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Water and Atmospheric Moisture

Hydrologic Cycle. . Moisture, Clouds, and Precipitation. HumidityGlobal PrecipitationLifting MechanismsPrecipitation ProcessesBig Question: What Causes Air to Precipitate?. Global Precipitation. U.S. Current Relative Humidity [click on map]. ABSOLUTE HUMIDITY:Absolute humidity (expressed as grams of water vapor per cubic meter volume of air) is a measure of the actual amount of water vapor (moisture) in the air, regardless of the air's temperature. The higher the amount (weight) of wate29814

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Water and Atmospheric Moisture

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    1. Water and Atmospheric Moisture

    3. Hydrologic Cycle

    5. Moisture, Clouds, and Precipitation Humidity Global Precipitation Lifting Mechanisms Precipitation Processes Big Question: What Causes Air to Precipitate?

    6. Global Precipitation

    7. U.S. Current Relative Humidity [click on map]

    8. ABSOLUTE HUMIDITY: Absolute humidity (expressed as grams of water vapor per cubic meter volume of air) is a measure of the actual amount of water vapor (moisture) in the air, regardless of the air's temperature. The higher the amount (weight) of water vapor per kilogram, the higher the absolute humidity. RELATIVE HUMIDITY: Relative humidity (RH) (expressed as a percent) also measures water vapor, but RELATIVE to the temperature of the air. In other words, it is a measure of the actual amount of water vapor in the air compared to the total amount of vapor that can exist in the air at its current temperature. WARM AIR CAN HOLD MORE WATER VAPOR THAN COLD AIR, so with the same amount of absolute/specific humidity, cooler air will have a HIGHER relative humidity, and warmer air a LOWER relative humidity.

    9. Humidity Capacity of air is primarily a function of temperature Relative Humidity (RH) = (actual water vapor content) x 100 (max. water vapor capacity of the air) Heated air becomes lower in RH because denominator gets larger Cooled air becomes higher in RH

    10. Saturation vs Air Temperature

    11. Saturation and Dew Point Saturated v. unsaturated air Dew-point temperature temperature to which air must be cooled to reach saturation (100% RH) water on outside of drinking glass ice on your car window dew and fog

    12. Adiabatic Cooling: Clouds and Lifting Condensation Level (LCL) LCL / Cloud base = dew point altitude

    13. Relative Humidity and Temp. RH fluctuates over a day or season.

    14. Measuring Relative Humidity Sling psychrometer

    15. After Saturation Occurs the Air Must Release Extra Water as Fluid

    16. In Nature Extra Moisture is Transformed to Water Droplets

    19. Temperature Inversions

    22. Fog: A Cloud on the Ground

    23. Temperature Inversions

    27. Atmospheric Lifting Mechanisms

    28. Global Precipitation Patterns

    29. Convergence

    30. Convectional Lifting

    31. Convectional Lifting Over Florida

    32. Convectional Lifting in the Desert

    33. Orographic Lifting of Air

    34. Frontal Lifting of Air

    35. Precipitation Types / Properties

    36. Snowflakes and Temperature

    37. Convergence – increases when subsolar point (ITCZ) is in the region. Convection – maximized when insolation and temperature are most intense and when marine air moves over warm land masses; common also in deserts, with their intense summer heating Orographic – requires forced upslope rising of air (mountains) Frontal – midlatitudes only, where cold and warm air meet and collide Seasonal and Global Variation in Lifting Mechanisms and Precipitation

    38. Humidity Relative Humidity Relationship to Temperature Dew Point LCL/Cloud Base Precipitation (Rain, Snow, Sleet) When air is substantially cooled below the dew point, large droplets or ice crystals form and may fall if large enough. Lifting Mechanisms Convective, Orographic, Frontal, Convergence Summary

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