Concept Checks 4.

1. What serves as a reservoir (storage facility) for most of Earth’s water?

The Glaciers and Oceans store most of the Earth’s water thus acting as a
reservoir.
2. Briefly describe the hydrologic cycle.
Water from the Ocean evaporates and rises then going through condensation:
becoming clouds, next the water precipitates down to earth/ the oceans only to
begin again later.
3. Water’s solid phase, ice, is less dense than liquid water. Why is this unique
property of water important?
This is because of water’s capacity of heat when in its solid form: the hydrogen
molecules create a state significant to weather changes.
4. Explain what happens as ice melts to become liquid water.
When ice melts back to a liquid, the temporary hydrogen bonds break apart for
the most part.
5. What property of water causes large water bodies to remain warmer than
adjacent landmasses in winter but cooler in summer?
The water’s ability to store and conduct heat causes large bodies of water to lag
behind season and temperature shifts.

Concept Checks 4.2

1. Summarize the six processes by which water changes from one state to another.
Indicate whether heat is absorbed or released in each case.

Melting consists of something going from a solid to a liquid. During this process,
heat is absorbed. Evaporating consists of going from a liquid to a gas, during
which heat is absorbed. Condensation consists of something going from a gas to
a liquid, during this process, heat is released. Freezing consists of something
going from a liquid to a solid, during which, heat gets released. Sublimation
consists of something going from a solid to a gas, during this process, heat
becomes absorbed. Deposition consists of something going from a gas to a solid,
during this process, heat is released.

2. Why is evaporation called a cooling process?

This is because of the faster moving molecules getting released therefore
bringing down the average speed of all of the substance’s molecules.
3. Define latent heat and explain the role that latent heat of condensation plays in
the growth of towering clouds.
Latent heat is basically the heat that is required to make a solid into a liquid or
gas without a change in temp. This means that latent heat causes solid water to
shift into a vapor and become part of the clouds.
 4. Compared to the other phase changes, why does the process of sublimation (or
deposition) involve the exchange of more latent heat?
This is because it takes more energy to convert processes through sublimation

Concept Checks 4.3

1. How do absolute humidity and mixing ratio differ? What do they have in
common?
They differ in that absolute humidity deals with the water vapor in a place/ space
and the mixing ratio is the proportion between humid air and humid air
2. Define vapor pressure and describe the relationship between vapor pressure and
saturation. (Hint: See Figure 4.7.)
Vapor pressure is the total atmospheric pressure, which also includes humidity.
3. After reviewing Table 4.1, summarize the relationship between air temperature
and the amount of water vapor needed to saturate air.
The warmer the air temperature the greater the amount of water vapor will be
saturating the air.
eye on the atmosphere 4.1
Questions
1. What feature in this photo is composed of water in the liquid state?
The run-off represents water in its liquid state.
2. Name the process by which ice changes directly from a solid to water vapor.
Sublimation
3. Identify where water vapor is found in this image.
The water in this picture can be found in the clouds.

Concept Checks 4.4

1. How is relative humidity different from absolute humidity and the mixing ratio?
Relative humidity looks at the study or comparison of saturation and air
temperatures while, mixing ratio is the actual relationship and or measurement of
saturation and air temperature.
2. Refer to Figure 4.11 to answer the following questions:
a. When is relative humidity highest during a typical day? When is it lowest?
Relative humidity, on a typical day, is highest around sunrise and lowest
later in the day.
b. At what time of day would dew most likely form?
The time around sunrise usually yields the highest dew-point, usually
around 6 in the morning.
c. Write a generalization relating changes in air temperature to changes in
relative humidity.
In the morning the humidity is usually higher while the temp is lower and
vice versa later in the day.
 3. If the temperature remains unchanged, and if the mixing ratio decreases, how will
relative humidity change?
The relative humidity probably will not change because the actual saturation at
various temperatures does not necessarily affect the relative humidity.
4. Define dew-point temperature.
This is very self-explanatory: this is the temperature at which dew forms.
5. Which measure of humidity, relative humidity or dew point, best describes the
actual quantity of water vapor in a mass of air?
Relative humidity is best because it can sometimes predict the actual humidity in
the air.
6. Briefly describe the principle of a psychrometer.
The tool has two thermometers and it is intended to measure and determine
relative humidity and dew point.

Concept Checks 4.5

1. What name is given to the processes whereby the temperature of air changes
without the addition or subtraction of energy?
These are called adiabatic temperature changes.
2. Why does air expand as it moves upward through the atmosphere?
Because the regions the air is passing through have successively lower
pressures as it travels.
3. At what rate does unsaturated air cool when it rises through the atmosphere?
10 degrees Celsius per 1000 meters.
4. Why does the adiabatic rate of cooling change when condensation begins?
The release of latent heat can occur as water evaporates and slow the process
of cooling.
5. Why is the wet adiabatic rate not a constant figure?
The condensation in the atmosphere can affect it.

eye on the atmosphere 4.2

Questions
1. What role does water vapor play in heating Earth’s surface?
2. How does water vapor act to transfer heat from Earth’s land–sea surface to the
atmosphere?

Concept Checks 4.6

1. Explain why the Great Basin of the western United States is dry. What term is
applied to these locations?
The term is orographic lifting. This is due to dry the kinds of air motion that occur.
2. How does frontal lifting cause air to rise?
 Cool and Warm air collides head to head and one gets pushed above and below
thus pushing air up and creating a “lifting”.
3. Define convergence. Identify two weather systems associated with convergence in
the lower atmosphere.
When there is a greater influx of air than is being released.
4. Why does Florida have abundant midafternoon thunderstorms?
This is because of the convergence that occurs over Florida during the day
5. Describe convective lifting.
Connective lifting can be likened to rising thermals.

Concept Checks 4.7

1. How does stable air differ from unstable air?

Stable air tends not to move well vertically while unstable air is free to move
vertically.
2. Explain the difference between the environmental lapse rate and adiabatic
cooling.
While they are related, environmental lapse rate refers more to the physical drop
in temperature as you go higher into the atmosphere while Adiabatic cooling is
related to ascending air that cools by expansion.
3. How is the stability of air determined?
It is determined when examining whether or not the air will vertically rise. If it
does not rise, then the air is stable.
4. Write a statement relating the environmental lapse rate to stability.
Environmental lapse rates less than the wet adiabatic rate indicate stable air.
While lapse rates greater than the dry adiabatic rate indicate unstable air.
5. Describe conditional instability.
Conditional instability refers to the state of an unsaturated pocket of air if the
lapse rate of temp is less than the dry adiabatic lapse rate but greater than the
wet adiabatic lapse rate.

Eye on the Atmosphere 4.3

The Navajo Generating Station, located on the Navajo Indian Reservation near Page,
Arizona, has three 236-meter (560-feet) stacks.

Questions
1. Why do power-generating facilities such as this have such tall stacks?
The pressure inside the chimney will create a draft as combustion of some fuel take place
and the exhaust needs to be released. The tighter a chimney or stack the greater the
pressure and the taller the stack, the more energy can be harvest from the draft.
2. Can you explain why the “smoke” changes color from bright white to pale yellow when it
reaches a height of about 200 feet above the stacks?
 The temperature of the smoke is shifting.

Concept Checks 4.8

1. What weather condition would lead you to believe that air is unstable?
Big gray clouds and a lot of rain or precipitation
2. What weather condition would lead you to believe that air is stable?
The clouds are not dense and vertically stacked, instead they are lighter and
precipitation is either limited or altogether not present.
3. List four ways instability can be enhanced.
Intense solar heating
Heating from passing over a warm surface
Radiation from the tops of clouds
Radiation cooling from orographic lifting and convergence.
4. List three ways stability can be enhanced.
Radiation cooling on the Earth’s surface,
The cooling of an airmass from below
A subsiding air column.