What are three ways in which air is caused to rise?
There are three main ways by which uplift of air can occur: convection, front and orographic (mountain) uplift. In each case, the rising air is forced to cool by expansion, releasing condensation first as cloud, and if uplift and cooling continues, as rain, hail or snow.
What causes an air parcel to rise vertically?
Clouds that form in an unstable air are called cumuliform clouds and develop vertically. If the parcel of air is being lifted to a certain altitude in the atmosphere is warmer than the environment the parcel will have a positive buoyancy and will continue to rise because is it less dense than the surroundings.
What happens when a batch of air reaches its dew point what is the temperature?
Answer: The higher the dew point, the more water vapor there can be in the air. Sometime at night, the temperature of the air can cool down and often reaches its dew point temperature, so the water vapor in the air can change to a visible liquid (dew) or solid (frost).
Does unstable air rise?
Air is considered unstable, in the lowest layers of an air mass when the air is warmer and or more humid than the surrounding air. When this occurs the air will rise, as that air parcel is warmer than the air surrounding it. In an unstable environment, the weather can change suddenly and can be violent.
How do I know if my air parcel is stable?
To determine the stability of an air parcel, one compares its temperature to the temperature of the surrounding air mass. If the air parcel’s temperature is less than the temperature of the surrounding air mass, it is denser than the surrounding air and therefore has a tendency to sink.
What determines air stability and the resulting weather?
The combination of moisture and temperature determine the stability of the air and the resulting weather. Cool, dry air is very stable and resists vertical movement, which leads to good and generally clear weather.
Which is a characteristic of stable air?
Stable air masses are also characterized by smooth, undisturbed air. This quality can be seen mainly by pilots or air travelers. People flying through stable air masses will not experience violent turbulence or disturbances as they would in unstable air masses.
What type of clouds are associated with unstable air?
Clouds forming in such unstable environments are of the cumulus variety, which as you may recall, means “heap cloud.” Cumulus clouds are “heap clouds,” and have a bubbly, or billowy appearance.