GEOG209 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Adiabatic Process, Wave Cloud, Cloud Condensation Nuclei

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Geography and Environmental Management
• Course: GEOG209
• Professor: Behrad Gharedaghloo

Document Summary

At any time, 70% of the earth"s surface is covered by clouds. Clouds are not uniform in space or time. Certain areas are prone to more/less cloudiness, depending on: Clouds play an important dual role in earth"s energy budget. Effect of clouds on shortwave (visible) radiation is obvious: When it is cloudy, it can trap longwave radiation and absorb it, and reflect some to space, causes isolation in surface and cloud, keeping heat until sun rises. What makes condensation trails ( contrails ) form: warm, humid air expelled from the engines. Water and carbon dioxide adiabatic expansion in clouds. Not smoke cause aircraft would be in trouble lol: pollution particles acting as condensation nuclei, smoke from incomplete combustion, adiabatic expansion and condensation as air rises over the wings. Increase the mass of black carbon in the atmosphere cloud burn-off + stabilizing the lower atmosphere due to warming of the surface: consequences;