GEO 125

Physical Geography

Water in the Atmosphere

Key components of the hydrologic cycle

• Water Vapor
• Condensation
• Clouds
• Precipitation (PPT)
• Evaporation (E)
• Transpiration (T)
• Evapotranspiration (ET)
• Infiltration (I)
• Surface Runoff (SRO = (PPT -  (ET +I) 

   Types of Clouds

• Common clouds
• Rain clouds (nimbus family of clouds)

Classification of common clouds

• By shape (flat = stratus and round = cumulus)
• By altitude (low = stratus, mid-level = alto, and high = cirrus)

Types of common clouds

• Stratus
• Cumulostratus
• Altostratus
• Cumulostratus
• Cirrostratus
• Cirrocumuls

Nimbus family of clouds

• Cumulonimbus
• Nimbostratus

Forms of precipitation

• Drizzle
• Rain
• Sleet
• Hail
• Snow

Types of precipitation

• Frontal lifting
• Convectional
• Orographic

Types of fog

• Radiation (ground fog)
• Advectional (where warm and cold currents meet such as the Gulf Stream and Labrador Currents)
• Evaporational (associated with lakes)
• Sea Fog (such as occurs in San Francisco)

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