Chapter 5 Atmospheric Water and Weather Elemental Geosystems 5e Robert W. Christopherson Charles E. Thomsen

Water and Atmospheric Moisture Water on Earth: Location and  Properties   Humidity   Atmospheric Stability   Clouds and Fog   Air Masses   Atmospheric Lifting Mechanisms   Midlatitude Cyclonic Systems   Violent Weather  

Water on Earth Quantity Equilibrium Distribution of Earth’s Water Today   Unique Properties of Water Heat Properties Ice Water Water vapor Heat properties of water in nature

Land and Water Hemispheres Figure 5.2

Ocean and Freshwater Distribution Figure 5.3

Three States of Water Figure 5.4

Water’s Heat Energy Characteristics Figure 5.6

Humidity Relative Humidity Expressions of Humidity Vapor pressure Specific humidity Instruments for measurement

Relative Humidity Figure 5.7

Humidity Patterns Figure 5.10

Maximum Specific Humidity Figure 5.12

Humidity Instruments Figure 5.13

Atmospheric Stability Adiabatic Processes   Dry adiabatic rate (DAR) Moist adiabatic rate (MAR) Stable and unstable atmospheric conditions

Buoyancy Figure 5.14

Adiabatic Processes Figure 5.15

Atmospheric Temperatures and Stability Figure 5.16

Clouds and Fog Cloud Types and Identification Fog Advection fog Radiation fog

Cloud Types and Identification Figure 5.18

Cumulonimbus Development Figure 5.19

Advection Fog Figure 5.20

Evaporation Fog Figure 5.21

Valley Fog Figure 5.25 Figure 5.22

Radiation Fog Figure 5.23

Air Masses Figure 5.24

Atmospheric Lifting Mechanisms Convectional Lifting   Orographic Lifting   Frontal Lifting Cold fronts Warm fronts

Atmospheric Lifting Mechanisms Figure 5.27

FIGURE 7. 6 The distribution of ice and water in a cumulonimbus cloud.

FIGURE 7.9 The ice-crystal (Bergeron) process. (1) The greater number of water vapor molecules around the liquid droplet causes water molecules to diffuse from the liquid droplet toward the ice crystal. (2) The ice crystal absorbs the water vapor and grows larger, while (3) the water droplet grows smaller.

FIGURE 7. 21 An accumulation of rime forms on tree branches as supercooled fog droplets freeze on contact in the below-freezing air.

FIGURE 7. 22 A heavy coating of freezing rain (glaze) covers Syracuse, New York, during January, 1998, causing tree limbs to break and power lines to sag.

FIGURE 7. 4 Collision and coalescence. (a) In a warm cloud composed only of small cloud droplets of uniform size, the droplets are less likely to collide as they all fall very slowly at about the same speed. Those droplets that do collide, frequently do not coalesce because of the strong surface tension that holds together each tiny droplet. (b) In a cloud composed of different size droplets, larger droplets fall faster than smaller droplets. Although some tiny droplets are swept aside, some collect on the larger droplet’s forward edge, while others (captured in the wake of the larger droplet) coalesce on the droplet’s backside.

FIGURE 7. 28 This giant hailstone — the largest ever reported in the United States with a diameter of 17.8 cm (7 in.) — fell on Aurora, Nebraska, during June, 2003.

Lake Effect Snowbelts Figure 5.26

Local Heating and Convection Figure 5.28

Convection over Florida Figure 5.29

Orographic Precipitation Figure 5.30

Cold Front Figure 5.31a

Cold Front and Squall Line Figure 5.31b

Warm Front Figure 5.32

Midlatitude Cyclonic Systems Life Cycle of a Midlatitude Cyclone Storm tracks Open stage Occluded stage

Midlatitude Cyclone Figure 5.33

Average and Actual Storm Tracks Figure 5.34

Midlatitude Cyclone Figure 5.35

Weather Forecasting Figure 5.3.2

Violent Weather Thunderstorms Derechos Tornadoes Tropical Cyclones Atmospheric turbulence Lightning and thunder Hail Derechos  Tornadoes   Tornado measurement and science Tropical Cyclones Hurricanes and typhoons   Physical structure A final word

Thunderstorms Figure 5.36

Thunderstorms Figure 5.37

Twister! Figure 5.38

Tornadoes Figure 5.39

Tropical Cyclones Figure 5.40

Brazilian Hurricane Figure 5.40

2005 Hurricane Season Figure 5.41

Profile of a Hurricane Figure 5.42

Elemental Geosystems 5e End of Chapter 5 Elemental Geosystems 5e   Robert W. Christopherson Charles E. Thomsen