EARTH SCIENCE: CH. 17: – Flashcards
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Orographic lifting: Air is forced to rise over a mountainous barrier.
Frontal wedging: Warmer, less dense air is forced over cooler, denser air.
Convergence: A pileup of horizontal airflow results in upward movement.
Localized convective lifting: Unequal surface heating causes localized pockets of air to rise because of their buoyancy.
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List and describe the four mechanisms that cause air to rise.
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The warm air rises above the cold air.
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When a mass of cold air collides with a mass of warm air, what happens?
The cold air is warmed and the warm air is cooled by their mixing.
The cold air rises above the warm air.
The warm air rises above the cold air.
The boundary between the two air masses keeps them separate, and they do not interact in any way.
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radiant cooling of the ground and adjacent air in the evening
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The most common reason that dew forms is ________.
fast heating of the atmosphere when the sun first comes up in the morning
a rapid increase in water vapor in the air during the night
radiant cooling of the ground and adjacent air in the evening
plants give up water to the atmosphere when the temperature decreases
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pockets of warm air that rise
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Irregular heating of the air can produce thermals, which are ________.
pockets of cold air that rise
pockets of warm air that rise
pockets of cold air that sink
pockets of warm air that sink
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about sunrise
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We are likely to have our highest relative humidity ________.
during midafternoon
around midnight
about sunrise
at noon
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water vapor condenses to a liquid
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The dew point is the temperature at which ________.
water in the liquid state changes to vapor
hailstones are formed
water vapor condenses to a liquid
cumulus clouds change to cumulonimbus clouds
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Advection
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When warm moist air moves over a cold surface, ________ fog may result.
Advection
Radiation
Steam
upslope
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Cumulonimbus
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Hail is most commonly associated with ________.
Cirrostratus
Cumulonimbus
Altostratus
cirrus
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Alto
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This term is used to describe clouds found in the middle height range.
Cumulus
Stratus
Cirrus
Alto
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they provide a surface for water molecules to form on
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Condensation nuclei, tiny particles of matter in the air, are important because ________.
they increase the density of air and thus its buoyancy
they will affect the environmental lapse rate
they provide a surface for water molecules to form on
they provide point sources of heat in the air
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4%
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The amount of water vapor in the air (by volume) usually does not exceed ________.
50%
28%
14%
4%
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Glaze
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When supercooled raindrops freeze on contact with solid objects, ________ forms.
Rime
Glaze
Hail
sleet
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warm clouds
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The Coalescence-Collision Process applies to ________ .
super cooled water vapor in a cloud
coexisting ice and water droplets in a cloud
warm clouds
cold clouds
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Stability is a property of air that describes its tendency to remain in its original position (stable) or to rise (unstable).
Stable air is cooler and denser than the air surrounding it, so it will tend to sink. If stable air is forced aloft, the clouds that form are widespread and have little vertical thickness when compared to their horizontal dimension, and precipitation, if any, is light to moderate.
Unstable air is warmer than the surrounding air. It is less dense and rises. Clouds associated with the lifting of unstable air are towering and often generate thunderstorms and occasionally tornadoes.
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Contrast stable versus unstable air.
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Nimbostratus
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Which of the following cloud types is most commonly associated with precipitation?
Nimbostratus
Cirrocumulus
Cirrostratus
Altostratus
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Evaporation
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The process of converting a liquid to vapor is termed ________.
Evaporation
Sublimation
Condensation
Melting
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It gets winds blowing from the oceans on both sides and they collide in the middle of Florida and rise to generate thunderstorms.
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Why does the Florida peninsula experiences the greatest frequency of midafternoon thunderstorms of any place in the United States?
It is further south and warmer than any other place in the United States.
It gets the water vapor from the trade winds crossing the Atlantic Ocean that fuels the thunderstorms.
It gets winds blowing from the oceans on both sides and they collide in the middle of Florida and rise to generate thunderstorms.
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Cumulonimbus
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Thunder and lightning are associated with these clouds.
Cirrostratus
Cumulonimbus
Altostratus
Cirrus
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the air gets warmer
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When water vapor condenses to form clouds, ________.
the air gets colder
the air gets warmer
the air temperature stays the same
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Nimbostratus
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A dark gray cloud that blankets the sky and often generates precipitation is called ________.
Cirrostratus
Nimbostratus
Altostratus
cirrus
