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Class12 2022

Convective instability occurs when the lower layers of an air mass have a higher relative humidity than the layers above. When an air parcel is lifted, the lower part reaches the condensation level first, releasing latent heat that allows it to cool more slowly than the upper layers. This creates a steepened lapse rate within the air mass, making it convectively unstable. Condensation nuclei are tiny particles in the atmosphere that water vapor condenses onto when the air cools, forming clouds. The size and composition of condensation nuclei, such as salt crystals or combustion particles, determine how efficiently they promote cloud formation and precipitation.

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20 views24 pages

Class12 2022

Convective instability occurs when the lower layers of an air mass have a higher relative humidity than the layers above. When an air parcel is lifted, the lower part reaches the condensation level first, releasing latent heat that allows it to cool more slowly than the upper layers. This creates a steepened lapse rate within the air mass, making it convectively unstable. Condensation nuclei are tiny particles in the atmosphere that water vapor condenses onto when the air cools, forming clouds. The size and composition of condensation nuclei, such as salt crystals or combustion particles, determine how efficiently they promote cloud formation and precipitation.

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Ashish v Philip
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Convective instability

• It happens when the lower layer of an air mass


have a higher relative humidity (RH) than that
above.
• When lifting takes place in an air parcel in which
RH decreases rapidly with elevation, the lower
part reaches condensation level first.
• As a result of the added latent heat of
condensation to the lower part of the air parcel, it
cools much slowly than the upper layers, which
follow dry rather than the moist adiabatic lapse
rate.
• A greatly steepened lapse rate within the air
mass follows and it becomes unstable. Such an
air mass is said to be convectively unstable.
(page 130-131 Trewartha)
Clouds
Cloud classification
There are ten basic cloud types which are defined
according to where in the sky they form and their
approximate appearance.

• High-level clouds typically have a base above


about 6000 m
• Middle-level clouds- base usually between 2000
and 6000 m
• Low-level clouds - base at a maximum of 2000 m.

Most cloud names contain Latin prefixes and suffixes


which, when combined, give an indication of the
cloud’s character.
These include:
- Stratus/strato: flat/layered and smooth
- Cumulus/cumulo: heaped up/puffy
- Cirrus/cirro: feathers, wispy
- Nimbus/nimbo: rain-bearing
- Alto: mid-level
(6-12 km)

1 .Cirrus (ci)-thin white feather like clouds with a


fibrous structure and delicate silky appearance.
Composed of ice crystals. Cirrus clouds usually
signal clear, fair weather. Their shape often
indicates the direction the wind is blowing high in
the atmosphere.
(2-6 km)
(surface to 2 km)

Stratus clouds are horizontal and stratified, or


layered. Stratus clouds can blanket the entire sky in a single
pattern. They usually occur close to the
Earth. If precipitation falls from stratus clouds, it is usually
in the form of drizzle or light snow.
(from surface – ~12 km)

Cumulonimbus clouds are the only clouds that produce


lightning.
Cloud formation
• Moist air needs to be lifted through vertical motion for its cooling and
resulting condensation.
• Gradual upward motion leads to the formation of sheet or layer clouds or
stratiform clouds covering large areas in the sky.
• Vigorous vertical currents produce cumuliform clouds which are usually
separated from one another by clear space.
1. Surface heating and free convection

• Convection develops when the earth’s surface is heated and the air moves
upwards.
• Warm air rises and cools, then water vapour condenses to produce the cloud.
The air will rise till it remains warmer than the surrounding.
• On reaching a stable layer, the cloud top will spread out horizontally.
• Rapid local ascent give rise to formation of cumuliform clouds. Usually in such
clouds, the vertical development will be more than the horizontal extension.
• Isolated convective clouds of limited extent are called fair weather cumulus.
Their vertical extent will be insufficient to form precipitation.
• Vertical extent of cloud is determined mainly by the stability of the environment.
• If instability is present throughout a large vertical depth, cumulonimbus clouds
form.
2. Topography (orography)
• When moist air is forced to ascend over mountain ranges, clouds will
develop as the air cools adiabatically due to the forced ascent. When there
is no sufficient moisture, no clouds will form.

• Formation of cumulus or stratus clouds can also occur depending upon the
instability created by the forced ascent.

• Large instability will give rise to the formation of cumulonimbus.

• Due to orographic ascent, clouds form on the windward side with clear
condition on the leeward side. (The side of the mountains that the wind
blows towards is called the windward side. The side of the mountains
where the wind blows away is called the leeward side).

• Sometimes, the clouds form on the top of the mountain, thin at the edges
and thick at the centre, shape similar to lense. These are known as
lenticular clouds.
3) Convergence of surface air

Winds meet at the center of the low pressure system and have nowhere to go but
up. All types of clouds are formed by these processes, especially altocumulus,
altostratus, cirrocumulus, stratocumulus, or stratus clouds.
4) Uplift along weather fronts

Weather fronts, where two large masses of air collide at the Earth’s surface, also
form clouds by causing air to rise.

• At a warm front, where a warm air mass slides above a cold air mass, the warm
air is pushed upward forming different types of clouds – from low stratus clouds
to midlevel altocumulus and altostratus clouds, high cirrocumulus and cirrostratus
clouds.

• Clouds that produce rain like nimbostratus and cumulonimbus are also common
at warm fronts.

• At a cold front, where heavy a cold air mass pushes a warm air mass upward,
cumulous clouds are common. They often grow into cumulonimbus clouds, which
produce thunderstorms.
Growth of Cumulus clouds
• Cumulus clouds are detached, individual, cauliflower-shaped clouds usually
spotted in fair weather conditions.
• The tops of these clouds are mostly brilliant white tufts when lit by the Sun,
although their base is usually relatively dark.
• The base of cloud is often flat and about 1000 m above the ground.
• All cumulus clouds develop as a result of convection (convective clouds). They
form when the temperature decreases rather rapidly with increasing height.
• These clouds grow upward, and they can develop into a giant cumulonimbus,
which is a thunderstorm cloud.
• Most forms of heavy precipitation fall from cumulus/cumulonimbus clouds.
• The associated weather depends on their height and size. The higher the base of
a cloud is, the drier the atmosphere and the fairer the weather will be. Clouds
located close to the ground mean heavy snow or rain.
• Air parcels moving up cool off according to the adiabatic lapse rate, 10°K/km,
and therefore the cloud bottom is determined by the altitude where the relative
humidity of air parcel becomes 100%.
• Their vertical extent is controlled by the depth of the unstable layer.
• Typical height of a cumulus cloud is 3–10 km, with updraft velocities of a few
meters per second. Cumulonimbus cloud can reach upto 20km height.

The generation of convective plumes by solar heating of the ground is often


apparent in the afternoon when weather is fine. Little puffy clouds develop at the
top portion of these plumes, all with the same altitude at the bottom
Condensation nuclei
• When air is cooled below its dew point, the water vapor it contains tends to
condense as droplets of water or tiny ice crystals. Condensation does not take
place until the water vapour has a suitable surface on which to condense.
• Condensation nuclei are tiny suspended particle, either solid or liquid, upon which
water vapour condensation begins in the atmosphere. Its diameter may range from
a few microns to a few tenths of a micron (one micron = 10-4 cm).
• The most common types of condensation nuclei are crystals of salt, particulate
matter formed by the combustion of fossil fuels, and dust blown up from the earth's
surface.
• If the condensation nucleus is other than a water surface, heterogeneous
nucleation is said to occur. e.g. ions, small foreign particles and larger surfaces of
foreign substances.
• Condensation of water vapour on a liquid water surface is called homogeneous
nucleation. This nucleation to form liquid droplets require large supersaturation
(500%).
• Nuclei that have diameters of several microns and are composed of a
hygroscopic (moisture-attracting) substance (e.g., sea salt) are called giant
condensation nuclei.
• Condensation first occurs on these giant hygroscopic nuclei. Although they are
relatively few in number, these nuclei produce the largest droplets.
• Large nuclei (radius - 0.1-1.0micron) are more numerous than giant nuclei. They
are particularly common in industrial areas and account for most of the droplets
found in clouds.
• Minute Aitken nuclei (radius <0.11 micron) contribute little or nothing to
condensation process.

In the process of cloud-seeding, scientists add tiny crystals of dry ice or silver iodide
as condensation nuclei to the atmosphere to promote cloud formation and
precipitation. Water droplets form on these hygroscopic particles even before
saturation is reached.

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