Chapter 3: Turbulence and Cumulus Clouds
Physics concepts
- Sensible vs Latent heating
- adiabatic processes
- First law of thermodynamics
- saturation and equilibrium between rate of evaporation and rate of
condensation
Weather and Climate concepts
- convection vs. advection
- boundary layer and free troposphere
- Where are turbulent processes most prominent?
- Turbulent mixing homogenizes "conservative variables"
- What does this mean?
- What are examples of conserved variables homogenized by mixing?
- What are examples of non-conserved variables that are not
homogenized by mixing?
- dry static energy, s
- be able to identify all terms in the equation
- under what conditions is s conserved? (Hint, what is the
equation that describes how s changes with time?). NOTE:
You do NOT have to know what a Lagrangian derivative it. It is
sufficient for you to think about how s changes in a parcel as
the parcel moves around.
- How is this related to the dry adiabatic lapse rate?
- moist static energy, h
- be able to identify all terms in the equation
- under what conditions is s conserved? (Hint, what is the
equation that describes how s changes with time?).
- be able to plot constant h for a parcel leaving the surface on
a diagram of (s, h, and h*, where h* is saturated moist static energy).
- also be able to identify lifting condensation level, level of
neutral buoyancy, region of CAPE, and region of CIN
- dry adiabatic lapse rate, moist adiabatic lapse rates, environmental
lapse rate
- definitions, and differences between these (when are they used,
which applies to parcels and which is an actual measurement?)
- calculations of parcel temperatures using lapse rates
- Why is dry adiabatic lapse rate always greater than saturated (or
moist) adiabatic lapse rate?
- identifying stability by comparing lapse rate
- stable
- unstable
- conditionally stable
- stratification and relationship with dry and moist static energies
- moisture variables
- vapor pressure (relation to sat'n vapor pressure--which one
does not measure how much moisture is present?
- specific humidity (saturation specific humidity)
- relative humidity (value of relativity at saturation)
- How does saturation vapor pressure vary with temperature?
How does this explain why "warm air holds more moisture than
cool air?"
- CAPE, CIN, how these are related on a diagram of
dry, moist, saturated static energies.
- What does this mean: "cumulous convection converts CAPE
into kinetic energy"?
- Convection is widely spaced; what happens between convective
cells?
- What determines intensity of convection?
- What is the ITCZ?
Reading Guide, and useful links