SCI 100 – Meteorology: Chapter 4 Focus
Questions and Topics to Study
What variable does saturation vapor pressure (es) primarily depend upon?
Define the concept of Relative Humidity (RH), including what it can tell us and its typical units.
Explain the two ways Relative Humidity may be changed.
Under calm and clear conditions, during what part of the day is Relative Humidity normally lowest?
Normally highest?
Ch 4 Focus, page 1 of 5
Chapter 4 Questions and Topics to Study (cont’d)
Define the concept of dew point temperature (Td).
How is the difference between dew point and temperature (hence, the dew point depression
(DD = T-Td) related to relative humidity?
List the Good and Poor Indicators of the actual amount of moisture (water vapor) in the air.
List the two primary ways in which fog forms.
Describe the conditions that are necessary for the formation of:
(a) radiation fog
(b) advection fog
Ch 4 Focus, page 2 of 5
Chapter 4 Questions and Topics to Study (cont’d)
List the major categories and cloud types associated with each. (See Table 4.1 on page 105)
Which type of cloud is associated with each of the following characteristics:
(a) mackerel sky
(b) lightning
(c) halos
(d) hailstones
(e) mares’ tails
(f) anvil top
(g) light continuous rain or snow
(h) heavy rain showers
Also: Be able to recognize the type of cloud when given a description or image.
Knowing these “root words” can be very beneficial in knowing the type of cloud:
cirro-
alto-
strato-
cumulo-
nimbo-
Ch 4 Focus, page 3 of 5
Chapter 4 Additional Key Terms and Concepts
Air Parcel (or Parcel of Air)
Condensation
Condensation Nuclei
Contrail
Evaporation
Evaporation (mixing) Fog
Heat Index (Apparent Temperature)
Hygroscopic
Lenticular Cloud
“Saturated” Air
Ch 4 Focus, page 4 of 5
Chapter 4 Additional Key Terms and Concepts (cont’d)
Steam Fog
Upslope Fog
Weather Satellites
Know the most important aspects and differences between:
geostationary satellites
and
polar-orbiting satellites
Explain the main differences between:
Visible Satellite Imagery
and
Infrared (IR) Satellite Imagery
Ch 4 Focus, page 5 of 5