The document discusses the hydrologic cycle and moisture in the atmosphere. It explains that water circulates over Earth through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection in various storage areas. Moisture in the air is measured by concepts like relative humidity and dew point. Clouds and precipitation form through processes like convection, frontal lifting, and orographic lifting. Rainfall patterns around the world are influenced by temperature, atmospheric circulation, latitude, proximity to land and mountains, and pressure systems.

1. Chapter 6: Moisture, Condensation, and Precipitation Physical Geography Ninth Edition Robert E. Gabler James. F. Petersen L. Michael Trapasso Dorothy Sack

2. Ch. 6: Moisture, Condensation, and Precipitation

3. Hydrosphere Hydrosphere: liquid river, lakes, oceans, rain, ice water droplets, and water vapor. If the ice floating in a beverage glass melts completely before you can drink it, will the liquid rise, fall, or remain the same?

4. 6.1 Hydrologic Cycle Hydrologic cycle: circulation of water over earth. A closed system. Can you distinguish between the snow on the land, Greenland's ice sheet, and the seasonal pack ice?

5. 6.1 Hydrologic Cycle Earth’s Water Resources How might global warming or cooling alter the image below?

6. 6.1 Hydrologic Cycle Hydrologic system Water changes of state Redistribution of energy

7. 6.2 Water in the Atmosphere Water Budget and Heat Budget Water vapor absorbs and reflects energy Water Budget: Total quantity of water remains the same. Any deficit must balance gains. Latent Heat Heat transfer involved with evaporation and condensation is huge! The energy stored and transferred in phase changes provides the power for Earth’s storms!

8. Saturation: air at a certain temperature holds all of the water vapor possible. It has reached capacity. Dew Point: the temperature at which the air becomes saturated. The dew point is changes. 6.2 Water in the Atmosphere

9. Humidity: Amount of water vapor in the air. 3 different ways to measure Humidity: Absolute Humidity Specific Humidity Relative Humidity (R.H.) 6.2 Water in the Atmosphere

10. What do you notice about the relationship between these two lines? 6.2 Water in the Atmosphere

11. Evapotranspiration: Plants giving up water. Rate of Evaporation Potential Evapotranspiration 6.3 Sources of Atmospheric Moisture

12. Distribution of Actual Mean Evapotranspiration 6.3 Sources of Atmospheric Moisture

13. Water Budget System When would irrigation at this site be necessary? 6.3 Sources of Atmospheric Moisture

14. Condensation: occurs air is saturated to the dew point. The R.H. becomes 100%. Condensation requires the presence of Condensation Nuclei. These provide a surface for the water vapor to condense on. Fog and Clouds form when water vapor condenses and a large number of these droplets form a mass. 6.4 Condensation

15. Dew: condensation of water vapor at or near Earth’s surface White frost Rime 6.4 Condensation

16. Clouds: source of all precipitation Cloud forms: Strato (low) Alto (middle) Cirro (high) 6.4 Condensation

17. Cirrus Stratus Cumulus Stratocumulus Nimbus: rain falling Nimbostratus Cumulonimbus 6.4 Condensation

18. Fog is a cloud at the ground surface. Types of Fog: Radiation Fog Advection Fog Upslope Fog 6.4 Condensation

19. Adiabatic heating: descending air is compressed by increasing pressure and thus warms at 5.6 o F/1000 feet (10 o C/1000 meters) Adiabatic cooling: rising parcel of air cools as with decreasing pressure. It cools at the same rate as above. 6.4 Condensation

20. Dry adiabatic lapse rate Cooling of a parcel before condensing 5.6 o F/1000 feet (10 o C/1000 meters) Wet adiabatic lapse rate Cooling of a parcel after condensing 3.2 o F/1000 feet (5 o C/1000 meters 6.4 Condensation

21. The wet and dry adiabatic rate is NOT the same as the normal lapse rate (environmental lapse rate). 6.4 Condensation

22. Stability: environment lapse rate < dry adiabatic Instability (unstable): environment lapse rate > dry adiabatic 6.4 Condensation

23. Relative sizes of: Raindrops cloud droplets condensation nuclei Q: If the diameter of a raindrop is 100 times larger than a cloud droplet, why does it take a million droplets to produce one raindrop? 6.5 Precipitation Processes

24. The wet and dry adiabatic rate is NOT the same as the normal lapse rate (environmental lapse rate). 6.5 Precipitation Processes

25. Cloud droplet formation process Collision-coalescence (warm clouds) Bergeron (ice crystal) process Cold cloud Supercooled water 6.5 Precipitation Processes

26. Q: What is the difference between water and supercooled water? 6.5 Precipitation Processes

27. Major forms of Precipitation Rain Drizzle Snow Sleet Hail Freezing rain 6.5 Precipitation Processes

28. Factors necessary for precipitation Moist air Condensation nuclei Uplift mechanism (rising air) 6.5 Precipitation Processes

29. Uplift mechanisms Convectional Frontal Cyclonic (convergence) Orographic 6.5 Precipitation Processes

30. Convectional Hot air rises Cooler air sinks Most common humid equatorial and tropics In which case, will clouds appear due to convectional lifting? 6.5 Precipitation Processes

31. Frontal: Boundary zone between relatively warm and cold air Cyclonic also known as convergence Air moves counterclockwise towards the center of a low pressure. 6.5 Precipitation Processes

32. Orographic air forces upward due to land barriers (mountains, plateaus) Rain shadow occurs on the leeward side windward 6.5 Precipitation Processes

33. What kind of air movement is common to all four diagrams? 6.5 Precipitation Processes

34. Distribution of Precipitation # of raindays (0.01 inches of rain or more) Average monthly precipitation Q: How would this rainfall pattern affect agriculture? 6.5 Precipitation Processes

35. Horizontal Distribution of Precipitation 4 Lifting mechanisms Temperature (warmer air holds more water) General atmospheric circulation Latitude zones Windward side Land masses 6.5 Precipitation Processes

36. In general, where on Earth’s surface does the heaviest rain fall?

37. Q: Compare this figure with 5.11. What is the relationship between world rainfall patterns and pressure distribution? 6.5 Precipitation Processes

38. Q: Compare this figure with 6.23 (World average annual precipitation). What are some of the similarities and differences? 6.6 Variability of Precipitation

39. Physical Geography End of Chapter 6: Moisture, Condensation, and Precipitation