor is the source of all condensation and ____________________, which is any form of water that
falls from a cloud.
heat
The process of changing state requires that energy is transferred in the form of __________
ratio, water vapor
Relative humidity is the ____________________ of air's actual water-vapor content compared with the
amount of ____________________ air can hold at that temperature and pressure.
decrease
If the water-vapor content of air remains the same, raising air temperature causes a(n)
____________________ in relative humidity.
dry adiabatic
The rate of cooling or heating that applies only to unsaturated air is called the ____________________ rate.
rising
Thermals are ____________________ parcels of warm air
increases
A temperature inversion occurs when air temperature ____________________ with height
100
If there were no condensation nuclei in the lower atmosphere, a relative humidity much above
____________________ percent would be needed to produce clouds.
form, height
Clouds are classified based on ____________________ and ____________________
fog
_______ is defined as a cloud with its base at or very near the ground
one million
For precipitation to form, cloud droplets must grow in volume by roughly ____________________ times.
temperature profile
___________ describes the way air temperature changes with altitude.
0-4 percent
Water vapor makes up what percentage of gases in the atmosphere?
latent heat of condensation
Stored heat energy released by water molecules during condensation is called what?
amount of water vapor in air
What is humidity?
ratio of airs water vapor to the amount of water vapor the air can actually hold
What is relative humidity?
changing temperature or adding or removing water vapor
How can the relative humidity of a parcel of air be changed?
When air is compressed, it warms, and when it is allowed to expand, it cools
What happens to air temperature when it is compressed or allowed to expand?
orographic lifting, frontal wedging, convergence and localized convective lifting
What four mechanisms cause air to rise?
light to moderate
What type of precipitation, if any, is associated with stable air?
tiny bits of particulate matter that serve as surfaces for water-vapor condensation
What are condensation nuclei?
the method and place of formation
What factors distinguish fog from clouds?
when it is in a liquid state below 0 degrees celcius
When is water said to be supercooled?
the temperature profile in the lower atmosphere
The type of precipitation that reaches Earth's surface depends on what?