GEOG 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Fluid Parcel, Dew Point, Leading Edge

• School: University of Georgia
• Department: Geography
• Course: GEOG 1101
• Professor: Scott Connelly

Document Summary

* for air masses or parcels of air to cool adiabatically (by expansion) and reach the dew-point t (saturation) and condense to form clouds and perhaps precipitation, they must lift or rise in altitude. * there are 4 principal lifting mechanisms which operate in the atmosphere. Convective lifting is the process of warming a parcel of air at the surface by conduction. Then the whole parcel rising into the atmosphere since it is warmer than the surrounding air. * the heating of the earth"s surface at a given location will produce the necessary elements to establish these unstable conditions. * if there is enough moisture in the air parcel, then cloud formation may develop and even precipitation. this is commonly, how afternoon thundershowers are produced in the summertime, especially here in the southeastern u. s. * this is also part of the process, in conjunction with convergence, that occurs in low pressure cells.