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

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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

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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

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The End!