Lesson 8: Humidity, Adiabatic Processes, Clouds and Precipitation
February 21, 2024
Review:
- Exam 1
- Water Cycle
Presentation:
- Chapter 04 Slides
- Humidity
- Specific Humidity (mass of water vapor/mass of total air)
- Saturation Specific Humidity (function of air temp)
- Dew Point (temperature at which SH=SSH, i.e., saturation)
- Relative Humidity = 100*(SH/SSH)
- Adiabatic Processes
- Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate (~10 deg C per km)
- Moist Adiabatic Lapse Rate (between 4-9 deg C per km due to latent heat)
- Clouds and Fog
- Cloud Formation
- Fog – radiation and advection
- Source of moisture for Redwoods (see below)
- Precipitation
- Orographic
- Types – rain, snow, sleet, hail
- Thunderstorms video (NatGeo 03:21)
- Tornadoes video (NatGeo 05:31)
Activity:
- Complete Water Cycle worksheet
- Watch this video about Redwood Forests and Climate Change
Assignment:
- Find a recent video or article about Redwood trees, advection fog and climate change
- Are Redwoods threatened by global warming?