ATMO 1300: Exam 2 2023 with Complete Solutions

Which of the following parcels of air would have the highest saturation vapor pressure? -10 degrees -20 degrees -30 degrees -40 degrees - ANSWER-40 degrees Which parameter indicates the actual amount of water vapor in air? - ANSWER-Dew point When a parcel of air is saturated, what is its Relative Humidity? - ANSWER-100% If a parcel of air is saturated and its temperature is 60 degrees, what is its dew point temperature? - ANSWER-60 degrees -If a parcel of air is saturated, the temperature and dew point are the same! Dew, frost, fog and clouds all form when... - ANSWER-Air is cooled to its dew point temperature resulting in condensation. Which of the following is NOT a type of fog? - ANSWER-Deposition fog Which of the following clouds would most likely be composed of both liquid water droplets and ice crystals? - ANSWER-Cumulonimbus because it extends through the whole vertical of the atmosphere Which cloud has a halo around the sun? - ANSWER-Cirrostratus The dry adiabatic lapse rate is... - ANSWER-10 degrees per 1000 meters The moist adiabatic lapse rate is... - ANSWER-6 degrees per 1000 meters If a parcel of air is warmer than the surrounding (environmental) air, it will... - ANSWER-Rise Air that rises up and over a mountain range will have what characteristics on the other side? - ANSWER-Warmer and drier What is the level called where a rising parcel of air will begin to form a cloud? - ANSWER-(Lifted) Condensation Level What would be needed for cloud drops to grow to the size of rain drops in tropical clouds? - ANSWER-Numerous drops of different sizes In the absence of the atmosphere, which of the following would reach the ground first if dropped from the top of the MCOM tower? - ANSWER-All would arrive at the same time What precipitation growth process occurs in "warm" clouds? - ANSWER-Collision-Coalescence Where would you find supercooled liquid cloud droplets? - ANSWER-In the middle What are very small raindrops ( 0.5mm) called? - ANSWER-Drizzle During what time of year does the largest form of frozen precipitation fall? - ANSWER-Spring and Summer -Hail is the biggest form of frozen precipitation which occurs in thunderstorms What mainly determines how large hail stones grow? - ANSWER-Thunderstorm updraft strength Which of the following precipitation types could be described as "frozen rain"? - ANSWER-Sleet Which parameters below can doppler radar NOT detect? - ANSWER-Motion of air perpendicular to the radar If a train is blowing its horn and moving away from you, how will the pitch (frequency) of the horn sound? - ANSWER-Lower than it sounds to people on the train As the temperature of air increases, the amount of water vapor needed to saturate the air ___________. - ANSWER-Increases High clouds are composed mainly of... - ANSWER-Ice crystals because its really cold up there When can the dew point temperature exceed the temperature? - ANSWER-Dewpoint can never exceed temperature Hydrologic Cycle - ANSWER--No beginning and no end -Water gets into the atmosphere by evaporation, transpiration, which then condensates in a cloud -This causes precipitation that allows the water to get out of the atmosphere by runoff and ground water -All the water that's here, is all the water that's ever been here; all water is recycled water! Evaporation - ANSWER-Molecules changing from liquid state into vapor state -Cooling process Condensation - ANSWER-Molecules changing from a vapor state to a liquid state -Warming process Saturation - ANSWER-Total number of molecules escaping from liquid (evaporating) are balanced by the number returning (condensing) Humidity - ANSWER--A variety of ways to specify the amount of water vapor in the air -General term to describe how much water vapor is in the air True or false? The warmer the air, the more water vapor it takes to saturate that air - ANSWER-True Dew point - ANSWER--Temperature at which saturation occurs -Good measure of actual water vapor content Relative Humidity - ANSWER--Does not give you an accurate measure of the humidity in the air. -It tells you how close the air is to saturation, not how much water vapor is in the air! -The air is saturated if the relative humidity is at 100% -Can be changed in two ways: temp and vapor content Relative Humidity in relation to temperature - ANSWER--RH increases as temperature decreases -RH decreases as temperature increases Relative Humidity in relation to evaporation - ANSWER--Relative humidity is inversely related to the evaporation rates -High RH, water evaporates slowly -Low RH, water evaporates quickly Dew Point Temperature - ANSWER--Temperature to which air must be cooled to reach saturation (constant pressure) -Higher dew point means more water vapor -Indicator of the actual water vapor content Temp-Dew Point Spread - ANSWER--Temperature minus dew point -Can be related to relative humidity -Small spread = high relative humidity -Large spread = low relative humidity When temperature and dew point are the same, what is the relative humidity at? - ANSWER-100% Location A: Temp= 30 degrees, Dew point = 28 degrees Location B: Temp= 95 degrees, Dew point= 50 degrees Where is the higher water vapor content at? - ANSWER-Location B because higher dew point Location A: Temp= 30 degrees, Dew point = 28 degrees Location B: Temp= 95 degrees, Dew point= 50 degrees Where is the higher relative humidity? - ANSWER-Location A because temperature and dew point are closer together Heat index - ANSWER-Combines air temperature with relative humidity to determine an apparent temperature (what it feels like to us) Lots of weather can happen when the air isn't saturated - ANSWER-False What are clouds composed of? - ANSWER-Tiny liquid water droplets or small ice crystals