The document discusses various atmospheric processes related to clouds and precipitation. It covers topics such as adiabatic temperature changes, mechanisms of air rising to form clouds, cloud classification, fog and mist formation, Bergeron process of rain formation, and factors influencing precipitation type. The document provides definitions and explanations of key terms through links to external web pages on atmospheric science topics.

1. BY: CASSIE WOLF

2.  As air expands it cools down, as it compresses
it warms
 Dry adiabatic rate is the cooling and heating of
unsaturated air
 Slower rate of cooling caused by the addition of
latent heat is the wet adiabatic rate
http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0070-
adiabatic-temperature-changes.php

3.  4 mechanisms that can cause air to rise are
orographic lifting, frontal wedging, convergence,
and localized convective lifting
 When mountains act as barriers to air flow
orographic lifting occurs
 As air goes up the mountain adiabatic cooling
occurs which could generate clouds and
precipitation
http://ocw.usu.edu/Forest__Range__and_
Wildlife_Sciences/Wildland_Fire_Manageme
nt_and_Planning/Unit_7__Atmospheric_Sta
bility_and_Instability_3.html

4.  Warm and cold air collide making a front
 Cooler air acts as a barrier over which warmer
air rises pushing the cold air down.
http://www.geo.hunter.cuny.edu/
~tbw/wc.notes/4.moisture.atm.sta
bility/frontal_wedging.htm

5.  When air in lower atmosphere flows together
lifting happens
 Since cold air cannot go up it goes down
 Leads to adiabatic cooling and maybe cloud
formation
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/gui
des/mtr/cld/dvlp/cnvrg.rxml

6.  Unequal heating of Earths causes pockets of air
to be warmed more then surrounding air
 Rising parcels of warmer air are called
thermals
http://santasusana.org/pakelly/ES9CP/E
S9%20clouds.htm

7.  Stable air tends to remain in its original
position while unstable air tends to rise
 Clouds wont form when stable air conditions
are present in the atmosphere
https://www.meted.ucar.edu/sign_in.ph
p?go_back_to=http%253A%252F%252Fww
w.meted.ucar.edu%252Ffire%252Fs290%25
2Funit6%252Fprint.htm

8.  Gas turns into a liquid which can collect in the
form of dew, fog, or clouds
 Air must be saturated to form
 Saturation occurs most commonly when air is
cooled to its dew point
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=condensation&um=1&hl=en&safe=
active&sa=N&biw=1024&bih=419&tbm=isch&tbnid=-
j_VUuUZn2dUEM:&imgrefurl=http://keep3.sjfc.edu/students/kes0089
8/e-
port/condensation%2520page%2520for%2520unit.html&docid=cO638H
AhHrSoiM&imgurl=http://keep3.sjfc.edu/students/kes00898/e-
port/condensepic.jpg&w=600&h=412&ei=xoL0TuCuDunk0QH-
ooymAg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=156&sig=116166674119090530697&pag
e=1&tbnh=100&tbnw=136&start=0&ndsp=13&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0&tx=70
&ty=70

9.  Clouds are classified by their height and form
 Cirrus clouds are described as a curl of hair
and are very high and thin in the atmosphere
 Cumulus clouds are rounded individual
masses
 Stratus is a layer or sheet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirrus_clo
ud

10.  Cirrus, cirrostratus (flat layers), and
cirrocumulus (fluffy masses) make up the high
cloud family
 Often made up of ice crystals creating thin and
white clouds
 Not precipitation makers
http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/glossary
.php?&letter=H

11.  Altocumulus clouds are composed of rounded
masses which are larger and denser then
cirrocumulus clouds
 Middle clouds are in the range of 2000- 6000
meters in the atmosphere
 Infrequent light snow or drizzle may occur in
these clouds
http://smsjar.blogspot.com/2011/04/clou
ds.html

12.  Stratus, stratocumulus, ad nimbostratus make
up the low cloud family
 Nimbostratus produce light precipitations
 Stratus the develops a scalloped bottom are
called stratocumulus
http://braindanceisawayoflife.blogspot.co
m/2009/04/cloudspotters-guide.html

13.  Some clouds do not fit into anyone of the 3
height categories, these have babes in low
height range but extend upward
 Cumulus clouds may turn into a
cumulonimbus cloud under certain
circumstances
 The more movement and more powerful
acceleration creates a more vertical range
http://www.pilotfriend.com/av_weather
/meteo/clouds.htm

14.  Fog is defined as a cloud with a base at or near
the ground
 Fog can be produced by moisture from the sea
that moves over land
 As cool air moves over warm water moisture
may evaporate
http://www.brainharmonycenter.com/br
ain-fog.html

15.  Bergeron process relies on super cooling and
super saturation
 Ice crystals cannot exist with water droplets
https://www.meted.ucar.edu/sign_in.ph
p?go_back_to=http%253A%252F%252Fww
w.meted.ucar.edu%252Fhydro%252Fbasic
_int%252Fflash_flood%252Fimage_gallery.
htm

16.  Collision-coalescence process forms raindrops
in clouds
 Water absorbing particles remove water vapor
from the air at a relative humidity less then
100%
 As large droplets move through the clouds
they join with smaller droplets
https://www.meted.ucar.edu/sign_in.ph
p?go_back_to=http%253A%252F%252Fww
w.meted.ucar.edu%252Ftropical%252Ftext
book_2nd_edition%252Fprint_5.htm

17.  The type of precipitation depends on the
temperature profile in the lower atmosphere
 When temperature is above 4°C snowflakes melt
and continue to fall as rain
 As temperature more than -5°C ice crystals come
together in clumps
http://www.global-greenhouse-
warming.com/ecology-of-snow.html

18.  Sleet is the fall of small particles of clear ice
 Glaze (freezing rain) occurs when raindrops
are super cooled as they fall through the air
 Hailstones begin as small ice droplets that get
bigger as they collect super cooled water
droplets
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/cae/svrwx/hai
l.htm