Meteorology             Natural Science 1005

Courses
Astronomy
Meteorology
Geology

Links
Astronomy
Meteorology
Geology

Please note: the questions listed are not the only items that you need to know. The questions point out basic information to help understand some topics, some concepts that may not be obvious to all students, and some of the more difficult concepts.

How do initial, tiny water droplets form?

How does a tiny droplet grow into a much, much bigger cloud droplet?     D2L explanation

• Describe the saturation curve of the growth of a droplet.

• Describe the solute effect and how it is part of the saturation curve.  

• Describe the curvature effect and how it is a part of the saturation curve.  

• Be sure to describe how the conditions in which the droplet grows using the saturation curve. Be sure to differentiate between growth of a haze droplet and an activated droplet.

How do we make clouds by cooling?   

• Describe how clouds are formed by lifting at fronts.
  --Description from U. of Illinois

• Describe how clouds are formed by lifting near surface convergence.

• Describe how clouds are formed by lifting at higher elevation.
  --Description from U. of Illinois

• Describe how clouds are formed by lifting by upper air motions.

• Describe how clouds are formed by lifting at fronts.

• Describe how clouds are formed by lifting by convection.
  --Description from U. of Illinois
  --Why do cumulus clouds have flat bases?  Why are the bases at about the same height above the ground?

 Stability of the atmosphere          D2L Explanation

• Why is it important for meteorologists to know about the stability of the atmosphere?

• Define a stable and an unstable environment.

• Define a lifted parcel. Compare the dry adiabatic lapse rate, the moist adiabatic lapse rate, and the environmental lapse rate.

• What conditions would result in a stable atmosphere?

• What conditions would result in an unstable atmosphere?

• Describe how we would look at an atmospheric temperature profile to determine if a layer of the atmosphere is absolutely stable--or absolutely unstable--or conditionally unstable

• How can we look at temperature profiles of layers of the atmosphere and compare the relative stability of the layers?

• What environmental conditions make the air more stable? Explain each in terms of the atmospheric temperature profile.

• What environmental conditions make the air more unstable? Explain each in terms of the atmospheric temperature profile.

• How high will a cloud or layer of air rise?

• How does condensation affect the growth of a cloud?

• What is entrainment? Why can entrainment inhibit air lifting in a cloud?

• Why are some cumulus clouds thin and some are much taller? Why are thin cumulus clouds usually a signal of fair weather?

• Some links:
  --Description of stability from U. of Illinois
  --Cloud height interactive
  --Stability and cloud formation interactive

Radiation fog   

• How does it form? How does it dissipate?

How do we make clouds by mixing?

• Boundary layer clouds--how do they form?

• Advection fog 
  --How does it form? How does it dissipate?

• Steam fog  
  --How does it form? How does it dissipate?

• Contrail interactive

Cloud classification   

• What are the basic properties of clouds?

• How can we distinguish between higher and lower clouds?

• List and describe the 10 genera of clouds
  --Plymouth State College cloud boutique
  --University of Illinois

Study help

• Clouds and precip

Videos

• Making a cloud in a bottle
      Water     other
      alcohol 3:15