GEOB 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Altostratus Cloud, Cirrostratus Cloud, Nimbostratus Cloud

• School: UBC
• Department: Geographical Biogeosciences
• Course: GEOB 102
• Professor: Nina Hewitt

Document Summary

If two different air masses ever meet, it would lead to severe weather causes by frontal lifting. Air is lifted which would lead to condensation, and the opportunity to precipitation. Cold front: when a cold air mass is moving into the warmer air mass (the warmer air mass is less dense than the cold air, hence it is lifted. Up --> this is because they can"t mix since they are different densities) By being lifted, there are quite dramatic severe weather consequences. Cold air essentially forces the warm air aloft. This causes a steep front --> since the cold air is forcing the hot air up quite rapidly. Leads to strong winds, large raindrops, heavy showers, lightning, thunder, hail, tornadoes, cumulonimbus (clouds that generate thunderstorm due to atmospheric instability, formed by water vapor being carried upwards by powerful/dramatic air currents)