Transcript
Clouds and Precipitation
By: Justin Haines
Adiabatic Temperature Changes and Expansion and Cooling
• When Air is Heated it expands and becomes less dense.
• For the molecules to spread out they need energy as they do they become less agitated.
• When air cools down it falls to the surface of the earth more pressure is added causing them to heat up.
http://www.kidsgeo.com/images/adiabatic.jpg
http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0070-adiabatic-temperature-changes.php
Orographic Lifting
• Is when air masses rise over a mountain range.• When it rises it cools to the point where
condensation takes place and precipitation is common.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Orographic_lifting_of_the_air_-_NOAA.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orographic_lift
Frontal Wedging
• When warm air and cold air collide at the surface, or front.
http://www.wou.edu/las/physci/taylor/gs106/atm2_precip_files/slide0004_image043.jpg
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_frontal_wedging
Convergence
• A region in the atmosphere where two prevailing flows meet and interact resulting in distinct weather conditions.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/IntertropicalConvergenceZone-EO.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convergence_zone
Localized Convective Lifting
• Is the warm convection air rising over a particular local area.
http://www.richhoffmanclass.com/images/chapter4/seabreeze.gif
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090504182240AAIVfQ3
Stability (Density Differences & Stability and Daily Weather)
• Condensation that happens when the air temperature actually increases with the height of a temperature inversion.
http://shoalwater.nsw.gov.au/Education/images/water%20cycle/condensation_main.jpg
Condensation
• Water that collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it.
http://www.weatherquestions.com/condensation.gif
http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0107-condensation.php
Types of Clouds
• Cirrus clouds: Are high, white, and thing. They can occur as patches or as sheets or extended fibers that have a feathery look.
• Cumulus Clouds: Rounded masses. Usually have a flat base and look like towers.
• Stratus Clouds: They look like sheets or layers that cover much or the whole sky.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/CirrusField-color.jpg/300px-CirrusField-color.jpg
Book
High Clouds
• High clouds are usually ranging from about 16,500 and 45,000 ft in latitudes.
• Clouds at this level are cirrus, cirrocumulus, and cirrostratus
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Cirrocumulus_Clouds_July_2010.jpg/300px-Cirrocumulus_Clouds_July_2010.jpg
http://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?word=high%20clouds
Middle Clouds
• Clouds at the altitude between 6,500 and 23,000 ft.
• These clouds are Altocumulus, altostratus, and nimbostratus
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Altocumulus.jpg/300px-Altocumulus.jpg
http://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?word=Middle+clouds
Low Clouds
• Lower level clouds are clouds at the lower levels of the atmosphere these clouds usually reflect lower levels of light creating low contrast.
• Lower level clouds: cumulus, stratocumulus and stratus.
http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/collecting/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/11stratocumuluslowtideantoniofeci.jpg
http://australiasevereweather.com/techniques/moreadv/class.htm#1
Clouds Of Vertical Development
• These clouds are clouds that aren’t classified by any three of the scales
• Such clouds are fog which is a cloud which is at ground level.
http://outofthefog.net/images/fogjpg014.jpgBook
Fog
• Fog is a low level cloud at ground level• Fog is created by radiation cooling• Fog is defined as a cloud with it’s base near
the ground.
http://www.uh.edu/engines/fog9.jpgBook
Cold Cloud Precipitation (Bergeron process)
• When cold clouds of the upper atmosphere form precipitation from ice crystal growth.
http://www.geo.hunter.cuny.edu/~tbw/wc.notes/5.cond.precip/precipitation/bergeron.process.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergeron_process
Warm Cloud Precipitation (Collision-coalescene process)
• In many places in the world it’s too warm for ice crystals to form therefore rain and snow can’t develop.
• Instead rain turns into large droplets of water.
http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/~wintelsw/MET1010LOL/chapter07/drop_cloud_ccn.gif
http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0113-collision-coalescence.php
Rain and Snow
• Rain and Snow are both types of precipitation• The type of precipitation that hits Earth
depends on the temperature in the lower atmosphere.
• Snow is due to cold atmospheric weather.
http://www.picturesofwinter.net/snowoncabins.jpg
Book
Sleet, Glaze, and Hail
• Sleet, Glaze, and Hail are all types of precpitation.
• The type of precipitation that hits Earth depends on the temperature in the lower atmosphere.
• These types are due to cold atmospheric weather.
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/cae/svrwx/nsslhail3.jpg
Book
The End!