Midterm 2 - Cloud Types

Question 1

clouds

Answer 1

• made up of water droplets and/ice particles.

- condensation or ice nuclei are needed for formation.

Question 2

condensation nuclei

Answer 2

hygroscopic particles - saturated air comes into contact

ex) dust and sea salts

Question 3

cloud droplet growth

Answer 3

1. SVP- saturated vapour pressure (of the condensation nuclei)
2. surrounding environment

Question 4

cloud families and types classification

Answer 4

1. altitude
   - low
   - middle (alto)
   - high (cirrus)
   - strong vertical development
2. form (shape)
   - stratiform clouds
   - cumuluform

Question 5

stratiform cloud

Answer 5

extensive and layered. blanket like and covers a large area

Question 6

cumuliform

Answer 6

globular mass and associated with rising parcels of air

Question 7

fog

Answer 7

a cloud that is at earth’s surface

Question 8

radiation fog

Answer 8

formed when temperatures of the air at ground level falls below dew point

Question 9

advection fog

Answer 9

forms when warm moist air moves over a cold surface. (horizontal movement)
-common over oceans (“sea fog”)

Question 10

precipitation

Answer 10

most precipitation begins as ice droplets

Question 11

types of precipitation

Answer 11

1. rain
2. snow
3. sleet
4. freezing rain

Question 12

condensation

Answer 12

cloud drops reach a size of about 20 Mn

Question 13

Droplet Growth Process

Answer 13

1. collision-coalescence process

2. ice-crystal process

Question 14

collision-coalescence process

Answer 14

warmer clouds. large droplets collide with smaller ones. dominant process

Question 15

ice-crystal process

Answer 15

high altitudes. mid & high latitude

Question 16

clouds and precipitation

Answer 16

clouds are a pre req for precipitation, but not all clouds produce precipitation.
-Cloud droplets have to be large enough to fall through the atmosphere

Question 17

hail formation

Answer 17

• forms in cumulonimbus clouds
• development of strong updrafts
• accumulation of ice, and the ice stays up there for longer and gets bigger
• size of hailstones is related to the strength of updrafts in the cumulonimbus cloud