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Questions and Answers
What is the new cloud type characterized by sea-surface like detail called?
What is the new cloud type characterized by sea-surface like detail called?
The process of heat transfer from molecule to molecule within a substance is known as convection.
The process of heat transfer from molecule to molecule within a substance is known as convection.
False
Name three factors that affect a location's average annual temperature.
Name three factors that affect a location's average annual temperature.
Latitude, ocean proximity, prevailing winds.
Very cold temperatures are often referred to as 'dry' even if the relative humidity is _____ %.
Very cold temperatures are often referred to as 'dry' even if the relative humidity is _____ %.
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What two conditions contribute to making the atmosphere most unstable?
What two conditions contribute to making the atmosphere most unstable?
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Match the vertical temperature profile with its stability type.
Match the vertical temperature profile with its stability type.
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What is the coldest temperature recorded in the lower 48 contiguous states?
What is the coldest temperature recorded in the lower 48 contiguous states?
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Cold air can hold _____ moisture compared to warm air.
Cold air can hold _____ moisture compared to warm air.
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What type of air is typically found associated with low pressures/heights on an upper-level weather map?
What type of air is typically found associated with low pressures/heights on an upper-level weather map?
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Water always freezes in the free atmosphere at 0°C.
Water always freezes in the free atmosphere at 0°C.
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What is the term for the classic fernlike snowflake?
What is the term for the classic fernlike snowflake?
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The lifting condensation level (LCL) is where a parcel lifted vertically first becomes _______.
The lifting condensation level (LCL) is where a parcel lifted vertically first becomes _______.
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Which forces act on the horizontal wind aloft in straight flow?
Which forces act on the horizontal wind aloft in straight flow?
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Match the precipitation types with their descriptions:
Match the precipitation types with their descriptions:
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The process of ice crystals aggregating together is called deposition.
The process of ice crystals aggregating together is called deposition.
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Due to the curvature effect, small droplets require even greater than _______ RH to survive.
Due to the curvature effect, small droplets require even greater than _______ RH to survive.
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What kind of atmosphere is stable when an air parcel is given a small push upward and returns to its original position?
What kind of atmosphere is stable when an air parcel is given a small push upward and returns to its original position?
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A conditionally unstable atmosphere is stable with respect to unsaturated air lifting.
A conditionally unstable atmosphere is stable with respect to unsaturated air lifting.
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What is the rate at which the actual air temperature changes with increasing height above the surface called?
What is the rate at which the actual air temperature changes with increasing height above the surface called?
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A typical raindrop is about ______ mm in diameter.
A typical raindrop is about ______ mm in diameter.
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Which of the following conditions would most likely produce a cumulus cloud with the lowest base?
Which of the following conditions would most likely produce a cumulus cloud with the lowest base?
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Which type of cloud is most likely associated with very heavy rain that lasts for a few minutes?
Which type of cloud is most likely associated with very heavy rain that lasts for a few minutes?
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When an air parcel starts at 16C and is lifted over a mountain, it will still be ______ when it reaches the other side.
When an air parcel starts at 16C and is lifted over a mountain, it will still be ______ when it reaches the other side.
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Match the mechanism of cloud formation with their description:
Match the mechanism of cloud formation with their description:
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Study Notes
Atmospheric Structure and Processes
- Atmospheric air near the Earth's surface is primarily composed of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%).
- Atmospheric pressure increases with height.
- Temperature changes within the atmosphere's four primary layers vary with height.
Earth's Tilt and Seasons
- The Earth is tilted at a 23.5° angle relative to its orbital plane.
- A greater tilt angle (40°) would lead to more extreme seasonal variations in middle latitudes.
Water Changes
- Evaporation is the process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas.
Heat Transfer
- Heat energy transfers from hot objects to cold objects.
College Station's Temperature
- The sun sets around 8:15 PM and rises around 6:15 AM in College Station, Texas, during June.
- Low temperatures are typically observed around sunrise.
- This is due to loss of energy from the environment.
Greenhouse Effect
- Water vapor and carbon dioxide are the main greenhouse gases.
- Downward-emitted longwave radiation from the atmosphere is partially responsible for the greenhouse effect.
Temperature and Humidity
- Cities with high relative humidity may have higher minimum temperatures.
- Cities with lower humidity may have lower minimum temperatures.
Aurora
- Auroras are produced by fast-moving charged particles colliding with air molecules.
Cloud Formation and Types
- Clouds in the nighttime are detectable by infrared imagery.
- Valley areas are most susceptible to radiation fog formation.
- Cirrus, cirrostratus, and cirrocumulus clouds are primarily composed of ice crystals.
- Cloud types such as anvil (a), lenticular (b), and mammatus (c) are characterized by distinctive shapes.
- Advection fog forms when warm, moist air moves over a cold surface.
- Evaporation fog forms when cold air overlays warm water, and radiation fog forms on clear nights.
- Convective, frontal, and orographic lifting processes are involved in cloud formation.
Atmospheric Temperature and Pressure
- The environmental lapse rate is the rate at which air temperature changes with altitude.
- Stable atmospheres result from an air parcel sinking back to its original position.
- Unstable conditions in the atmosphere lead to an air parcel rising, with conditional stability conditions allowing for a rise to occur once the surface is warmed.
- The temperature inversion is a phenomenon in which the temperature increases with increasing height in the atmosphere.
Other Meteorological Topics
- The terminal velocity of a hailstone is relative to its size and only develops with strong updrafts.
- Different cloud types are associated with specific weather patterns, such as cumulonimbus clouds associated with thunderstorms.
- The conditions of cold and dry air in relation to saturated and warm air can lead to conditional instability.
- Ice crystals in clouds can grow larger through Bergeron process, and freezing rain occurs when the air temperature near Earth's surface is slightly above freezing.
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