Exam 4: Atmospheric Moisture and Precipitation

Earth's hydrosphere is best described as the

Thin, high wispy clouds composed almost entirely of ice crystals are called

Unsaturated air is required for fog, dew, and cloud formation.

The change in the air's temperature with altitude is called the environmental lapse rate.

________________, formed within cool clouds, occurs when ice crystals take up water vapor and grow by _______________________.

The largest proportion of freshwater consists of

________ develops at night when the temperature of the air layer at the ground level falls below the dew point.

Runoff is that portion of Earth's circulating moisture that moves in the liquid state from land to sea.

Rain shadows are found

Water vapor that changes state to form a cloud is an example of:

When a through flowing current of moist air is forced to move upward over a mountain barrier, the process is referred to as ___

The wet adiabatic rate for a rising parcel of air is less than the dry rate because