PHYSICAL GEOOGRAPHY ASSSIGNMENT
SECTION I: NAME THE FORCE /PHENOMENON / MECHANISM (5 points)
- The two opposing forces determining the vertical position of a parcel of air: _________________________ and __________________ .
- Mechanism of air mass uplift that is triggered due to local surface heating: ______________________________
- Direct conversion of water vapor to ice: ___________________________________
- The rate of cooling of a saturated ascending air mass: _______________________________________
SECTION II: TRUE OR FALSE
- Air is saturated when the dew-point temperature and the air temperature coincide: ___________
- Relative humidity is not affected by changes in temperature: _________
- Hurricanes originate where warm and cold air masses meet / converge: ______________
- Air masses retain their temperature /moisture characteristics even far from their source regions: ___________
- Of all the surface freshwater on Earth, over 99% is in ice and glaciers: __________
- At wilting point, no water remains in the soil: _________
SECTION III: CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER CHOICE (8 points)
- As water cools from room temperature to 4°C (39°F), it _____________ (contracts / expands) and its density _________ (increases / decreases).
- Below a temperature of 4°C (39°F), water ________ _________ (contracts / expands) and its density ______________ (increases / decreases).
- When water evaporates, it _____________ (absorbs / releases) heat energy and ____________ (cools / heats) the surrounding air.
- When water condenses, it _____________ (absorbs / releases) heat energy and ____________ (cools / heats) the surrounding air.
SECTION IV: QUANTITATIVE (6 points)
1) The maximum specific humidity of air at 20°C (68°F) is 15g. If a kilogram of air at 20°C (68°F) has a specific humidity of 7.5 g/kg, what is its relative humidity? Show your work.
2) If an air parcel at 2000 m with an initial temperature of 30°C and a dew point of 15°C begins to rise over a mountain, at what altitude will condensation begin or cloud form? Show your work.
3) Assume a warm air parcel, at sea level, has a temperature of 21°C and begins to rise upward. Assume it becomes saturated at 1000 m altitude, and continues to rise to 2000 m altitude. What would the approximate temperature of the parcel be at an elevation of 2000 m?