Chapter 6: Humidity, Saturation & Stability

A series of vocabulary flashcards aimed at understanding key concepts related to humidity, saturation, and stability in the Earth's atmosphere.

Atmospheric Rivers (AR)

Narrow bands of concentrated water vapor transport in the lower atmosphere, contributing significantly to mean annual precipitation and global water vapor transport.

Global Water Cycle

The continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth, involving processes like evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Humidity

The amount of water vapor present in the air.

Saturation Vapor Pressure

The pressure exerted by water vapor in the air when it is in equilibrium with its liquid form, increasing with air temperature.

Relative Humidity (RH)

The ratio of the current amount of water vapor in the air to the maximum amount of water vapor the air can hold at that temperature.

Dewpoint Temperature (Td)

The temperature at which air needs to cool to reach saturation, indicating the moisture content of the air.

Precipitable Water

The depth of water that would accumulate if all the water vapor in a vertical column were to be condensed into liquid.

Atmospheric Stability

The tendency of air parcels to resist or enhance vertical motion based on temperature differences between the parcel and surrounding air.

Orographic lifting

The process of air being forced to rise over a topographic barrier, such as a mountain range, leading to cooling and precipitation.

Inversion Layer

A layer in the atmosphere where temperature increases with altitude, leading to stable conditions and potential smog.