In what two ways can Relative Humidity be changed?
1. By changing the temperature
2. By changing the amount of moisture in the air
Lowering the temperature ______ the relative humidity
raises
Increasing the temperature ______ the relative humidity
lowers
Cooling the air below the dew point causes _________.
condensation
Water vapor requires a surface to ______ on.
condense
Define Adiabatic Temperature Change
a change in temperature brought about by a change in pressure without the addition or subtraction of heat
Concerning the Adiabatic Temperature Change, the rate of change differs due to what?
water vapor in the air
Concerning the Adiabatic Temperature Change, it is assumed that a parcel of air has what 3 contengencies?
1. heat has neither been added or subtracted
2. As air rises, it cools due to expansion
3. As air sinks, it warms due to compression
The name of a process when surrounding air infiltrates a vertically moving column of air
Entrainment
As an air parcle's temperature decreases or rises we get closer to the _____.
Saturation
Once a parcel of air is saturated, _______ begins.
condensation
Condensation is a ________ of ________.
release of energy
What are the 3 types of Adiabatic Lapse Rates?
1. Environmental Lapse Rate
2. Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate
3. Wet Adiabatic Lapse Rate
Environmental Lapse Rate
The Environmental Lapse Rate is a change in air temperature with height
Local rates vary but the average is 6.5 degrees C/ 1,000 meters
Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate
-Unsaturated air cools at a constant rate of 10 degrees C/ 1,000 meters
If a parcel of air rises high enough, it will eventually do what?
- cool to it's Dew Point and condensation will begin and clouds will form (known as the Condensation Lifting Level)
Above the Condensation lifting level, latent heat of condensation will be _____.
Liberated
Above the Condensation Lifting Level, Adiabatic cooling ________ and the ________ begins.
reduces, Wet Adiabatic Lapse Rate
The Wet Adiabatic Lapse Rate varies due to what?
the quantity of moisture in the air
Depending on how much moisture is in the little bubble depends on the amount of temperature change-
WALR= 5 degrees C/ 1,000 m for air with ______ moisture content
WALR= 9 degrees C/ 1,000 m for air with _______ moisture content
High, (drier) lower
The closer an air parcel is to saturation at the ground, the _______ the condesation lifting level.
lower
When air rises, its tempearture ______.
decreases
When air sinks, its temperature ______.
increases
When the temperature of a parcel of air increases, its relative humidity ______.
decreases
Name the 4 mechanisms that cause air to rise:
1. Convergence
2. Orographic Lifting
3. Frontal Wedging
4. Localized convective lifting
Define Orographic Lifting
When air is forced to rise over a mountainous barrier
Define Frontal Wedging
When warm air is less dense and rides up over cold air, and cold air is more dense and wedges underneath warm air
Define Convergence
A pile-up of HORIZONTAL air flow results in upward movement
Define Localized Convective Lifting
Unequal surface heating causes localized pockets of air to rise because of their buoyancy
At what rate does unsaturated air cool when it rises through the atmosphere?
10 degrees C/ 1,000 meters
Warm air is ______ dense than cool air.
less
Moist air is _____ dense than dry air.
less
A warm air parcel in a cool environment will _____.
rise
Meteorologists determine the stability of the atmosphere by recording the air temp. at various heights, known as _____.
Environmental Lapse Rate
A parcel of air is _______ _________ when the parcel is cooler than the environment at all altitudes.
absolutely stable
A parcel of air becomes stable when the Environmental lapse rate is ______ than the Wet Adiabatic lapse rate and Dry Adiabatic lapse rate.
less
A parcel of air is ______ _______ when the parcel is warmer than the environment at all levels.
Absolutely unstable
Absolute Instability occurs when the environmental lapse rate is ________ than the dry adiabatic rate.
greater
The rising parcel is always warmer and therefore ________ than surroundings.
lighter
The atmosphere is in this state most of the time:
conditional instability
In regards to conditional instability, the Environmental Lapse Rate is ______ the DALR and the WALR.
between
In conditional instability, the parcel is cooler than the environment to the ______ ________ level, but with the addition of latent heat above this level it becomes _____.
condensation lifting, warmer
Conditionally unstable ______ rise on it's own.
WILL NOT, needs a lifting mechanism