GEOG 131 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4.7-4.8: Cirrostratus Cloud, Contrail, Stratocumulus Cloud
Document Summary
Free convection- if an parcel rises because atmospheric conditions are unstable. Forced convection- if air is forced to rise due to external factors: can occur due to four factors: Orographic effect- laterally moving air masses interact with topographic features on the land surface: as air encounters topography, it slows down, piles up, and rises. Lifting condensation levels- height of which clouds begin to form. Low level convergence- when winds from two systems are moving on a collision course: itcz. Upper level divergence- due to the speeding up of air. Frontal lifting- whenever two air masses with signi cantly different temperatures meet, the warmer air will be forced up and over the colder air because the warm air is less dense. Classify clouds on three factors: their form, their altitude, whether they are associated with precipitation. Cloud form: cumuliform- generally are taller than they are wide and have lumpy appearance.
