Do You Remember?

Which heats faster: land or

water?
2. What causes the transfer of
energy (heat) from one object to
another?
3. Which has greater temperature
variation: land or water?
1.

Moisture, Clouds and

Precipitation
2.5.4c Explain the importance of water
vapor and its influence on weather (clouds,
relative humidity, dew point, precipitation).

Objectives
Today

I will be able to:

Evaluate the most important gas in

the atmosphere.
Compare and contrast saturation and
relative humidity.

Key Points - Moisture

Water

vapor is the most important gas for

understanding atmospheric processes.
Water vapor makes up 0-4 % of atmospheric
gases.
Air that has reached its water vapor capacity
is said to be saturated.
Warm, saturated air contains more water
vapor than cold air.
Relative humidity is the ratio of airs watervapor content to its capacity to hold water
vapor at that same temperature.

Water in the Atmosphere

Water

exists in three different

forms.
What are they?
1. SOLID Examples: Snow, ice
2. LIQUID Examples: Rain, water
3. GAS Examples: Clouds, water vapor
How

do each of these forms of

water influence weather?

Water in the Atmosphere

When it comes to understanding

atmospheric processes, water vapor
is the most important gas in the
atmosphere.

Why do you think water vapor is so

important?

Water in the Atmosphere

Even

though water vapor is

important, it only makes up from 0
4% of the atmospheric gases.

When

have you felt water vapor at

close to 4%?
What about 0%?
How do you know?
Water vapor is the HUMIDITY that you feel
in the air!

Water in the Atmosphere

What

do you think the word

SATURATED means?

What

do you think it would mean

if air is Saturated?

Air

that has reached its water

vapor capacity is said to be
saturated.

Water in the Atmosphere

Warm,

saturated air contains

more water vapor than cold air.
Dew point is the temperature to
which air is cooled to reach
saturation.
The point at which condensation can
occur
When

have you noticed the

humidity more, in the summer or
in the winter?

Water in the Atmosphere

Relative

humidity is the ratio of airs

water-vapor content to its capacity to hold
water vapor at that same temperature.
Relative humidity indicates how near the
air is to saturation, not the actual quantity
of water vapor in the air.
Relative Humidity varies with
temperature.
Cooling air increases its relative humidity.
Warming air decreases its relative
humidity.

Water in the Atmosphere

Relative

Humidity

Why

does lowering the air temperature cause

Relative humidity to increase?
Because colder air cannot hold as much water
vapor!

Why

does increasing air temperature cause

relative humidity to decrease?
Because warm air can hold more water vapor and it
will take more water vapor for it to become
saturated.
Why is it important to know humidity?

Vocabulary and Questions

Define the following terms:
Water vapor
Saturation
Relative humidity
Answer the following questions:
1. What gas is most important for understanding
atmospheric processes?
2. Water vapor makes up what fraction of
atmospheric gases?
3. Which holds more water vapor: warm air or cool
air?
4. How is the humidity different from the
summertime to the wintertime?

Matching- answer a, b or c for

each of the situations.
Situation
1. Water vapor is
added
2. Air temperature
decreases
3. Water vapor is
removed
4. Air temperature
increases

Change in Relative
Humidity:
A.Increases
B.No

change
C.decreases

Follow up
Air that has reached its water-vapor
capacity is said to be:
a. Dry b. unstable c. stable d. saturated
2. The ratio of airs water content to
its capacity to hold water at the
same temperature is:
a. Vapor pressure b. relative humidity
c. specific humidity d. wet adiabatic rate
3. Water vapor makes up what fraction
(%) of atmospheric gases?
1.

Objectives
I

will be able to:

Describe how air is lifted to form

clouds.
Differentiate between the different
types of clouds by making a poster.
Describe the weather associated
with the different types of clouds.

Key Points - Clouds

When

air is compressed the air

temperature rises and the air molecules
move faster.
Processes that lift air include orographic
lifting, frontal wedging and convergence.
Examples of condensation nuclei include
dust, smoke and salt particles.
Nimbus means rainy cloud.
Cumulonimbus clouds are often
associated with thunder and lightning.

Cloud Formation

When air is compressed the air

temperature rises and the air molecules
move faster.
Air compression causes temperature
changes even though heat isnt added or
subtracted.
When air is allowed to expand, it cools,
and when it is compressed, it warms.

Cloud Formation

Cool, expanded
air

Clouds form
because as
you go up in
elevation, it
gets colder.

Warm,
compressed air

Cold air
cannot hold as
much water
vapor so it
transforms
into clouds.

Cloud Formation
Four mechanisms that can cause air to rise
are orographic lifting, frontal wedging,
convergence, and localized convective
lifting.
Fill out each box with the underlined
words and a picture as we discuss them.
1. Orographic Lifting
Orographic lifting occurs when mountains act
as barriers to the flow of air, forcing the air to
ascend.

Cloud Formation
Processes that lift the air
How does the relatively flat central
region of the US receive
precipitation?
2. Frontal Wedging
A front is the boundary between two adjoining of
air masses having contrasting characteristics.

Orographic Lifting and Frontal

Wedging

1. Orographic Lifting
Wedging

2. Frontal

Cloud Formation
Processes That Lift Air
3. Convergence
Convergence is when air flows together and
rises.

4. Localized Convective Lifting

Localized convective lifting occurs where
unequal surface heating causes pockets of air to
rise because of their buoyancy.

Convergence and Localized

Convective Lifting

3. Convergence
Convective Lifting

4. Localized

Cloud Formation
Condensation How clouds form
For any form of condensation to occur, the
air must be saturated.
Types of Surfaces
Generally, there must be a surface for water
vapor to condense on.
Condensation nuclei are tiny bits of particulate
matter that serve as surfaces on which water
vapor condenses when condensation occurs in
the air.
Examples of condensation nuclei include dust,
smoke and salt particles.

Cloud Types and

Precipitation
Types of Clouds
Clouds are classified on the basis of their
form and height.

Cloud Types and

Precipitation
Types of Clouds by Form
There are three basic forms of clouds. All other
clouds one of these three or are combinations or
modifications of them.
1. Cirrus (cirrus = curl of hair) are clouds that
are high, white, and thin.
2. Cumulus (cumulus = a pile) are clouds that
consist of rounded individual cloud masses.
3. Stratus (stratus = a layer) are clouds best
described as sheets or layers that cover much
or all of the sky.

Cloud Types and

Precipitation
What type of cloud is this?

Cirrus

Cloud Types and

Precipitation
What type of cloud is this?

Cumulus

Cloud Types and

Precipitation
What type of cloud is this?

Stratus

Cloud Types and

Precipitation
Types of Clouds by Height
1. High Clouds
Cirrus clouds are high, white, and thin.
Cirrostratus clouds are flat layers of clouds.
Cirrocumulus clouds consist of fluffy masses.

2. Middle Clouds Alto

Altocumulus clouds are composed of rounded
masses that differ from cirrocumulus clouds in
that altocumulus clouds are larger and denser.
Altostratus clouds create a uniform white to
gray sheet covering the sky with the sun or moon
visible as a bright spot.

Cloud Types and

Precipitation
Types of Clouds by Height
3. Low Clouds
Stratus clouds are best described as sheets or
layers that cover most of the sky.
Stratocumulus clouds have a scalloped bottom
that appears as long parallel rolls or broken
rounded patches.
Nimbostratus clouds are the main precipitation
makers.

Cloud Classification

Answer the following

1.

What happens when air is

compressed?

a.

d.

Air temperature rises.

Air temperature cools.
Air molecules move faster.
both a and c

2.

What term means rainy cloud?

b.
c.

a. stratus b. nimbus c. cumulus d. cirrus

3.

Name one example of

condensation nuclei: