What is urbanization?
Natural land cover is replaced with concrete, asphalt, and buildings
What factors are used to classify clouds? (Choose all that apply)
What altitude they exist at, whether they are related to precipitation and what their form is
Match the way in which air rises due to interaction with the land surface with the correct words that complete the description
Slow down: Wind may ____ due to friction with the land surface, causing air behind it to pile up and rise. Warm up: Air on different sides of a mountain may ___ during the day, causing it to rise and converge at the summit. Pile up: Low-level winds may en
The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere is called _____
humidity
Match the process to the correct direction and states of matter involved between ice and liquid and gaseous states of water
Melting: Solid to liquid. Freezing: Liquid to solid. Deposition: Gas to solid. Sublimation: Solid to gas
An extended period of dry conditions is called a ______
drought
When two air masses collide, air is forced upward _____
whether it is stable or unstable
Water exists in which forms in the atmosphere?
Solid, gas and liquid
Describe the adiabatic emperature changes of air that encounters a mountain by putting the sentences below in the correct order, with the first step in the process on top
Air moves at the slope of the mountain and cools at the unsaturated adiabatic lapse rate (10 degrees C/km). At the lifting condensation level, air becomes saturated and clouds form.
Air continues rising and cooling at the saturated adiabatic lapse rate. T
Which of the three types of cloud forms listed is layered and comes from the Latin word for "to stretch"?
Stratiform
What is the name for the process by which water, ice, or some combination of water and ice falls from the sky?
Precipitation
True or false: Fog is just a low-level cloud
True
Match the region to the correct seasonal pattern of specific humidity
Tropics: Highest humidity year-round. Poles: Lowest humidity year-round. Southern Hemisphere: High humidity in January, low humidity in July. Northern Hemisphere: Low humidity in January, high humidity in July
Which of the following correctly describe vapor pressure? (Select all that apply.)
Is represented in millibars, increases with increasing number of water molecules, and is symbolized by e
In which season are dew-point temperatures the highest in the United States?
Summer
Condensation _____ are tiny particles that are necessary for the formation of water droplets in a cloud
nuclei
What is the primary reason that regional humidity changes seasonally?
Higher humidity comes with higher temperatures
The two ____ atoms in a water molecule are arranged asymmetrically
hydrogen
Below are listed both primary and secondary impacts of the 2012 Great Plains drought. Choose the primary impacts
Loss of herd animals, crop damage and decreased water reservoirs
What is the term used to describe precipitation that is a mixture of snow and rain?
sleet
What is the environmental lapse rate?
The temperature change with height undergone by air surrounding an adiabatically moving air parcel
Distinguish the different types of cumulus clouds
Cirrocumulus: Lumpy, wispy clouds high in the atmosphere composed almost entirely of ice. Altocumulus: Mid-level clouds that contain both liquid water and ice particles. Stratocumulus: Low clouds in discrete layers composed of tiny liquid water drops. Cum
Put the sentences below in the correct order describing how return period is calculated. Put the first step at the top
Specify the magnitude and duration of the event, rank the even with other historic events of similar duration and divide the number of years of recorded events by the rank of the specific event
The primary cause of the 2012 u.s. drought was the development of an upper-level strong ridge of ____ pressure over the Great Plains
high
How does the urbanization affect local atmospheric stability? Choose all that apply
Dark-colored materials decreased albedo and light colored materials increase albedo
Match the settings to the description of how fog is formed there from the cooling of near-surface air
Radiation: Fog forms as a quick drop in surface temperatures causes near-surface air temperatures to drop to the dew point and become saturated. Advection: Fog forms from the lateral movement of warm air over a cold surface; the warm air cools to the dew
The thermal qualities of water and land are often compared. Water has a high specific heat capacity and more ____ inertia than land does, which means that it can hold more heat and it's temperature is not readily changed by outside influences such as the
thermal
Sleet and freezing rain form in front of a warm front because its approach creates the needed ____ inversion
temperature
The frequency of extreme precipitation events can be described with the term _____ period, which is also known as the recurrence interval
return
Which of the following explain the high specific humidity of the atmosphere in the tropics? Choose all that apply
Warm air and high amount of evaporation
Global patterns of specific humidity vary primarily due to ____
latitude
True or false: Liquid water molecules have more energy, in general, than molecules of water vapor
False
What is the primary difference between an adiabatic and diabatic parcel of air?
An adiabatic parcel does not exchange energy with its surroundings, whereas a diabatic parcel does
The ____ hemisphere has high humidity in January and low humidity in July, whereas the ____ hemisphere has low humidity in January and high humidity in July
Southern and Northern
What are the different ways in which a moving water drop in a cloud interacts with the surrounding water droplets? Select all that apply
The droplets slide past the drop. The drop breaks apart and becomes droplets. The droplets merge with the drop
Characterize the different air stability conditions
Unstable air: Rising air, whether saturated or unsaturated, is warmer than the surrounding air and continues to rise. Conditionally unstable air: Rising air will either continue to rise if it is saturated or cease rising if it is unsaturated. Stable air:
Water vapor begins to condense at a temperature called the ____ point when a given volume of air becomes saturated
Dew
Match the cloud forms to their appropriate descriptions
Cumuliform: tall and wide; lumpy. Stratiform: One or more layers. Cirriform: Feathery; wispy
Which parts of the United States are the most foggy? Choose all that apply
New England, Gulf Coast, Pacific Northwest, and Great Lakes region
The air created above snow- and ice-covered surfaces is dense and tends to sink, resulting in stable conditions
cold
The gentle environmental lapse rate, which appears as a "steep" line in the graph, cools the ____ with height (e.g., 1 C degrees C/km) of the four rates shown
least
When air masses of different temperatures meet, the ___ mass is forced upward
warmer and less dense
What type of fog is formed when precipitation falls through lower, colder air and evaporates, increasing the humidity and causing the cold air to reach its dew point?
Precipitation fog
Which of the following describe the air over a cold ocean current? Select all that apply
Vertical motion of air is restricted and the atmosphere stable
Desert such as the in ___ northern Africa are areas of low humidity that occur over land in the subtropics. Low humidity areas can also occur over portions of the ocean currents, as seen in the image off the southwest coast of Africa
Sahara
Which of the following phrases correctly describes cirrus clouds? Select all that apply
Occur high in the troposphere and are wispy in appearance
Match the air mass with the amount of cooling necessary in order to reach its dew-point temperature
Air Mass 1-relative humidity 15%: has to cool the most in order to reach its dew point. Air mass 2-relative humidity 60%: has to cool a moderate amount in order to reach its dew point. Air mass 3-relative humidity 90%: has to cool the least in order to re
Below are listed factors that are important to the formation of fog in certain settings. Match the factor to why it is important
Climate: is a reflection of latitude and influences and temperature. Humidity: is the typical moisture condition of an area. Proximity to big water: contributes abundant moisture to the air. Wind: brings moist or dry air into an area. Topography: controls
Water-vapor ____ is the maximum amount of water air can hold
capacity
Which one of the U.S. regions listed has the highest frequency of freezing rain?
Midwest
Absolute humidity is a measure of how much water vapor is in a given volume of air and is measured in ___ per cubic meters
grams
The mass of water vapor in a body of air compared to the total mass of that air is ____ humidity
specific
During which two seasons is fog most common in the United States?
Spring and winter
Why does Southeastern Asia experience such a dramatic change in seasonal humidity?
During the summer, the winds switch direction and bring warm, moist air from the ocean
The ITCZ stand for the intertropical _____ Zone, where air from the North and South comes together and is forced to rise
convergence
How does a warm ocean surface current influence the overlying atmosphere? Select all that apply
Warm air created by the water will rise adiabatically if warmer than the surrounding air and cause an unstable atmosphere, forming clouds and rain. These conditions create a steep environmental lapse rate
The U.S. ____ receives the most summer precipitation
Southeast
Which of the global areas listed have a relatively high amount of annual precipitation? Select all that apply
The Amazon basin and Indonesia
Dew forms when air becomes ____ and can no longer hold the same amount of water vapor as it did previously
colder
This type of cloud that produces the spread-out appearance of overcast skies
Stratiform
The general trend of dew-point temperatures in the United States during the winter is ____ dew points in the north that get ___ to the South
Low; higher
What happens to a rising parcel of air? Choose all that apply
its temperature decreases and its volume increases
Lower summer temperatures in the Western United States result in low dew-point temperatures that may become lower still due to the influence of ___ that change precipitation patterns
mountains
The palmer drought index shown in this map quantifies the severity of ____ using soil moisture and climate data
drought
Which of the following describes relative humidity?
The ratio of the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere compared to the water vapor-capacity
What are the three primary causes of drought?
Persistent high pressure, temporary changes in ocean current strength or direction and unusual wind direction changes
Saturated air next to a snowflake will cause the snowflake to ____ in size, as water-vapor molecules come out of the air and are deposited
grow
Measured in units of degrees per vertical distance, the ___ rate is a measure of how much a rising parcel of air cools for a given rise in elevation
lapse
What is capillary action?
Ability of water to travel upward over small distances
What holds water molecules together?
Hydrogen bonds
What is the primary result of an increase in energy, such as heating, on the molecules moving between the liquid and vapor states?
An increase in evaporation
Sautrated air ____ as it rises in the atmopshere. Some of the water vapor changes state, condenses or freezes and releases ____ to the surrounding environment
Cools and heat
Which of the following describe saturated air conditions? Select all that apply
The weather is likely cloudy and/or foggy. The air contains as much water vapor as it is able to hold
Match the type of fog to the general location where it is commonly formed
Advection fog: where cold ocean currents extend into warm coastal areas. Evaporation fog: over the open oceans. Radiation fog: over the polar ice caps.
What conditions are necessary for fog to be produced? Choose all that apply
The air is saturated. Air temperature is at the dew point and relative humidity is 100%
Cirrus clouds are composed of _____ as they are located very high in the troposphere. They are also easily blown about by strong winds at these levels, so they have a wispy appearance
Ice
What is the oropgraphic effect?
When surface area and counters a mountain and flows upward
A parcel of air that does not gain or lose energy to its surroundings will ____ in volume and ____ in temperature as it rises in the atmosphere
increase and decrease
The driest area of the United States in winter in terms of precipitation is(are) the ____, as the mountains there block the influence of oceanic moisture
Western states
Which of the following is the correct order of layers that are encountered by a water drop as it falls to the atmosphere in forms into sleet or freezing rain?
Freezing, above-freezing, freezing
Drought conditions are caused due to areas of persistent ___ pressure and unusual changes in either ____ direction or ocean current strength or direction
high and wind
Condensation nuclei provide a ___ which water droplets can come together
Small particle on
Which of the following describe the effects of deforestation on local atmospheric stability? Choose all that apply
Shading is reduced, and more insulation is used to heat the ground. Less transpiration occurs, which results in less water (and heat) added to the atmosphere
What happens to a parcel of saturated air as it rises in the atmosphere? Choose all that apply
It cool. Water vapor condenses, freezes, or is deposited. It releases heat
What is the name for ground-level clouds?
Fog
Match the air stability conditions to the correct relationship between environmental lapse rate and adiabatic lapse rate
Unstable air: the environmental lapse rate is steeper than the adiabatic lapse rate. Conditionally unstable air: The environmental lapse rate is between the unsaturated and saturated adiabatic lapse rates. Stable air: the adiabatic lapse rate is steeper t
____ commonly forms in the autumn, when cool air rises and incorporates water vapor produced by an underlined warm water body, quickly reaching saturation.
Evaporation fog
Fog is produced when relative humidity is ____ and the air temperature is _____
100%; at the dew point
___ humidity is usually represented by a percentage and is the ratio of how much water vapor is in the air relative to the maximum amount of water vapor that air can hold
Relative
Which of the following factors affect measurements of specific humidity? Choose all that apply
Precipitation and evaporation
Which two of the following phrases describe local air stability before and after land development?
The atmosphere was unstable after development. The atmosphere was stable before development
What is dew-point depression?
The difference between the current air temperature and the dew point temperature
Why is freezing rain even more dangerous than sleet? Select all that apply
it adds significant weight to trees and power lines, causing them to fall. It is perceived as less dangerous than it is, because it falls as rain
A(n) ____ is formed as dark materials in the city of absorb insolation during the day and reradiate the energy as heat at night
urban heat island
Global patterns of specific humidity over the oceans are interrupted by ____, whereas the patterns over landare affected by ____. Choose the most important influences
Ocean currents; topography
Because the measurement of specific humidity relies on the ____ of air and the mass of water within that air, the specific humidity does not change with temperature or pressure. This quality makes specific humidity useful comparing air in different settin
Mass
The unsaturated adiabatic lapse is ___ degrees C/km
10
Which areas of the United States receive more precipitation in the summer than they do in the winter? Choose all that apply
Western states such as Wyoming and Colorado. The gulf coast states
Air that is descending adiabatically cools at a rate of ____ degrees C/km. It remains unsaturated because the warming ____ water vapor capacity, while it's relative humidity ____
-10; increases; decreases
Deforestation exposes more soil to incoming solar radiation, which results in more heating of the ground, less transpiration, and ___ energy stored as latent heat in the local atmosphere
less
What happens to water vapor capacity with an increase in temperature?
Water-vapor capacity increases
What happens to the unsaturated adiabatic lapse rate and environmental lapse rate as a result of land development? Remember that such cases are rare. Choose all that apply
The environmental lapse rate become steeper after development. They both start at a warmer temperature after development
What is the correct relationship between levels of water vapor in air in a cloud that is next to either ice or liquid water?
Air in contact with ice can hold less water vapor
Why is the adiabatic lapse rate for saturated air less than the rate for unsaturated air?
Saturated air releases latent heat as condensation occurs, thereby lowering the lapse rate
Strategies used in cloud seeding to induce precipitation in drought areas include ____ the clouds with dry ice or injecting tiny solid particles that act as ____ nuclei
Cooling and condensation
A state of ____ is reached in a system when an equal amount of water molecules is changing from a gas to a liquid as is changing from a liquid to a gas
equilibrium
Cumulonimbus clouds are formed in ____ atmospheric conditions with strong lifting. They are usually accompanied by ____
Very unstable; precipitation and lighting
The steepest environmental lapse rate shown on the graph changes approximately ____ C degrees /km. Answer with a whole number
10
____ ranges such as the Rockies and Appalachians experience sleet and freezing rain, as these features act as cold air dams by blocking the flow of cold air and creating the necessary temperature inversion
Mountain
Why does the Southern Hemisphere have less variability in seasonal humidity patterns compared to the northern hemisphere?
The Southern Hemisphere has more water
Air that flows along bends in the jet stream called Rossby waves converges as it moves from the upper-level ridge of _____ pressure to the upper level trough of ____ pressure
high; low
The latent _____ of vaporization is the energy gained by molecules moving from the liquid to the vapor state
heat
Free convection results from air rising due to unstable conditions, whereas ____ convection is air rising due to external factors
forced
Valley fog is formed when ____
Downslope winds trap atmospheric moisture in valleys
Which state has the highest year-round dew-point temperatures?
Florida
A negative lapse rate is caused when air temperature ___ with increasing height
Increases
Why does the second air mass represented by the lower green arrow have a lower dew point temperature than the first air mass represented by the upper pink arrow?
It has less water vapor in it initially and has to cool more in order to become saturated
How do the unsaturated adiabatic lapse rate and the saturated adiabatic lapse rate differ?
The saturated adiabatic lapse rate varies with temperature whereas the unsaturated does not
Can air hold more water than is needed to reach saturation?
Yes, it is possible for air to be supersaturated