Section 1
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What is latent heat?
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Section 1
(50 cards)
What is latent heat?
Latent heat is all of the heat absorbed in water vapor during evaporation that is released as condensation back into the air Latent Heat counteracts adiabatic cooling
South Asian Monsoon
a south asian monsoon is a seasonal reversal of wind direction During the summer, wind comes off the WARM ocean, so the onshore wind will cause wet weather During the Winter, wind comes off the land, causing a dry season Cold surfaces are associated with high pressure cells
Rapid evaporation
rapid evaporation is due to high temperatures making atoms break
What is a front? A cold front? A warm front?
the boundary between two air masses of different temperatures A cold front is a cold air mass moving and lifting warm air up If the warm air mass is advancing, it is a warm front
Four components of a midlatitude cyclone
1. motion of storm: west to east movement 2. convergence of air (low and highs converge into air mass) 3. motion of cold front (advance very quickly) 4. motion of warm front (advance very slowly)
What is the Saturated Adiabatic Rate?
diminished rate of cooling When condensation takes place above the lifting condensation rate at a slower rate Below level is due to expansion, above the LCL is due to latent heat
When does a storm begin to die? What is an occluded front?
A storm begins to die when the warm front (slower one) catches up with the cold front An occluded front is when the cold front catches up to the warm front and lifts the warm air to rise
What is the Dry adiabatic rate ?
When air is unsaturated, RH is less than 100%, no condensation will take place when air rises and cools
Koppen climate classification system
a system for classifying climates that is based on mean monthly and annual values of temperature and precipitation First letter: major climate types Second letter: precipitation Third letter: temperature
Midlatitude anticyclone pressure, wind, and weather patterns
Midlatitude anti-cyclones are 30-60 degree in range and are high pressure cells at the surface These anti-cyclones have no fronts because the anti cyclone has wind patterns that are DIVERGING, meaning the air does not pull together two unlike air masses Because there is no air masses coming together, there is only descending air, and descending air makes no clouds so there are no clouds in the heart of the anti-cyclone
Evaporation
The change of a substance from a liquid to a gas
Windy conditions do what to evaporation?
Windy conditions cause water molecules to be blown away from surfaces, causing the air to be dry
Land Sea Breezes
local winds, or convection currents, that form near bodies of water Form near coastal areas and change from day to night
Why do hurricanes weaken when they move over land ?
Hurricanes weaken over land due to their need for warm water Hurricanes are more common on the east coast due to the warm water that can allow a hurricane to survive
Moment of Saturation
when air hits 100% relative humidity
Relative Humidity
The amount of water vapor in the air at any given time expressed as percentage As temperature increases, RH decreases due to air being dryer As temperature decreases, RH increases due to air being colder
Condensation
The change of state from a gas to a liquid
What is the difference between unstable air and stable air?
Unstable air is air that rises by itself and stable air rises only with something pushing it up. Air is unstable due temperature changes
Why do clouds develop along warm and cold fronts?
Warm fronts advance and slide over cold air, causing the warm air to rise and form clouds Cold air pushes up the warm air into the upper atmosphere
Why is an airmass unlikely to form over California?
it is unlikely due to them not forming in the mid westerlies, it doesnt allow two unlike air masses to mix and form a atmospheric disturbance
stratus clouds
look like feathery wisps and are usually the lowest clouds in the sky Stable air represented where air was pushed up
cummulus clouds
Puffy, thick, white clouds` Unstable Air represented where warm air rose by itself
Polar Easterlies
Prevailing winds that blow from east to west between 60degrees-90degrees latitude in both hemispheres Cold Dry Air
Three main forms of cloud shapes
1. cirrus clouds (wispy feathery clouds) high elevation made of ice crystals 2. strattus clouds (layered wide spread) lower clouds 3. cummliform clouds (puffy, massive) high altitude clouds, middle clouds
Evaporation
slow evaporation is due to it being very cold, while air that is warm and calm will hold a lot of water vapor
Polar Front
boundary at which cold polar air meets the warmer air of the middle latitudes Consists of cold dry air which produce clouds and winter storms in the polar front Located at 60N and S
Condensation Nuclei
Microscopic particles on which water vapor condenses to form cloud droplets!
The ITCZ shifts seasonally to follow:
The ITCZ shifts to follow the rays of the sun, mainly over land than water The convective lifting of the ITCZ causes wet dry air (rising air makes clouds rather than descending)
Dew Point Temperature
The temperature to which air must reach 100% saturation of air
storm surge
a rising of the sea as a result of atmospheric pressure changes and wind associated with a storm, due to intense low pressure
What is an air mass, and what conditions are necessary for one to form?
Air masses are atmospheric disturbances When two unlike air masses cant mix, front form.
Water Molecules and Hydrogen Bonds
Hydrogen atoms attach to an oxygen atom where they are held together with a covalent bond The covalent bond is electrons sharing in hydrogen atoms The negative sides of oxygen are attached to the positive sides of hydrogen atoms
Tropical cyclone pressure wind patterns
A tropical cyclone is a hurricane, since it is a cyclone, its a low pressure cell, and has converging wind patterns that are counterclockwise Tropical cyclones occur between the tropics, and are migrating low pressure cells that move up to the midlatitudes There are no fronts due to all the air being the same in the tropics, no cold and warm to converge! Once it moves up to the midlatitudes, cold and warm air mixes, where clouds form due to condensation The eye of the hurricane has descending air, and descending air can't make clouds. Latent heat is released and air spiraling is being lifted and forced right back down so there are calm clear skies
The Subtropical High Shift
Located Highs at 30 degrees The Subtropical Highs shift toward the equator in summer When the subtropical highs lift away from the equator, it causes rainfall for places like San Francisco
Why does a parcel of unsaturated air cool quicker than a parcel of saturated air?
Unsaturated air is air that is below 100% RH while saturated air is at RH 100%. The unsaturated air cools quicker due to less water vapor while saturated air cools much slower with the air around it
polar high
Zone of high atmospheric pressure at high latitudes Produces anti cyclones
Jet Streams that swing North and South of their locations are often called
Rossby Waves are meandering jet streams that swing north and south
Adiabatic cooling and the formation of clouds
The only way that large masses of air to form clouds and rain is through cooling Air rises to cool for adiabatic cooling, as air rises it cools, temperature decreases with RH increasing, clouds are made by air lifting high enough to expand and cool to dew point
precipitation variability
the degree of uncertainty of precipitation amounts from one year to the next
What is a rainshadow and causes one to form?
They are caused by rising air with high precipitation that then descend and become dry
absolute humidity
The mass of water vapor contained in a certain volume of air It is measured through grams (actual vapor content)
Pressure and wind patterns of a midlatitude cyclone
Midlatitude cyclones are located at 30-60 degrees North and South Cyclones are counterclockwise It is a migrating low pressure cell that moves through the westerlies and pulls together air masses from high and low latitudes Cold and Warm air converge where warm air is forced up and out of the way
Passing of cold front
Once the cold front (where cold air comes off the ocean), passes, it influences our weather The cold air starts to increase pressure (warm air rising) where then the rising causes cloudy walls to move in
Describe the four main lifting mechanisms of air
1. Convective Lifting: warm air rising by itself 2. Convergent Lifting: wind from opposite directions converge to be pushed up 3. Orographic lifting: when air hits a mountain, windward side experiences rain, and the leeward side (descending side) is a dry side (rainshadows)
General Location of Jet Streams of the Westerlies
Westerlies are winds that blow west to east, so jet streams blow west to east as well Jet streams are narrows bands of wind, usually in pairs of four Subtropical Jet Stream: poleward side at 30 Polar Jet Stream: Swing North and South
Why can't descending air make clouds?
Descending air cannot make clouds because descending air causes a temperature increase (adiabatic warming) with an RH decrease where temperature needs to decrease for RH to increase to form clouds (evaporation, condensation etc)
Clouds and precipitation in mid latitude cyclones
In order for air to saturate with RH, the temperature must decrease Warm air must rise to cool the temperature Cold fronts will produce rain due to frontal lifting of warm air (adiabatic cooling)
How are clouds are formed?
clouds are made by air lifting high enough to expand and cool to dew point
Climograph
a plot of the annual mean temperature and precipitation in a particular region If it swings down, its in the southern hemisphere, if it swings up, its in the northern hemisphere
vapor capacity
the maximum value of water vapor air can hold
Section 2
(7 cards)