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Humidity: amount of water vapor in air
● vapor pressure● saturation vapor pressure● absolute humidity● specific humidity● saturation specific humidity● mixing ratio● saturation mixing ratio● relative humidity● dew point temperature
(NOT how much moisture is in the air, but how much moisture the air can hold)
Humidity: amount of water vapor in air
● vapor pressure●● absolute humidity● specific humidity●● mixing ratio●● relative humidity● dew point temperature
Humidity: amount of water vapor in air
● vapor pressure●● absolute humidity● specific humidity●● mixing ratio●● relative humidity● dew point temperature
Humidity: amount of water vapor in air
● vapor pressure●● absolute humidity● specific humidity●● mixing ratio● ● relative humidity● dew point temperature
specific humidity: q=mv /(mv+md)mixing ratio: r=mv /md
lets just worry about q or r
Only worry about 4 measures of moistures:
● vapor pressure● mixing ratio● relative humidity● dew point temperature
Relative humidity depends on:
A. moisture content onlyB. temperature onlyC. both moisture content and temperature
If you cool the parcel to 8oC, the dew point temperature A. remains at 10oCB. increases to 12oCC. decreases to 8oC
tutorial on dew point and temperature
● Upper air soundings (weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/sounding)● radar/satellite images(weather.rap.ucar.edu)
small drops require super-saturation to avoid evaporation
radius and super-saturation tutorial
factors affecting saturation: solution
pure water drops vs solution drops (also includes effects from CCN)
Which of the following is NOT true about condensation nuclei (CN)?
A. CN are more abundant over land than water.
B. there are no natural sources of CN over the open ocean.
C. A large number of CN may inhibit precipitation by creating large numbers of small drops.
D. One possible source of CN is the conversion of gas molecules into aerosols.
E. More than one of the above is false.
Consider the first law of thermodynamics
Which of the following are not true:A. A diabatic process has while an adiabatic one hasB. Changes in temperature always require heat transfer (either to or from the
system)C. An adiabatic process with no work done will result in a large temperature
change.D. Changes in the internal energy of a (dilute) gas are always related to
changes in temperature.E. More than one of the above is false.
Cumulus congestus clouds expand into the free atmosphere. Which of the following does not apply:
A. The temperature near the cloud top increases as a result of heat transfer via convection from the Earth’s surface.
B. The “sharp” boundaries of the cloud indicate sharp moisture gradients in the atmosphere.
C. There is almost no heat transfer between cloud and the surrounding atmosphere during expansion.
Adiabatic expansion demo
● breathing and blowing● convection over Ft. Craig (from Dr. Sonnenfeld)
Adiabatic Lapse rates
Adiabatic lapse rate: rate a parcel cools with altitude:
● If parcel is moist but not saturated, it cools at the dry adiabatic lapse rate (DALR)
● If parcel is saturated, it cools at the saturated adiabatic lapse rate (SALR)
DALR=1.0oC/100mSALR=0.5oC/100m
Why is DALR > SALR?
Air parcels must lift to form clouds: forced lifting
lifting by fronts
lifting by orography;
lifting by convergence
Lapse rates and stability
ELR, SALR, DALR
Clicker questionAn unsaturated parcel cools as it rises adiabatically until it reaches the dew point. A. at this point it is saturatedB. this level is called the lifting condensation level (LCL)C. this level is the level of free convection (LFC)D. A and BE. A and C
clicker questionThe (now saturated) parcel continues to rise.A. The convection is forced until it reaches the level of free
convection (LFC).B. The parcel is still cooler than its surroundings until it
reaches the LFCC. The parcel supersaturates or begins to condense as it
rises.D. Once it reaches the LFC, the parcel becomes more
buoyanct than the surrounding air.E. All of the above.
clicker questionOnce a parcel rises, it rises untilA. it hits a layer of stable airB. it entrains dry airC. it hits the stratosphereD. all of the aboveE. none of the above