Weather and Climate Final Exam (Ch. 3, 5, 7, 10)
Mature lodgepoles will form an umbrella-like structure called a(n)_ that shades the forest floor.
Canopy
What are the two major factors in the study of both ancient and present-day climatic conditions of the Earth ?
Changes in the relationship between the Earth and the Sun and the changes in the surface of the planet itself
Weather
Is the condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place.
Which of the following is not true of carbon dioxide?
It occurs in large amounts in the atmosphere relative to other gases.
The atmosphere over urban centers are an example of which atmospheric scale?
Micro-Scale
Following the urban heat island profile from rural areas to a typical downtown urban area, which of the following is true?
On average, urban areas are 1 to 3°C higher than nearby rural areas.
An example of planetary-scale
Semipermanent pressure centers
In the United States, most anthropogenic pollution is caused by:
automobiles
Approximately how much of all the water on Earth is freshwater?
3%
A fog that develops when warm, moist air blows over a cold current (such as the California Current) is an example of fog.
Advection
Which of the following is false?
Air pressure decreases through the troposphere though increases in the stratosphere.
Land has a ________ specific heat than water and therefore heats more ________.
lower, quickly
The three non-variable gases in the atmosphere, in order of abundance from most to least, are
nitrogen, oxygen, argon.
The reaction of automobile exhaust and ultraviolet light
produces photochemical smog.
A thunderstorm is usually which type of cloud?
cumulonimbus
Conditionally unstable
-environmental lapse rate is greater than the moist adiabatic lapse rate and less then the dry adiabatic lapse rate -ELR is 7C/1000m
uncinus
"hook shaped" = streaks of cirrus clouds that are shaped like a comma resting on its side
graupel
"soft hail" or the first stage of hail formation
hydrophobic
"water-repelling"
hygroscopic
"water-seeking"
Define absolute stability.
(ELR TEMP OF ENVIRONMENT VS TEMP INSIDE AIR PARCEL) ELR<wet adiabatic lapse rate; The air parcel remains COOLER than surrounding environment, whether saturated or unsaturated. AIR PARCEL WILL RESIST LIFTING. cool, stable, resists lifting
Define absolute instability.
(ELR TEMP OF ENVIRONMENT VS TEMP INSIDE AIR PARCEL) ELR> dry adiabatic lapse rate; The air parcel remains WARMER than its surrounding environment, whether saturated or unsaturated. AIR PARCEL WILL CONTINUE TO RISE ONCE LIFTED. warm, unstable, lifts
According to the Skeptical Raptor blog, which of these is NOT a "red flag" warming that the testimony of a scientific expert should NOT be trusted?
The "expert" lists many of their own credentials such as awards from professional organizations and number of citations
How precipitation forms
The Bergeron processes precipitation from cold clouds, depending on the coexistence of water vapor, liquid cloud drops lets ice crystals.
Permafrost
Underneath the thawed soil of a tundra lies a permanently frozen layer of soil.
All of the following are necessary ingredients for the formation of clouds except
Warm surface air temperature
katabatic winds
Winds that move down a slope.
Air consists of
a mixture of gases that behaves as if it were a single gas
Fog
a stratus cloud that forms when air is cooled to its dew point near the ground. A cloud with its base at or very near the ground.
minimum thermometer
a thermometer that measures the minimum temperature for a given period of time, usually 24 hours. By checking the small dumbbell-shaped index, the minimum temperature can be read.
stratus, stratocumulus and nimbostratus
3 kinds of low clouds:
If an air parcel at 2000 m with an initial temperature of 30°C and a dew point of 15°C begins to rise over a mountain, at what altitude will a cloud form?
3500 m
If an air parcel at 2000 m with an initial temperature of 30°C and a dewpoint of 15°C begins to rise over a mountain, at what altitude will a cloud form?
3500 m
Define environmental lapse rate.
actual air temperature at different heights; varies with time and place (NOT the same as adiabatic temperature changes)
Assume a warm air parcel, at sea level, has a temperature of 21°C (70°F) and begins to rise upward. Assume it becomes saturated at 1000 m (3300 ft) altitude, and continues to rise to 2000 m (6600 ft.) altitude. What would the approximate temperature of the parcel be at an elevation of 2000 m (6600 ft.)?
5°C (46.4°F)
Which of these is NOT true of the 'List of References Cited' section format required/suggested according to the Allen 2000 paper?
additional sources not cited in the text should be included if they may be helpful to the reader
When warm moist air moves over a cold surface, ________ fog may result.
advection
El Nino
A warm ocean current that flows along the coast of Peru every seven to fourteen years. Associated with weak trade winds, a strong eastward-moving equatorial countercurrent, and diminishing upwelling
Supercell thunderstorms are characterized by
all of these
The thermohaline conveyor:
all of these
Which of the following best describes air pollution?
Both natural and anthropogenic gases, particles, and other substances in amounts that cause damage to the environment or are harmful to humans.
Which Milankovitch parameter seems to be a factor evidenced in the Vostok ice core? A. Obliquity B. Precession of the equinoxes C. Eccentricity D. None of the above
C. Eccentricity
An instrument used to measure wind speed
anemometer
Hygroscopic and hydrophobic
Cloud condensation nuclei
Ice Age
Is a period during which ice collects in high latitudes and moves toward lower latitudes.
Which of the following was NOT used by Kitchin (2014) to define big data?
Limited in scope
Under what conditions does light and fluffy snow form
cold air and low humidity
daily temperature range
the difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures for a day.
annual temperature range
the difference between the warmest and coldest monthly means.
According to the Southeast Climate reading on temperature trends, what happens to Florida during El Nino winters?
temperatures are below normal
Stability
tendency of an air parcel either to remain in place or to change vertical position by ascending or descending
What is stability?
tendency of an air parcel to move or not
Clouds, dew and frost all form because air has become saturated. This condition of saturation is usually caused by
the air being cooled
Adiabatic Descending process
the air parcel will be compressed and the temp. inside the air parcel will increase
Define lifting condensation level.
the altitude at which a parcel reaches saturation and cloud formation begins
radiative forcing
the amount of change in thermal energy that a given factor causes
temperature gradiant
the amount of temperature change per unit of distance.
Climate sensitivity refers to
the amount of warming that would occur from a given change in a climate driver
Climate sensitivity refers to:
the amount of warming that would occur from a given change in climate driver.
Which of these is NOT one of the 3 general types of models?
elemental
What does one call the smallest unit used in any climate model?
grid cell
What is associated with sinking air masses and fair weather conditions?
high-pressure system
tropics
in what area of the world is the collision-coalescence process more common based on the abundant water vapor and comparatively few condensation nuclei?
Cells
influence global precipitation paterns
The radiation emitted by Earth:
is primarily absorbed by the atmosphere
polar jet stream
jet stream that can bring down cold weather conditions from the north
subtropical jet stream
jet stream that can bring up warm weather conditions from the south
contrails
jet's output of hot water that cools rapidly in atmosphere and condenses
Which of the following statements best describes climate during the past million years?
many climate swings occurring on thousand year time scales.
Define convergence.
mechanism of lifting; an inflow of air leads to air rising and cooling adiabatically. Convergence is a pileup of air. When the wind pattern near Earth's surface is such that more air is entering an area than is leaving, convergence occurs.
To change state from a solid to a liquid
melt
cumulus
most familiar cloud of vertical development cloud; dense, billowy clouds often characterized by flat bases that tend to occur as isolated clouds or closely packed; vertical domes or towers; tops look like cauliflower heads
What is the main difference between the water molecules in all 3 phases?
motion the particles and the distance between them
Diabatic
occurring with an exchange of heat
monthly mean temperature
the mean temperature for a month that is calculated by averaging the daily means.
The Bergeron process causes cloud droplets to grow because
the saturation vapor pressure is lower near ice crystals than it is near supercooled droplets.
The movement of water between Earth's surface and the air
the water cycle
Name the layers of the atmosphere in order, beginning with the layer closest to Earth
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere
stratosphere
under mesopshere - ozone layer located here
With what confidence level does the AR5 IPCC assessment state that the global average troposphere temperature increased from 1951-2010?
virtually certain
Which of the following is a natural source of atmospheric pollution?
volcanic eruptions
natural causes for air pollution
volcanoes, forest fires, plants, decaying plants, soil, ocean
Natural sources of methane
wetlands, termites, oceans, hydrates
How many calories does it take to have vaporization/condensation?
+540/-540
How many calories does it take to have melting/freezing take place?
+80/-80
Based on Figure 5.7, air temperature above the oceans is usually more moderate than that above the continents because
- There is no mixing between the layers of the land. - Land has a lower specific heat. - The surface of the land is opaque. - There is less evaporation from most land surfaces. Answer: All the above.
isotherm
a line connecting points of equal air temperature
valley breeze
a local wind produced by the movement of cooler air from the valley that moves up a mountain slope
wind chill
a measure of apparent temperature that uses the effects of wind and temperature on the human body by translating the cooling power of wind to a temperature under calm conditions. it is an approximation only for humans and has no meaning for cars, buildings etc.
Oxygen Isotope Analysis
a method of deciphering past temperatures based on precise measurement of the ratio between two isotopes of oxygen, 16O and 18O
growing degree-days
a practical application of temperature data for determining the approximate date when crops will be ready for harvest.
Cooling of a surface overnight that chills the air layer directly above that surface may form
a radiation fog.
Define relative humidity.
a ratio of the air's actual water vapor content compared with the amount of water vapor required for saturation at that particular temp and press
Chinook
a seasonal warm dry wind that blows down the leeward side of the Rockies in late winter and early spring
liquid-in-glass thermometer
a simple instrument that provides relatively accurate readings over a wide temperature range.
Which of the following settings is most likely to have high precipitation?
a site where two large-scale circulation patterns converge, causing air to rise and cool
frost
a strictly temperature-dependent phenomena that occurs when the air temperature falls to 0 degrees celsius or below; deposits of ice crystals, called "white _____" form only when the air becomes saturated
Hadley Cell
a system of vertical and horizontal air circulation predominating in tropical and subtropical regions and creating major weather patterns.
Celsius scale
a temperature scale devised by Anders Celsius in 1742 and used where the metric system is in use. For water at sea level, 0 degrees is designated the ice point and 100 degrees the steam point.
Fahrenheit scale
a temperature scale devised by Gabriel Daniel Farenheit in 1714 and used in the English system. For water at sea level, 32 degrees is designated the ice point and 212 degrees the steam point.
Kelvin or absolute scale
a temperature scale used primarily for scientific purposes and having intervals equivalent to those on the Celsius scale but beginning at absolute zero.
Hygroscopic
a term describing salts and other compounds that remove moisture from the air
bimetal strip
a thermometer consisting of two thin strips of metal welded together, which have widely different coefficients of thermal expansion. When temperature changes, the two metals expand or contract unequally and cause changes in the curvature of the element.
maximum thermometer
a thermometer that measures the maximum temperature for a given period in time, usually 24 hours. A constriction in the base of the glass tube allows mercury to rise but prevents it from returning to the bulb until the thermometer is shaken or whirled.
What is an interglacial?
a time interval when glacial ice volume was relatively low
Cloud
a visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere, typically high above the ground. Small water droplets.
Common mechanisms that "get an air parcel started" in a lifting trend include...
-surface heating -wind/weather front -mountain range, differences in elevation
Unstable enviroment
-the enviromental lapse rate is greater then the dry adiabatic lapse rate -ELR is 12C/1000m
Stable enviroment
-the environmental lapse rate is less then the moist adiabatic lapse rate -ELR is 5C/1000m -bad in places with air pollution, air can't move much in stable conditions
Specific humidity
-the mass of water vapor (grams) per mass of air (kilograms) at any temp
The amount of global average surface temperature warming generally thought to have occurred since 1850 is about:
0.8 degrees C
Describe some personal, local, or regional mitigation actions to reduce climate change impacts.
1) Use energy wisely 2) Drive less; walk and bike more 3) Reduce; Reuse; Recycle 4) Landscape wisely; plant trees 5) Use renewable energy 6) Think globally: act locally 7) Use Energy Star products*
Earth's short term climate history
1) Younger Dryas: Cooling Dip, 14,000 years ago 2) Medieval Climate Anomaly: Warm Spell, AD 800-1200, mild climatic episode that affected the North Atlantic 3) The Little Ice Age: Chilling Out, AD 1250-1850 temperatures cooled globally from volcanic activity/multiyear changes in global oscillation patterns Warming steadily since
Define wet (saturated) adiabatic lapse rate.
5-9 degrees per 1000 m; When a parcel of air rises above the lifting condensation level, the rate at which it cools is reduced, and this slower RATE OF COOLING is the wet adiabatic lapse rate.
If you visited Mount Shasta City (elevation 900 m [3000 ft.]) and found the outside air temperature to be 27°C (81°F), what would be the air temperature at the summit of Mount Shasta (elevation 4200 m [14,000 ft.]) at that moment-assuming that the temperature conditions with altitude change at an average, or normal, lapse rate?
5.9°C (42.5°F)
In a sunny day, where the surface temperature is 30°C, but with different dew point temperature, choose the cloud that will start to form in the highest altitude.
5°C
What is the average Moist Adiabatic Lapse Rate?
6C/1000m
What confidence level do scientists typically require to conclude that a result of a given experiment or study did not occur purely by chance?
95%
According to recent studies (Doran, 2009 and Cook et al., 2013), what fraction of climate scientists agree that global average temperatures have increased in the past century due to increases in man-made atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations?
97%
Humidity Instrument: Sling Psychrometer
?
Relative Humidity Equatoin
Actual water vapor in the air/ maximum water vapor possible in air at that temp X 100%
Factors in climate change include:
All of the above - Natural changes - Human-induced changes - Long-term changes in weather
Which of the following is an example of an anthropogenic (human-caused) climate control? A. Urban heat islands B. Changes in natural vegetation C. Air pollution D. All of the above E. None of the above
All of the above - Urban Heat Islands - Changes in natural vegetation - Air pollution
Which is correct? Climate:
All of these are correct
Which of the following is NOT true about CFC's?
All of these are true
Which are true of tornadoes?
All of these are true of tornadoes
Which of the following is NOT used to evaluate science faculty when considered for tenure by university administrators?
All of these are used -mentorship -service -teaching -research
Which of the following is NOT one of the major organizations that assemble global instrumental surface temperature data into models showing global temperature variation over the past century?
American Meteorological Society Climate research center
Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)
An area of Earth that receives the most intense sunlight; where the ascending branches of the two Hadley cells converge.
Carbon isotope analysis
Analysis of the proportion of 12C and 13C in a bone or soil sample. Useful in dietary and environmental reconstruction because different groupings of plants use carbon compounds containing 12C and 13C differentially. Each decomposes by a half-life.
Where on Earth have scientist drilled the longest ice cores?
Antarctica, Dome C core in 2004 reached a depth of 3270 m (10,729 ft).
carbon source
Anything that releases more carbon than it absorbs i.g. humans clearing forests, producing carbon dioxide--Keeling curve Oceans absorb a lot of carbon which acidifies it-increasing carbonic acid
Tropical Savannas (Grasslands)
Are dominated by tall grasses, with trees scattered here and there.
Microclimates
Are small regions with unique characteristics.
Evergreens
Are trees that keep their leaves year-round.
Deciduous Trees
Are trees that lose their leaves when the weather becomes cold.
What exhibits such a large variety of both spatial and temporal scales?
Atmosphere
The most sophisticated atmosphere and ocean submodels are known as
Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Models (AOGCMs)
Why is Moist Adiabatic Rate much less then Dry Adiabatic Rate?
Condensation releases energy and heats surrounding air
Saturation and surface for water vapor to condensate on
Condensation requiers:
What are the main sources of carbon dioxide?
Human activities: fossil fuel combustion (70%), biomass burning, removal of forests, industrial agriculture, and cement production
Humidity Instrument: Hair Hygrometer
Human hair changes in length with respect to changes in relative humidity
Frost
Ice formed when water vapor changes directly into ice crystals
How do you determine whether an air parcel is absolutely unstable, absolutely stable, or conditionally stable?
If an air parcel is warmer than the atmosphere, it is unstable and will rise. If an air parcel is cooler than the atmosphere, it is stable and will resist rising. Conditional depends on whether the air parcel is saturated or unsaturated. If the air parcel stays UNSATURATED, then it will remain cooler than the surrounding environment and RESIST LIFTING. If the air parcel becomes saturated then it will be warmer than the surrounding environment and will RISE.
Characteristics of synoptic scale
- Spanning smaller distances, a few hundred to a few thousand kilometers. - possessing shorter lifetimes, a few to several days - contains the migrating cyclones and anticyclones Answer: Only A, B, and C are correct
The average dry adiabatic lapse rate is
10 C°/1000 m.
In a sunny day, where the surface temperature is 30°C, but with different dew point temperature, choose the cloud that will start to form in the lowest altitude.
15°C
Oxygen represents approximately how much of our current atmosphere?
21%
The molecule(s) mostly responsible for stratospheric ozone depletion is (are)
Chlorofluorocarbons
What Paleoclimatologists seek to explain ?
Cimate variations for all parts of the Earth during any given geologic period
Why human health is vulnerable to climate change?
Due heat stress, an increase in waterborne diseases, poor air quality, and diseases transmitted by insects and rodents
Today's landscape gives clues to the climate of the past, what is an example of signs of their activity?
Glaciers
Which of the following is true regarding acid deposition?
Hundreds of lakes are incapable of supporting life due to high acidity.
Most freshwater is contained in
Ice and glaciers
Biome
Is a large region characterized by a specific type of climate and the plants and animals that live there.
Global Warming
Is a rise in average global temperatures that can result from an increase in the greenhouse effect.
Greenhouse Effect
Is the Earth's natural heating process, in which gases in the atmosphere trap thermal energy.
Temperate Zone
Is the climate zone between the Tropics and the Polar zone. Temperatures tend to be moderate.
Latitude
Is the distance north or south, measured in degrees, from the equator.
Tundra
Is the driest region (place) on Earth. This biome has long, cold winters with almost 24 hours of night and short, cool summers with almost 24 hours of daylight.
Elevation
Is the height of surface landforms above sea level.
Deforestation
Is the process of clearing forests.
Tropical Zone (Tropics)
Is the warm zone located around the equator.
A line connecting points of equal temperature is a(n)
Isotherm
The temperature inside a cloud should be
Just above the dew point
Example of forces that shape the atmospheric conditions in each of these parts of the world
In the Sahara, high pressure combined with its tropical location allows for more solar radiation to reach the ground and heat it throughout the year
Saturation specific humidity at various temperatures. Saturation specific humidity is the maximum possible water vapor in a mass of water vapor per unit mass of air (g/kg). As temperature increases, the saturation specific humidity
Increases
Climate
Is the average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time.
A pattern or relationship that genera lies a large body of observations but do not propose to explain them is a:
Law
The wet adiabatic lapse rate is _________ than the dry adiabatic lapse rate because _________.
Less; condensation heats the air
16O
Light oxygen
When ONLY heavy oxygen (18O) remains in the ocean water,
Light oxygen (16O) must be in the glaciers and ice sheets which means you were in a cold, GLACIAL CLIMATE
Which of the following cities would likely have the greatest annual temperature range?
Minneapolis
When both 16O and 18O occur in the ocean water, and there is more 16O present in it,
Light oxygen returned as runoff to the oceans in a warm, INTERGLACIAL CLIMATE
In this video, the type of pine tree prefers to grow on __, sunny ground
Open
Scientific study of the climatic conditions of past geologic ages
Paleoclimatology
Raindrops that fall through a thick, subfreezing layer of air near the ground form ice pellets known as
Sleet
constant stable gases in the homosphere
Nitrogen, oxygen, Argon, Helium, Krypton, Xenon
Which of the following is true of the ionosphere?
The region principally absorbs gamma rays, X-rays, and interacts with the solar wind.
Temperate Grasslands (Prairies, Steppes, Veldt, Pampas)
Occur in regions that receive too little rainfall for trees to grow.
Wildfire feedback
Occurs as warming temperatures and drought lead to increased wildfires, which increases greenhouse gases, especially CO2 and methane. This enhances warming, leading to larger and more intense wildfires.
Why are we not crushed by the pressure of the atmosphere?
They exert pressure outward, counterbalancing atmospheric pressure.
What were the two components in Los Angeles smog pollution
VOCs and Nitrogen Oxides
Why are temperature inversions noteworthy in relation to air pollution?
Vertical mixing of pollutants is halted, trapping the pollutants under the inversion layer.
About half of Earth's crust consists of compounds containing
Oxygen
Which of the following statements about ozone (O3) is false?
Ozone in the lower atmosphere protects human health.
Which index is used to display the global pattern of drought in Dire Predictions?
Palmer Drought Severity Index
Which of the following statements regarding rising air, in which dew-point temperature has been reached, is correct?
The air is simultaneously being cooled by expansion and heated by condensation.
polar front
The boundary at which air flowing away from the polar regions collides with the warmer air from the lower latitudes
Front
The boundary between two air masses that have different temperatures.
Condensation
The change of state from a gas to a liquid
Ozone in the lower troposphere
causes lung irritation, asthma, and susceptibility to respiratory illness in humans.
Three criteria used for classification of the atmosphere are
composition, temperature, and function.
During summer, cities located near the coast are than those in the interior at the same latitude, while in the winter they are .
cooler; warmer
How do you describe the water molecules in ice?
crystal lattice
The greater the difference in temperature between the wet bulb and dry bulb on a sling psychrometer, the ______ the air is and the ______ the relative humidity.
drier, lower
What are the three cyclical movement related to Earth's orbit regards to the Milankovitch theory?
eccentricity, axial tilt, and revolution
From Figure 7.5, when a liquid is transformed into a solid,
energy is released from the liquid.
The process of a liquid transforming into a gas is
evaporation
Sea smoke refers to
evaporation fog at sea.
What analyzing the ratio of oxygen-16 to oxygen-18 recorded in rocks, fossils, ice and sediments help the scientist find?
find evidence of the climate at the time they were formed.
Based on temperature, the atmosphere is divided into
four regions, ranging from the troposphere to the thermosphere.
Which of the following is NOT a control of temperature?
gravity
The Clean Air Act
has resulted in the significant reduction in various atmospheric pollutants. set emission standards for cars, and limits for release of air pollutants
From the follow figure, the heat index is based on
humidity and air temperature
Which of the following is not responsible for the urban heating effect?
increased reflected sun energy of urban environments relative to that of natural landscapes
What can you tell about the air temperature through most of the stratosphere (based on next figure)
increases with increasing altitude
When warm surface currents flow past a landmass, and winds blow toward the land from the water, what happens to the climate of the land?
The climate of the land becomes warmer and wetter, as the wind takes heat and moisture from the warm current toward the landmass.
The principal controls and influences of temperature patterns include
latitude, altitude, land-water heating differences, cloud cover, and ocean currents.
Based on function, the atmosphere has
two zones that absorb radiation from the Sun.
From the figure , the wind-chill temperature index is based on
wind speed and air temperature.
The high temperature in the upper thermosphere
would feel cold to humans due to few molecules for heat transfer. is more a measure of kinetic energy than sensible temperature.
Sublimation
The energy absorbtion of a solid into gas is called what?
mountain breeze
The movement of air caused by cool air sinking and moving down the slope of a mountain.
Freezing rain (ice storm) or sleet occurs when
There is a warm layer of air between the cloud and the cold surface
How do evaporation fogs differ from other types of fog
They are created when water vapor is added to the air.
cirrocumulus
Thin, white, ice-crystal clouds. in the form of ripples or waves or globular masses can be merged or separate. may produce a "mackerel sky". white patches composed of smell cells. they are the least common of high clouds.
Taiga (Northern Coniferous Forest
This biome has long, cold winters and short, warm summers.
synoptic-scale winds
Time scale: Days to a week Distance scale: 100-5,000 km Mid-latitude cyclones, anticyclones and hurricanes
Mesoscale Winds
Time scale: Minutes to hours Distance scale: 1 to 100km -Thunderstorms, tornadoes, and land-sea breeze
Planetary-scale winds
Time scale: Weeks or longer Distance scale: 1,000-40,000 km Westerlies, trade winds, the jet stream
Dew
Tiny drops of water that form on cool surfaces at night, when atmospheric vapor condenses.
Second most important radiative forcing factor for climate from 1750 to 2011? (IPCC)
Tropospheric ozone (Others are stratospheric water vapor, contrail cirrus clouds, and black carbon on snow)
Climate model simulations must include both natural and human factors to best represent the observed pattern of surface warming.
True
Goddard Institute for Space Studies uses a supercomputing cluster to run models for the IPCC report.
True
In precipitation mode, a Doppler radar used by the National Weather Service can produce nearly 1 billion points of data per day.
True
Models show that rainfall will be generally greater than present day in the tropics by 2100.
True
Most models project temperature increases that will be higher over land than over water.
True
One big challenge in working with big data is indexing them so that you can find them in an archive.
True
T or F frost tends to form when the surface dew point temperature is below freezing
True
Why are high altitude clouds always so thin?
Very little water vapor is present
True
Warm fogs are more common than supercooled fog.
How does the period of 20th century warming differ from past warming periods over the past 8,000 years such as the medieval warm period?
Warming is now occurring globally, across all regions
False
Water droplets grow (condense) to replenish the lost water vapor collected by ice crystals as a result of their supersaturated condition.
Rain
Water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere. Is restricted to droplets of water with a diameter at least 0.5mm.
Which statement best reflects model predictions of precipitation trends over the next century?
Wet regions will get wetter, dry regions will get dryer
fog
What forms from cooling or when air becomes saturated through the addition of water vapor?
clouds
What forms when air rises and cools adiabatically?
clear days with unequal surface heating
What kind of day produces cumulus clouds?
Define saturation.
When DEW POINT TEMP AND AIR TEMP ARE =; FULL; ALL SPACE IS BEING USED (BY WATER VAPOR)
When does condensation occur?
When particles of water vapor cool and lose energy
Below, above, supersaturated
When temperature is ____ 0 degrees celsius the relative humidity of ice will be _____ 100% so the air is considered ______.
Warm Front
When warm air mass pushes into a cold air mass
Santa Ana Winds
Winds flowing over Rockies and to West Coast/Calif. Bring dry hot weather and fuel wildfires
Cirrus clouds
Wispy, feathery clouds made of ice crystals that form at high levels.
What are the international actions being taken at present to delay the effects of global climate change?
Worldwide, many large urban areas are working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Both governments and businesses are now planning for climate change impacts.
polar high
Zone of high atmospheric pressure at the earths poles
horse latitudes
a belt of calm air and sea occurring in both the northern and southern hemispheres between the trade winds and the westerlies.
equatorial low
a belt of low pressure lying near the equator and between the subtropical highs
Gyre
a circular motion of water in each of the major ocean basins
Country Breeze
a circulation pattern characterized by a light wind blowing into a city from the surrounding countryside
fog
a cloud with its base at or very near the ground
What best describe the Milankovitch cycle ?
a cyclical movement related to the Earth's orbit around the Sun
Atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing altitude due to:
a decrease in the thickness and density of air on top
ice-albedo feedback
a feedback mechanism that accelerates melting of sea ice and amplify warming
carbon sink
a forest, ocean, or other natural environment viewed in terms of its ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
doldrums
a frequently windless area near the Equator
Condensation is the energy release of what?
a gas
Keeling Curve
a graph made over the span of 50 years that shows the increase of carbon dioxide
jet stream
a high-speed high-altitude airstream blowing from west to east near the top of the troposphere
Milankovitch cycles include all of the following except:
changes in the distance between the Earth and the moon
Milankovitch cycles include all of the following, except:
changes in the distance between the earth and the Moon.
three criteria used for classification of the atmosphere
chemical composition, temperature, and function
What kind of data would have had to have been used to construct the temperature record in the figure below?
chemical proxies found in sediment layers
High altitude wispy clouds made of ice crystals are classed as
cirroform.
Clouds that look thin and wispy, made of tiny bits of ice and are usually found very high in the sky.
cirrus cloud
A collection of tiny water droplets or ice crystals in the atmosphere
cloud
Surprisingly, the Earth has a greater albedo than the Moon. This might be because the Moon has no:
clouds
The thermohaline conveyor is driven by:
cold less saline water that flows from melting glaciers in Greenland
On a cold, windy day, the air feels because the wind .
colder; increases evaporative heat loss from our skin.
weighing gauge
collects precipitation in a cylinder that rests on a spring balance
The growth of a cloud droplet into a rain drop large enough to fall to earth in a warm cloud is accomplished primarily through
collision and coalescence
The primary mechanisms to form precipitation are the
collision-coalescence and Bergeron processes.
General Circulation Models
complex mathematical models that use supercomputers to analyze and make quantitative predictions of future climate change
halogenated gases
containing flourine, chlorine or bromine these gases are produced only by human activities ex. CFCs, (CFC-11 & CFC-12) ex2. HCFCs (HCFC-22)
ozonosphere -
contains an increased level of ozone - blocks ozone
Name and describe four mechanisms of lifting that cause air particles to rise vertically.
convection, convergence, orographic lifting, and frontal lifting
The most important process for cloud formation in the atmosphere is
cooling through the adiabatic process
heat-conservation methods
covering plants with insulating material, generating particles that reduce the rate of cooling, water sprinklers, air-mixing techniques and/or orchard heaters
upslope fog
created when relatively humid air moves up a gradually sloping landform or the steep slopes of a mountain
Advection fog
created when warm, moist air from the sea blows onto cooler land surface. Decreases with capacity.
A cumulus cloud that becomes dark and thick and often produces precipitation.
cumulonimbus
Hail is most commonly associated with:
cumulonimbus clouds
Puffy white clouds that look like cotton balls
cumulus cloud
Which is the appropriate time-scale that describes the cycles of climate change that occur in response to the Milankovitch cycles?
about 10,000 to 100,000 years
Relative to day, what was the global average temperature 55 million years ago?
about 12oC warmer
What is the median estimated eventual (equilibrium) global average temperature that would result from a doubling of atmosphere CO2 concentration? (estimated using modern instrumental observations)
about 3 degrees C
The planetary albedo of the earth is:
about 30%
Vaporization of a liquid has it's energy ____
absorbed
What are the ways to achieve saturation in the atmosphere?
addition of water vapor; mixing cold air with warm, moist air; cooling air to dew point, which decreases storage capacity and subsequently causes air to saturate faster
The Montreal Protocol
aims to reduce and eliminate all ozone depleting substances.
Clouds and precipitation form in the air primarily due to
air being cooled as it rises
The force of air pushing down on an area
air pressure
Westerlies
airflow aloft in the middle latitudes is predominantly from west to east. Driven by the pressure gradient aloft caused by the temperature contrast between the poles and the equator
The percentage of energy reflected by an object or substance is called its:
albedo
Which of the following are dangers associated with hurricanes?
all of these
Which of the following are true regarding hurricanes?
all of these
Which of these would be considered weather events (as opposed to climate)?
all of these
Limited observations hinder our ability to observe trends in which of the following phenomena?
all of these -hail - floods -tropical cyclones
The underlying purpose of the set of different emission scenarios (RCPs) is to
allow us to more easily compare the results of different climate models
The ________ cloud is confined to the middle height range
altostratus
-40 degrees celcius
at what temperature do cloud droplets freeze?
The blanket of gasses that surrounds the Earth
atmosphere
Which of these was a new element incorporated into the models used for the 2007 IPCC AR4 as compared to the 2001 models?
atmosphere chemistry
A reduction in ice cover would be expected to ______ Earth UV reflectivity and represents a _______ feedback to global warming.
decrease, positive
inventional weather modification
deliberate human intervention to influence atmospheric processes that constitute the weather; to alter the weather for human purposes
Degree of Stability
depends on temp difference between inside an air parcel and the air surrounding the parcel
rime
deposit of delicate ice crystals formed by the freezing of supercooled fog or cloud droplets on objects whose surface temperature is below freezing
Stratus clouds
described as sheets or layers (strata) that cover much or all of the sky; no distinct individual cloud units
Name and describe two measures of moisture content.
dew point temp and and relative humidity. Dew point is the temp at which air would have to be cooled for saturation to occur. Relative humidity is the percent of possible space to store moisture that is being used.
How do we measure water in the atmosphere?
dew point temp and relative humidity
The greater the difference in temperature between the wet bulb and dry bulb on a sling psychrometer, the ______ the air is and the ______ the relative humidity.
drier; lower
rain
drops of water that fall from a cloud and have a diameter of at least .5 mm
high pressure
dry conditions
Which is NOT true? The input of anthropogenic carbon dioxide into the atmosphere:
began at the start of the 20th century
Which is NOT true? The input of Anthropogenic carbon dioxide into the atmosphere:
began at the start of the 20th century.
homosphere
below heterosphere - blends of gasses are nearly uniform throughout - exception is the ozone layer
subpolar low
belt of low air pressure at about 60 degrees north and 60 degrees south latitude
Nimbostratus
big precipitation producer = light to moderate but of long duration and widespread. amorphous layer of dark gray clouds; formed under stable conditions when air is forced to rise, as along a front; this forced ascent of stable air leads to the formation of a stratified cloud layer that is large horizontally compared to its thickness;
Air Parcel
body of air has specific temperature and humidity
cooling degree-day
each degree of temperature of the daily mean above 65 degrees F is counted as one cooling degree-day. The amount of energy required to maintain a certain temperature in a building is proportional to the cooling degree-days total.
heating degree-days
each degree of temperature of the daily mean below 65 degrees F is counted as one heating degree-day. The amount of heat required to maintain a certain temperature in a building is proportional to the heating degree-days total.
From the figure, when a liquid is transformed into a solid,
energy is released from the liquid.
The process of a liquid changing to a gas
evaporation
Discuss the exchange of moisture between the land and the atmosphere. Trace water through the hydrologic cycle.
evaporation ^, transpiration ^, infiltration soaks into ground, condensation
The primary contributor of water vapor to the atmosphere is:
evaporation at the ocean's surface
According to Dire Predictions, which is true of the 2003 heat wave that killed 35,000?
events such as this will occur more often given AGW
With what likelihood does the AR5 IPCC assessment state that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming from 1951 to 2010?
extremely likely
controls of temperature
factors that cause temperature to vary from place to place and from time to time.
Cumulus
fair weather clouds
troposphere
final layer to encounter solar radiation - supports life, the biosphere, and and is the region of principal weather activity - tropopause - outer boundary of troposphere
drizzle
fine, uniform droplets of water having a diameter less than .5 mm
heat
flow of kinetic energy from one body to another resulting form a temperature difference between them
Frontal fog
fog formed when rain evaporates as it falls through a layer of cool air. Increases water vapor content.
Define orographic lifting.
forcing air to rise above a mountain barrier, enhanced precipitation on windward side, rain shadow effect on leeward side
low clouds
form below 2000 meters
Clouds are classified and named according to their altitude and
form or appearance
When a research proposal is funded, half the amount granted by the federal agencies will generally:
go to the researcher's institution
(Saturation) Warmer air means
greater maximum water vapor possible
hail
hard, rounded pellets or irregular lumps of ice; produced in large convective, cumulonimbus clouds where frozen ice particles and supercooled water coexist; grow by continually collecting supercooled droplets as they fall through the cloud until it is too heavy to remain suspended or encounters a downdraft
What causes liquid water to turn into water vapor?
heat
Of the excess energy stored by the Earth during the past half century, the majority of it has gone toward
heating the ocean
Greenhouse gases:
help maintain Earth at temperatures at which life can exist
chemical composition
heterosphere and homosphere
A radiation fog requires which of the following in order to form?
high relative humidity and clear nighttime skies
cirrus clouds
high, white, thin clouds. they form delicate veil-like patches or wisplike strands and often have a feathery appearance. name means "curl" or "filament". composed of delicate, icy filaments
thermosphere
highest -thermopause is the upper limit
The possibility that future human CO2 emissions will produce a scenario similar to the RCP2.6 is
highly uncertain
The primary external drivers of a planet's climate involve all EXCEPT:
how much of the solar energy is received in the northern versus southern hemisphere of the planet
The measurement of how much water vapor is in the air
humidity
From the follow figure , the heat index is based on
humidity and air temperature.
Dire Predictions lists key features of the actual climate that current models do a good job of reproducing. Which of the following is NOT in that list?
hurricanes
A tool that measures the amount of moisture in the air
hygrometer
Most freshwater is contained in
ice and glaciers
Adiabatic Ascending process
if an air parcel rises, it will expand and the temp inside the air parcel will decrease
When is an air parcel unstable?
if it continues to rise until it reaches an altitude where the surrounding air has a density and temp similar to its own
When is an air parcel stable?
if it resists displacement upward or when disturbed, tends to return to its starting place
Which of the following has not been used as a source of paleoclimate information?
igneous rock
When it gets warmer and more water evaporates, would be a logical result?
increase cloud formation which is a negative temperature feedback
According to Dire Predictions, what might happen that would cause the ocean's conveyor belt to shut down?
increased rainfall would mean surface waters would be less salty and would not sink
Proxy Methods
information about past environments that represent changes in climate
Which of the following conditions has low relevance when running a general circulation model?
initial conditions
According to Dire Predictions, there is a likely strong association between the increase in sea surface temperatures and global tropical cyclone
intensity only
Which is TRUE? Albedo:
is high for ice, snow and thick clouds
A line connecting points of equal temperature is a(n)
isotherm.
The thermohaline conveyor is important in the North Pacific because:
it brings deep nutrient-rich water to the surface
As you climb a mountain, what happens to the temperature?
it gets cooler
How does drizzle differ from rain?
it has a smaller diameter
Which is NOT one of the reasons the Vostok ice core is so famous and scientifically important?
it is the only record of variations in atmospheric CO2 concentrations through a number of glacial/interglacial cycles
cumulonimbus
large, dense, billowy clouds of considerable vertical extent in the form of huge towers, spreading out on top to form an "anvil head"; associated with heavy rainfall, thunder, lightning, hail and tornadoes
collision-coalescence process
larger droplets (formed when "giant" condensation nuclei are present or when hygroscopic particles exist) fall through a cloud, colliding with smaller, slower droplets and coalesce. the name of this process is:
fall velocity
larger droplets fall faster although their movement is impeded by friction
The proxies that are mainly are used to reconstruct the climate changes that have occurred over the whole of the Quaternary Period are:
mainly stable isotope measurements in marine or lake sediment cores
temperature
measure of the average kinetic energy of individual molecules in matter
Define frontal lifting/frontal wedging.
mechanism of lifting; when warm and cold air masses collide, they produce boundaries called fronts. The cooler, denser air acts as a barrier over which the warmer, less dense air rises.
The layer of the atmosphere that is the coldest
mesosphere
Alto clouds
middle level clouds
The conditions that persist along the west coast of the U.S. that are conducive to fog formation are
moist air moving over a cold surface
land breeze
movement of air from land to sea at night, created when cooler, denser air from the land forces up warmer air over the sea
sea breeze
movement of air from sea to land during the day when cooler air from above the water moves over the land, forcing the heated, less dense air above the land to rise
Which of the following is FALSE?
nearly all regions of Antarctica ice sheets have decreased in thickness over the last few decades
A system that regulates itself depends upon:
negative feedbacks
A(n) ________ is a low layer of dark gray clouds that produces precipitation.
nimbostratus
Of the following cloud types, which is most likely to produce the most rain?
nimbostratus
Two gasses that make up almost all of the atmosphere
nitrogen and oxygen
frontal (precipitation fog)
occurs when raindrops falling from relatively warm air above a frontal surface evaporate into the cooler air below and cause it to become saturated
temperature inversion
occurs when the normal temperature, which normally decreases w/altitude, reverses trend and begins to increase at some point - it prevents the cooler air below the inversion layer from moving with the air above - pollution is trapped near the ground
The thermopause is located
on average, approximately 480 km (300 mi.) above Earth's surface.
standard rain gauge
open container with a funnel that conducts rain though a narrow opening into a cylindrical measuring tube that has a cross-sectional area to magnify the rainfall depth to 10x (for more accuracy)
heterosphere
outer atmosphere in terms of composition. not uniform - gasses are not evenly mixed - gasses in layers sorted by gravity according to atomic weight
ionosphere
outer layer, absorbs cosmic rays, hamma rays, x-rays, and shorter wavelengths of UV radiation, changing atoms to positively charged ions
If one wants to know the oxygen isotope signature of seawater in the past they could examine:
oxygen isotopes in marine plankton skeletons
hydrophobic nuclei
particles that are not efficient condensation nuclei; however, cloud drops will still form on them when the relative humidity reaches 100%
False
physically, there are differences between fog and a cloud.
Water in the atmosphere that falls to Earth as rain, snow, hail, or sleet
precipitation
mist
precipitation containing the very smallest droplets able to reach the ground; impact is almost imperceptible
Snow
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals.
snow
precipitation in the form of (aggregates of) ice crystals; crystalline nature so it can assume many shapes; produced in supercooled clouds where water vapor is deposited as ice crystals that remain frozen during their descent
Hail
precipitation of ice pellets when there are strong rising air currents
climate feedbacks
processes that either amplify or reduce climatic trends, toward either warming or cooling
freezing rain/glaze
produced when supercooled raindrops freeze on contact with solid objects
Earth's long-term climate can be described as
quasi-steady, with long periods of hothouse eras punctuated by (geologically) brief ice ages.
Which type of fog occurs during nights when skies are clear and relative humidity is high?
radiation fog
RCP6 is a scenario in which, by the year 2100, __________ will be 6 times that of the early 20th century.
radiative forcing
A device that measures how much precipitation has fallen
rain gauge
Nimbo clouds
rain producing clouds
Freezing rain
raindrops that freeze after they hit the ground or other cold surfaces. Glaze are rain drops that become super- cooled
fixed points
reference points, such as the steam point and the ice point, used in the construction of temperature scales.
Freezing of a liquid involves _____ it's engergy
releasing
photochemical smog
results from he interaction between sunlight and nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, produces brown photochemical smog
industrial smog
results from the interaction between fog and humid air and sulfur dioxides and particulates from burning coal, produces grey industrial smog
radiation fog
results from the radiation cooling of the ground and adjacent air; nighttime phenomenon requiring clear skies and a high relative humidity
If atmosphere CO2 concentrations were held constant, over the next century average global temperature, would likely
rise another 1 degree C
The most common way for air to be cooled in order that a cloud may form is by
rising and expanding
mammatus
rounded protuberances on the bottom surface of clouds
Air is ____ at 100% relative humidity
saturated
Monsoons are caused by
seasonal heating of land masses in summer that changes wind directions
The majority of the energy received by the Earth from the sun is ____, whereas that emitted by the Earth is____ radiation.
shortwave, longwave
drifting snow
significant accumulations of falling or loose snow caused by strong wind
Microscale Winds
smallest scare of air motion, usually lasts seconds at most minutes, Ex: gusts and dust devils
blowing snow
snow lifted from the surface by the wind and blown about to such a degree that horizontal visibility is reduced
Stratocumulus
soft, gray clouds in globular patches or rolls. rolls may join together to make a continuous cloud
Which of these is NOT true?
solar activity remains constant over century timescales
The RCP (emission scenario) that is mostly to occur depends upon all EXCEPT ......
solar output variability
Name the 3 states of water
solid, liquid, and gas
freezing nuclei
sparsely appearing in the atmosphere, the solid particles on which supercooled droplets freeze
Scientists use _________________ to establish climate records for sea surface temperature from the fossils found in oceanic sediment cores
stable isotopes
Supercooled water is water which is
still liquid at temperatures below 0 degrees C.
altostratus
stratified veil of grayish clouds that is generally thin, formless, covers most of sky and may produce very light precipitation. the sun or moon may be visible through it although no halo is produced. commonly associated with approaching warm fronts
The cloud form that is best described as sheets or layers that cover much or all of the sky is termed:
stratus
Clouds formed in layers that look like sheets or blankets. These clouds are often the lowest clouds in the air.
stratus cloud
El Niño is a condition that brings increased precipitation to the eastern Pacific Ocean basin when:
strengthening of an ocean current results in warmer sea temperatures in the eastern Pacific
increase
super saturation causes a(n) ______ for the drive of a chemical reaction
Define dew point temperature.
temp at which air would have to be cooled for saturation to occur; the temp at which water vapor begins to condense
A measurement of how hot or cold something is
temperature
Deep ocean currents are driven by:
temperature and salinity
Dew-point
temperature at which a given mass of air becomes saturated and net condensation begins to form water droplets
Define the adiabatic process (adiabatic temperature changes).
temperature changes where no heat is added or subtracted; Instead, changes in PRESSURE result in temp changes. i.e. when air is compressed, it warms (air parcel is sinking), and when air is allowed to expand, it cools (air parcel is rising). Associate this eith the temperature inside an air parcel.
What information do we need to determine stability of an air parcel?
temperature inside an air parcel, moisture content
specific heat
the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance 1 degrees Celsius
For modelers, the term 'Climate sensitivity' specifically refers to:
the amount of warming that would occur in response to a doubling of atmospheric CO2
Define humidity.
the amount of water vapor in the air
The Coriolis effect in the atmosphere is due to:
the atmosphere rotating faster at the equator than at the poles
Southern Oscillation
the atmospheric pressure conditions corresponding to the periodic warming of El Nino and cooling of La Nina in the eastern and western pacific
carbon budget
the balance of the carbon exchanges between carbon sinks and sources
cumulus, stratus and cirrus
the basic forms of clouds
adiabatic cooling
the cause for the formation of clouds; why water vapor condenses in the atmosphere
Define deposition.
the conversion of a vapor directly to a solid, such as water vapor deposited as ice on a window pane, white frost.
What phenomena is thought to have triggered the general cooling trend from about 30 million years ago to the present?
the development of the Antarctic circumpolar current
weather radar
the development of this has given meteorologists an important tool to track storm systems and the precipitation patterns they produce
The point where saturation begins in a rising air parcel is
the lifting condensation level.
daily mean temperature
the mean temperature for a day that is determined by averaging the hourly readings or, more commonly, by averaging the maximum and minimum temperatures for a day.
hygroscopic nuclei
the most effective sites for condensation are particles called:
slightly lower
the saturation vapor pressure above ice crystals is _______ than above supercooled liquid droplets
Saturation
the state or process that occurs when no more of something can be absorbed, combined with, or added.
Paleoclimatology
the study of natural climatic variability over the span of Earth's history scientific study of the climatic conditions of past geologic ages
Dendroclimatology
the study of past climates using tree rings
ice point
the temperature at which ice melts
steam point
the temperature at which water boils
From the Dire Predictions reading this week, where is it predicted that heat wave frequency will increase the least?
the tropics
rain and snow
the two most common and familiar forms of precipitation
What causes wind to blow?
the uneven heating of Earth
Upwelling
the upward movement of ocean water toward the surface as a result of diverging currents
The constant movement of water between Earth's surface and the atmosphere
the water cycle
absolute zero
the zero point on the Kelvin temperature scale, representing the temperature at which all molecular motion is presumed to cease.
During the last 800,000 years:
there has been a pattern of roughly 100,000-year cycles of climate change.
A tool used to measure temperature
thermometer
cirrostratus
thin sheet of white, ice-crystal clouds that may give the sky a milky look. sometimes produce halos around the Sun and Moon. they are transparent and sometimes barely discernible
In the mid-1970's, the popular media reported that an ice age was eminent. This occurred for all these reasons EXCEPT:
this was the concensus view among climate scientists at the time
Tree Rings
tree growth is influenced by climate conditions, patterns in tree rings and isotopic composition of matter within each ring reflect variations in past climate *Wider rings suggest good growing conditions
All of Earth's weather takes place in this layer of the atmosphere
troposphere
The layer of the atmosphere that is the thinnest
troposphere
cloud seeding
trying to trigger, intensify or redirect atmospheric processes; done by adding agents such as dry ice and silver iodide when a portion of the cloud is supercooled; this technique has shown some promising results and is relatively inexpensive
function
two specific zones: ionosphere and ozonosphere
altocumulus and altostratus
two types of middle clouds
steam fog
type of evaporation fog; when cool air moves over warm water, enough moisture may evaporate from the water surface to saturate the air immediately above; the rising water vapor meets the cold air, condenses and rises with the air that is being warmed from below
middle clouds
typically occupy heights from 2000-6000 meters
As one goes further back in time in the climate record...
uncertainty increases and resolution decreases
Stratus
uniform layer that frequently covers much of the sky and may produce light precipitation; resembles fog but doesn't rest on the ground
A parcel of air, with less than 100% relative humidity, that is rising because of heat energy derived from the surface is
unstable
cloudbursts
unusually heavy rainfalls originating from cumulonimbus clouds
Which of these is most certain in regards to global climate change?
unusually rapid warming has occured over the past century
Define convection.
vertical motion; Parcels of air that are warmer, denser, than the surrounding air is buoyed upward because warm air rises.
What example is given for a mathematical model?
volume
What kind of air (cold or warm) has the capacity to store more moisture?
warm air
The ocean current known as the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean is a:
warm current flowing north from the equator
Most of Earth history can be characterized by average climate conditions that are
warmer than today.
The temperature on a cloudy night is likely to be ________ than that on a clear night because ________.
warmer; the clouds absorb heat energy and then reradiate some of it back to the ground
How does the period of 20th century warming differ from past warming periods of the past 8000 years such as the Midieval Warm Period?
warming is now occurring globally, across all regions
supercooled
water in the liquid state below 0 degrees celsius that freezes on contact if it impacts an object is called:
Water in the form of a gas
water vapor
Rossby waves
wavy paths that have long wavelengths which usually consist of four to six meanders that encircle the globe that the westerlies follow
What is a set of conditions in the atmosphere in one location for a limited period of time
weather
Citations do NOT need to be provided for which of the following?
well-known arguments or theories
frigid temperatures high in the troposphere
what kind of temperatures AND in which part of the atmosphere are the ideal environment to initiate precipitation?
light drizzle
what the Bergeron process is NOT responsible for forming:
virga
when rain droplets completely evaporate before hitting the ground, this appears as streaks of precipitation falling from a cloud that extend toward Earth's surface without reaching it
evaporation fogs
when saturation occurs primarily because of the addition of water vapor this type of fog forms
clouds of vertical development
when some clouds extend upward to span more than one height range. their base is in the low height range and extends to middle/high altitudes
fractus
when stratus or cumulus clouds appear broken
trace of precipitation
when the amount of rain is less than .025 cm it is generally reported as being a:
positive buoyancy
when the parcel has a higher temperature than the atmosphere; it is a general sign of severe weather and is atypical
advection fog
when warm, moist air blows over a cold surface, it becomes chilled by contact with the cold surface below. if cooling is sufficient, the result will be:
Define condensation.
when water vapor changes to a liquid state; water vapor molecules release energy (latent heat of condensation) in an amount equal to what was absorbed during evaporation
Which of these is NOT an uncertainty in regards to global climate change?
whether humans are responsible
altocumulus
white to gray clouds that tend to form in large patches composed of rounded masses or rolls that may or may not merge; generally composed of water droplets so the individual cells have a more distinct outline. they are thicker than cirrocumulus
Moving air
wind
Surface ocean currents are mostly driven by:
wind
From the follow figure , the wind-chill temperature index is based on
wind speed and air temperature.
Monsoon
wind systems that exhibit a pronounced seasonal reversal in direction such as the asian monsoon and the much smaller north American monsoon
A device that moves to show which way the wind is blowing
wind vane
prevailing westerlies
winds that blow west to east between 30 and 60 degrees in the northern and southern hemispheres
fallstreaks
wisps of ice particles that sublimate when they enter dry air below
mesosphere
within hemisphere - below thermosphere - mesosphere is the coldest portion of the atmophere
Does air always have some amount of water vapor in it?
yes
If your hypothesis is rejected, which is true?
your experiment may well have been a success
Last glacial maximum
~20,000 years ago Warming since
Prevailing Winds
Winds that blow mainly from one direction.
The ozonosphere is critical to life because it
absorbs most ultraviolet wavelengths
Surface-temperature anomalies from 1950 to 2014, compared to 1951-1980 baseline. Oranges indicate positive anomalies (warmer temperatures); purples indicate negative anomalies (cooler temperatures). [GISS/NASA.] The overall trend to warming temperatures
indicates the Arctic has experienced larger temperature increases than lower latitudes.
Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
inflame the human respiratory tract, destroy lung tissues, and damage plants. Source: ~50% from transportation (exhaust), ~50% from industry Effects: acidification of lakes, respiratory irritation, leads to photochemical smog & ozone formation Equation for acid formation: NO + O2 NO2 + H2O HNO3 Reduction: selective catalytic reduction unit, more efficient combustion processes like FBC (fluidized bed combustion), lower combustion temperatures, find alternatives to fossil fuels
The point at which evaporation and condensation are in balance is
saturation equilibrium.
The heat capacity of a substance is known as
specific heat
The general term that refers to the tendency of a parcel of air to either remain in place or change its initial position is
stability
Flat and layered clouds with horizontal development are classed as
stratiform (stratus)
The process of a solid transforming directly into a gas is
sublimation
What two pollutants react with water to produce acid rain?
sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides
Daily relative humidity patterns. On a typical day, the point of highest relative humidity is associated with
the time of the lowest temperature.
High altitudes are cooler than low altitudes because
there are fewer air molecules to absorb and radiate sensible heat.
50 mya
Generally started to cool, theories include absorbed carbon dioxide by the Himalayas
height and form
2 aspects of cloud classification:
saturated air and available surface
2 conditions that need to be met in order for condensation to occur
Siberian High
A strong, shallow area of high pressure that forms over Siberia in winter.
At saturation, ____ rate is equal to condensation rate
evaporation
An actual "greenhouse" works because:
short wave lengths of energy pass through the glass but longer ones can't
Polar Cell
Cells of air circulation occurring between 60 degrees north and south and each pole.
A halo around the sun or the moon indicates the cloud____ is present
Cirrostratus
Form and height
Clouds are classified based on
Contrails
Clouds formed as jets fly through the air. Look like long streaks.
Speleothems
Collective term for the dripstone features found in caverns, calcium carbonate (CaCO3) mineral deposits
The uncertainty with which our models predict the global average temperature resulting in 2100 from any particular RCP is about:
2 degree C
Pleistocene Epoch began
2.5 million years ago
What are the main sources of methane?
2/3 is from Human activities: livestock, mining of coal, oil, and natural gas, anaerobic "without oxygen" processes in flooded agricultural fields, and the burning of vegetation in fires.
How long ago was the peak of the last major glaciation?
20,000 years
If the temperature at the surface of Earth (at sea level) is 40°C, what is the temperature at 2000 m if the normal lapse rate is 6.4 C°/1000 m?
27.2°C
cirrus, cirrostratus and cirrocumulus
3 types of high clouds: (they are typically thin, white and made up primarily of ice crystals due to the small quantities of water vapor present at high altitudes and the low temperature)
Ferrel Cell
30 to 60 degrees. Air at 30 degrees stable so moves towards the poles towards unstable air, or subpolar lows
The top of the Earth's atmosphere is approximately
480 km (300 mi) above Earth's surface
How many ice ages occurred in the past 2 billion years of Earth's history?
5
How many ice ages occurred in the past two billion years of Earth's history?
5
5 mya
Fluctuating temperatures -Series of warmer and cooler periods -125,000 ya had temperatures similar to now -Carbon dioxide was lower, but temperatures were warmer
Cumulus clouds
Fluffy, white clouds, usually with flat bottoms, that look like rounded piles of cotton.
Upslope fog
Fog formed as moist, stable air flows upward over a topographic barrier. Decreases with capacity.
Small liquid drops or small ice crystals
Fog is composed of
Steam fog and frontal or precipitation fog
Form evaporation (increases water vapor content)
Sleet
Formed when rain falls through a layer of freezing air. Translucent particles of ice, rain drops freeze while falling.
Cold Front
Forms when a cold air mass pushes under a warm air mass.
True
Frontal fog is most common on cool days during extended periods of light rainfall
Long-term proxy methods
Gives information from hundreds of millions of years ago. Proxy indicators of ice-core data, sediments, corals, ancient pollen, tree-rings, ALL FOSSILIZED. Also oxygen isotope analysis and ocean sediment cores
Short-term proxy methods
Gives information from hundreds or thousands of years ago. Proxy indicators of carbon-isotope analysis, tree rings, lake cores, speleothems, and corals, all alive and collected today.
According to the IPCC, what was the most important radiative forcing factor for climate from 1750 to 2011?
Greenhouse gases, CO2 (60%)
Hydrophobic
Having an aversion to water; tending to coalesce and form droplets in water.
18O
Heavy oxygen
We are currently living in which geological time period?
Quaterernary
Which of these scenario results in the highest CO2 concentrations in 2100?
RCP 8.5
The precipitation in form of liquid water droplets that forms by condensation or by melting ice crystals as they pass through a warm layer of the atmosphere is
Rain
70 mya
Rapid Warming, followed by gradual cooling Much warmer in the distant past Tropics extended
If you want to predict the climate in Miami in the year 2050, you would best use a:
Regional Climate Model
is the process whereby supercooled water droplets freeze onto ice crystals.
Riming
Which of these is NOT one of the basic steps in constructing a general circulation climate model?
Running the model with different sets of initial conditions
Name the energy source that drives the water cycle
The Sun
Radioactive Isotopes
Such as carbon-14 are unstable and decay at a constant rate measured as a half-life (the time it takes half the sample to break down)
solar variability
Sunspot activity in time frame of decades Varies from 1 to over 200
Temperate Deserts
Tend to be cold deserts.
Chaparrals
Are regions with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers.
Deposition
A gas that is releasing it's energy into a solid
Cloud Formation (4 ways)
-adiabatic cooling by vertical lift -air parcel cools to the dew-point temp -air parcel becomes saturated -condensation occurs
Normal Lapse Rate
-average decrease in temperature with increasing altitude -value of 6.4C/1000m
Maximum specific humidity
-maximum possible water vapor per unit mass of air -increases as air temp. increases
Cloud Types by form/shape
-cirroform (hairlike, feathery) -stratiform (flat and layered) -cumuliform (dense, heavy)
Fog
-cloud layer on ground -air temp and dew point temp at ground level are nearly identical -near ground, air is -fog directly affects visibility
Advection fog
-formed when warm and moist air overlays cooler ocean currents, lake surfaces, or snow masses, layer of migrating air above surface chills to dew point
Cloud Types by Altitude
-low (up to 2000m) -middle (2000 -6000m) -high (6000-13000m) -vertically developed (near surface to 13000m)
Humidity (2 things)
-refers to water vapor in the air -primarily a function of the air temp and water vapor temp
Based on Figure 5.7, air temperature above the oceans is usually more moderate than that above the continents because
-there is no mixing between the layers of the land. -land has a lower specific heat. -the surface of the land is opaque. -here is less evaporation from most land surfaces.
Earth's 'climate sensitivity' to a doubling of atmosphere CO2 concentration is now judged to be in the range of
1.5 to 4.5 oC
Earth's 'climate sensitivity' to a doubling of atmosphere CO2 concentration is now judged to be in the range of:
1.5 to 4.5 oC
Define dry adiabatic lapse rate.
10 degrees per 1000 m; the rate of cooling or heating that applies to unsaturated air as it ascends or descends
The last glacial period ended about ________ years ago.
10,000
What is the average Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate?
10C/1000m
Last glacial period
110,000-11,700 years ago
The Holocene is a geological time interval that began about
12 thousand years ago
If air at sea level with a temperature of 27°C is forced up a mountain slope and the air's dew point at the condensation level is 14°C, at what elevation will condensation begin?
1300 meters
Maunder Minimum
1645 - 1715--period of low sunspot activity that corresponded to the Little Ice Age in Europe
La Nina
A cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of South America, occurring periodically every 4 to 12 years and affecting Pacific and other weather patterns. Associated with strong trade winds, a strong westward moving equatorial current, and strong upwelling
subtropical high
A belt of high pressure located at approximately 30o N and 30o S, which pushes heavy subsiding air outward toward both north and south.
Stationary Front
A boundary between air masses that are not moving.
Tropical Deserts
A desert is an area that receives less than 25 cm of rainfall per year.
Teleconnections
A linkage between weather changes occurring in widely separated regions of the world.
Altitude
A measure of the height of a place above sea level.
Bermuda-Azores High
A semipermanent cell found in the Atlantic in summer.
About how far back in time does the proxy record of changing climate from ice cores extend?
About 800,000 years
Which Milankovitch parameter is on a 41,000 year cycle? A. Obliquity B. Precession of the equinoxes C. Eccentricity D. None of the above
A. Obliquity
In dendrochronology, the scientist wants to choose a tree that: A. is growing in an area that relies on precipitation for existence B. is growing by a stream C. is growing by a lake D. there is no preferred location of a tree for the dendrochronologist to sample
A. is growing in an area that relies on precipitation for existence
Which of the following is NOT true about chlorofluorocarbons (CFC-11 and CFC-12)?
ALL of these are true -they cause long-term depletion of stratospheric ozone -they are greenhouse gases -they have a global warming potential many times greater than CO2 -they are non-toxic refrigerants
How human activities contribute to climate change?
By causing changes in Earth's atmosphere in the amounts of greenhouse gases, aerosols
Define rain shadow.
By the time air reaches the leeward side of mountains, much of the moisture has been lost, resulting in a rain shadow effect; an area having relatively little precipitation due to the effect of a topographic barrier
Oxygen isotope analysis is most commonly performed on which type of proxy data? A. Varves B. Ice cores C. Tree rings (dendrochronology) D. Palynology E. All of the above
B. Ice cores
In terms of Obliquity, what characteristic is favorable to ice age formation? A. Greater tilt B. Lesser tilt C. Obliquity is NOT a factor in the development of ice ages
B. Lesser Tilt
Which Milankovitch parameter is a non-factor when our earth is near-circular in form? A. Obliquity B. Precession of the equinoxes C. Eccentricity D. None of the above
B. Precession of the equinoxes
If Earth had less axial tilt, what would the affect be on our seasons? A. Seasons would have greater variability B. Seasons would have lesser variability C. There would be no change because seasons are not caused by axial tilt
B. Seasons would have lesser variability
Which of the following is NOT a factor in the development of Urban Heat Islands? A. Sky view factor. B. Setting aside of "open space" C. Point and mobile sources of heat and pollution D. Increasing population and construction E. Paving of land for city streets
B. Setting aside of open space
Climates may best be defined as: A. The day-to-day changes in temperature and moisture we see in the Troposphere B. The prevailing set of weather conditions at a place over a number of years C. The day-to-day changes in temperature and moisture over a year's time D. The prevailing set of weather conditions at a place over one decade E. None of the above
B. The prevailing set of weather conditions at a place over a number of years
Which of these climate controls would most likely have the fastest impact on climate change? A. Movement of continents due to plate tectonics B. Urban Heat Islands C. Change of the Earth's tilt D. Earth's rotation slowing down with days getting longer E. All of the above would cause the climate to respond in an equal time frame
B. Urban Heat Islands
Currently, Polaris is our "North Star". According to Milankovitch theory, which star will be our "North Star" in the future? A. Alpha Centauri B. Vega C. Proxima Centauri D. Polaris will ALWAYS be the "North Star"
B. Vega
Why major eruptions alter the Earth's radiative balance?
Because volcanic aerosol clouds absorb terrestrial radiation, and scatter a significant amount of the incoming solar radiation, an effect known as "radiative forcing" that can last from two to three years following a volcanic eruption.
Most of the precipitation that falls in the middle latitudes is formed by:
Bergeron process
CO2 weathering feedback
CO2 combines with rainwater to make a weak acid, which erodes mountains and rocks which releases calcium, magnesium, and potassium into the rivers which flow into the oceans, which combine with the ocean water to make the ocean more acidic so some fish live shorter lives/can't live at all.
Surface Currents
Can either be warm or cold, are stream-like movements of water that occur at or near the surface of the ocean.
What is true of the last 30 to 40 years in terms of climate change? A. Major weather events appear to be getting more frequent but cause less damage B. Major weather events appear to be getting less frequent but more costly C. Major weather events appear to be getting more frequent and causing more damage D. Major weather events appear to be getting less frequent and are causing less damage E. Climate change does not appear to be occurring
C. Major weather events appear to be getting more frequent and causing more damage
Palynology involves: A. the study of ice cores B. the study of tree rings C. the study of pollen D. the study of varves E. the study of still existing geomorphic features
C. The Study of Pollen
What greenhouse gas has the largest radiative forcing?
CO2
The_______ cloud May have an "anvil head"
Cumulonimbus
Thunder and lightening are associated with the _________ cloud
Cumulonimbus
Radiation
Energy that is radiated or transmitted in the form of rays or waves or particles.
Dust in the Vostok ice core seems to increase in association with: A. Colder temperatures and ice ages B. Warmer temperatures and interglacial (non Ice age) periods C. Due to a stronger Polar Front jet stream D. Both A and C E. Both B and C
D. Both A and C - Colder temperatures and ice ages - Due to a stronger Polar Front jet streams
Which of the following is an example of a(n) macro-scale climate control? A. Urban heat islands B. Existence of a mountain range or large water body C. Changes in natural vegetation D. Distribution of oceans and continents
D. Distribution of oceans and continents
Which of the following explain how and why atmospheric pressure changes with altitude?
Density of molecules in the atmosphere decreases upward, as does the force of Earth's gravity. Atmospheric pressure lowers with increasing altitude.
56 mya
Distinct period of warming, theories include a sudden increase in atmospheric carbon from a) Melting methane hydrates in the ocean This took place in about 20,000 years (much slower than today)
True
High clouds are generally not precipitation makers.
Which of the following is true of chlorofluorocarbons?
The CFC molecules react with ultraviolet light to release chlorine which then destroys ozone.
Ratios of ^{16} O/^{18} O typically increase: A. As one moves closer to the equator B. As one moves close to the poles C. As conditions grow colder D. As conditions grow warmer E. Both B and C
E. Both B and C - As one moves closer to the poles - As conditions grow colder
Which of the following would best be described as a climatic event? A. Hurricane B. Blizzard C. Drought D. Earthquake E. None of the above
E. None of the above
From the graph in figure 2 {2}, which of the following weather events appears to be occurring with greater frequency and causing the greater damage? A. Tropical cyclones B. Flooding C. Wildfires D. Winter storms E. Severe storms
E. Severe Storms
Define conditional instability.
ELR is between the dry and wet adiabatic lapse rates. If the air parcel stays UNSATURATED, then it will remain cooler than the surrounding environment and RESIST LIFTING. If the air parcel becomes saturated then it will be warmer than the surrounding environment and will RISE. unsaturated, cool, resists lifting saturated, warm, rises
Which subject is not covered by the working group on the physical science basis for climate change?
Ecological Responses
Which of the following is an example of a short-term climate feature?
El Nino
According to Dire Predictions, where was the 2003 heat wave that killed 35,000?
Europe
How does evaporation affect land-water heating differences?
Evaporation tends to lower temperatures more over water bodies than over land.
Conifers
Evergreen needle-leaved trees. Pine, spruce, and fir are examples.
A GCM with a lower T number, will have higher spatial resolution.
False
El Nino is considered a weather event, rather than a climate event
False
In the Hadley Center's regional climate model, the land area of the United States does not include Florida.
False
Models show that rainfall will decrease almost everywhere on Earth by 2100.
False
Observations that fall into the tails of a normal probability distribution are referred to as standard deviations.
False
T or F Advection dogs form best when there is no wind
False
The C cycle consists only of transfers of carbon between the atmosphere and plants and animals.
False
The National Weather Service issues forecasts for long-term climate conditions.
False
The climate shift illustrated in this probability of occurrence graph will result in a greater number of extreme weather days.
False
True or False? Average annual maximum temperatures in Florida have increased continuously (year to year) since 1900.
False
Latitude
Measure of how far a place is from the equator.
Why is methane a more potent greenhouse gas as compared to CO2?
Methane is 25 times more efficient at trapping atmospheric heat/longwave radiation, making its global warming potential higher
Earth's Orbital Cycles
Milankovitch cycles--3 parts 1) Orbit changes shape-100,000- year cycle. 2) Axis wobbles (precession)--26,000-year cycle 3) Axial tilt varies from 21.5 to 24.5 degrees--41,000-year cycle
Macroscale Winds
Planetary and synoptic scale winds
polar easterlies
Prevailing winds that blow from east to west between 60degrees-90degrees latitude in both hemisphere.
trade winds
Prevailing winds that blow northeast from 30 degrees north latitude to the equator and that blow southeast from 30 degrees south latitude to the equator
Radiation fog (ground up)
Produced over land when radiation cooling decreases air temperature to the dew point. At night, temp decrease, because air cools because ground cools because losing long- wave radiation calm, clear fall and winter nights. Decreases with capacity
According to the Skeptical Raptor blog, which of these represents the highest quality type of source of evidence to use in making a scientific argument?
Secondary reviews published in high quality journals
Mechanisms of Natural Climate Fluctuation
Solar variability Earth's orbital cycles Continental position and topography Atmospheric gases and aerosols
What happens to water when it is heated?
Some of it evaporates to form water vapor
water vapor feedback
The net effect of increasing water vapor in global warming. More evaporation leads to higher humidity, accelerating greenhouse warming
Polar Zone
The northernmost and southernmost climate zones.
Moist Adiabatic Rate
The rate at which an ascending air parcel that is moist and saturated cools by expansion
Aleutian Low
The subpolar low-pressure area that is centered near the Aleutian Islands on charts that show mean sea-level pressure.
cloud condensation nuclei
The surface on which condensation can occur aloft
Temperate Forests
The temperate forest biomes tend to have very high amounts of rainfall and seasonal temperature differences.
low pressure
ample precipitation
annual mean temperature
an average of the 12 monthly means.
fog and cloud dispersal
an effect of cloud seeding that involves spreading dry ice into layers of supercooled fog or stratus clouds to improve visibility; unfortunately, most fog is not composed of supercooled water droplets
thermistor
an electric thermometer consisting of a conductor whose residence to the flow of current is temperature dependent; commonly used in radiosondes.
thermometers
an instrument for measuring temperature; in meteorology, generally used to measure the temperature of the air.
thermograph
an instrument that continuously records temperature.
Credence should be given only to scientific assertions that satisfy ALL EXCEPT:
are thought true by a majority of people
Cumulonimbus clouds
are thunderstorm clouds. High winds can flatten the top of the cloud into an anvil-like shape. Are associated with heavy rain, snow, hail, lightning and even tornadoes. The anvil usually points in the direction the storm is moving. Vertical development.
A tool used to measure changes in air pressure
barometer
What are Milankovitch cycles?
changes in Earth's orbit and orientation to the Sun
Icelandic Low
center of low atmospheric pressure located in the north Atlantic, especially persistent in winter.
Which of the following would we expect to see on a map depicting a seasonal forecast?
chances of experiencing above-normal conditions
The process by which a cloud droplet first forms is
condensation
The process of a gas changing to a liquid
condensation
Salt, dust particles, and smoke are all examples of:
condensation nuclei
The cloud droplets in a cloud are formed by water vapor molecules and
condensation nuclei
Steam fog
condensation of water vapor that results when cool air moves over warm water. Increases water vapor content.
Which of these is NOT a primary goal of climate modeling?
condense large amounts of data into summary parameters
Stability—three examples. Specific examples of (a) unstable, (b) conditionally unstable, and (c) stable conditions in the lower atmosphere. Note the response to these three conditions in the air parcel on the right side of each diagram. When the environmental lapse rate is between the dry and moist adiabatic lapse rates, conditions are described as
conditionally unstable.
When the environmental lapse rate is between the dry and moist adiabatic lapse rates, conditions are described as
conditionally unstable.
The IPCC is mandated to do all EXCEPT:
conduct research to better understand the causes and effects of climate change
Cumulus clouds
consist of globular cloud masses that are often described as cottonlike in appearance. typically they have a flat base and appear as rising domes or towers. name means "heap" or "pile"
tipping-bucket gauge
consists of two compartments situated at the base of a funnel that tip, closing an electrical circuit and records on a graph the amount of precipitation
collision-coalescence process
formation of precipitation, where tiny droplets accumulate, fall, and collide with other small droplets until rain drops form and fall.
temperature
four distinct zones: thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere and troposphere
According to Kitchin, big data exploration represents the _____ paradigm of science
fourth
To change state from a liquid to a solid
freeze
Satellite observations of recent decreases in stratospheric temperatures are important because they:
lend further support to the theory that GHG increases are causing global warming
lenticular
lens-shaped clouds; common in rugged or mountainous topographies
The wet adiabatic lapse rate is _________ than the dry adiabatic lapse rate because _________.
less; condensation heats the air
(Saturation) Cooler Air means
lesser maximum water vapor possible
Stratus clouds
look like flat blankets and are usually the lowest clouds in the sky.
Describe the humidity in a desert
low humidity
Land has a ________ specific heat than water and therefore heats more ________.
lower; quickly
high clouds
normally have bases above 6000 meters
According to the Southeast Climate reading on rainfall, which region of the U.S. has experienced the greatest increase in very heavy precipitation
northeast
Future climate:
numerical prediction using GCMs
Adiabatic
occurring without a loss or gain of heat
Approximately how far back in time can one investigate climate change on Earth using tree rings?
several thousand years
sleet
the fall of clear to translucent particles of ice; form when raindrops freeze while falling through a layer of subfreezing air = (snow melts to rain from incoming warm air and then freezes again into small, spherical or lumpy ice particles)
Atmospheric gases and aerosols
the greenhouse effect varies in strength naturally over time from volcano & ocean floor vent CO2 emissions. Volcanic eruptions can lead to large changes in climate by injecting aerosols into the stratosphere which increases albedo so the Earth receives less insolation.
evaporation
the growth of ice crystals is fed by the continued _____ of liquid droplets.
lifting condensation level
the height at which the ascending parcel has cooled to its dew-point temperature and triggers condensation
Climate consists of all of the following, except:
the high temperature for a given day
Global belts of prevailing winds are caused by:
the higher spin velocity and higher atmospheric solar heating at the equator
Climate Change Science
the interdisciplinary study of the causes and consequences of changing climate for all Earth systems and the sustainability of human societies
Define evaporation.
the process of converting a liquid to a gas (vapor); the energy absorbed by water molecules during evaporation is used to give them the motion needed to escape the surface of the liquid and become a gas, energy referred to as latent heat of vaporization.
Bergeron process
the process that generates much of the precipitation in the middle latitudes
Dry Adiabatic Rate
the rate at which "dry" air cools by expansion (if ascending) or heats by compression (if descending) -Dry refers to air that is less then saturated
echo
the reflected signal from radio waves that penetrate small cloud drops and are reflected by larger raindrops, ice crystals and hailstones.