Admin What happens when warm air meets cold water?
NARRATOR: Air masses are gigantic atmospheric volumes with very specific temperature and humidity characteristics. When a warm air mass meets a cold air mass, the warm air rises since it is lighter. At high altitude it cools, and the water vapor it contains condenses. This type of front is called a warm front.
What forms when warm air flows over much colder ground?
As the warm, moist air flows over much colder soil or snow, dense fog often forms. Warm, moist air is cooled from below as it flows over a colder surface. If the air is near saturation, moisture will condense out of the cooled air and form fog.
What is it called when warm air moves in cold air?
Warm Front transition zone from cold air to warm air. A warm front is defined as the transition zone where a warm air mass is replacing a cold air mass. Warm fronts generally move from southwest to northeast and the air behind a warm front is warmer and more moist than the air ahead of it.
When air moves over cold land what happens to the air above?
The cold air undercuts the warmer air in front of it, forcing the warm air to rise above it more vigorously than at a warm front. As the warm air rises much faster it may cool more rapidly and may form large cumulonimbus clouds.
What is formed when warm air rises and is replaced by cold air?
Warm fronts occur when light, warm air meets cold air. The warm air rises gradually over the cold air as they meet. As the warm air rises it cools and condenses to form clouds. Rain falls along the front as long periods of drizzle or steady rain.
What happens when the hot air hits the cold air?
The hot air is like a slow steam-roll over the cold air, eventually overtaking it. This can be difficult for the hot air as it moves slower than the cold air. Often we see clouds created ahead of these warm fronts.
What happens to the water temperature when summer ends?
As summer ends, water temperatures don’t cool right away but air temperature does. As a mass of dry, cold air moves over a warmer lake the warm lake conducts warm, moist air into the air mass above. This transport between the lake and air evens out.
Why does fog form when there is a cold front?
This is common with a warm fronts but it can occur with cold fronts as well only if it’s not moving too fast. Cold air, dry at the surface while rain is falling through it evaporates and causes the dew point to rise. This saturation forms fog.
What type of fog is formed by evaporation?
Evaporation or Mixing Fog. This type of fog forms when sufficient water vapor is added to the air by evaporation and the moist air mixes with cooler, relatively drier air. The two common types are steam fog and frontal fog. Steam fog forms when cold air moves over warm water.