Winter storms arrive in California from the Northern Pacific near Alaska that ar

Question

Winter storms arrive in California from the Northern Pacific near Alaska that are cool and from the tropical Pacific near Hawaii that are warm. Assume for the purposes of this assignment that the winter storms of interest are 100 km wide, 300 km long and are 1 km thick. The storms arrive at an average altitude of 1.0 km and are saturated in water vapor. Storm clouds pass over the Sierra Nevada at an average elevation of 3.0 km and all water that condenses becomes precipitation. Further assume a saturated adiabatic lapse rate of 5°C/km. 3. If the Alaskan storm arrives with a temperature of 10°C, what volume of liquid water is deposited as precipitation? a. If the Hawaiian storm arrives with a temperature of 20°C, what volume of liquid water is deposited as precipitation? b.

Explanation / Answer

Given, Storm Volume = 300 * 100 * 1 = 3 * 104 km3

If Storm arrives at an average elevation of 1.0 km, storms are saturated in water vapor

If Storm Clouds pass over the Sierra Nevada at an average elevation of 3.0 km and all water condenses, becomes precipitation

Assume a saturated adiabatic lapse rate of 5oC/km

(a) Alaskan storm arrives with a temperature of 10oC (i.e., at an average altitude of 2 km), this implies the storms are saturated in water vapor. Hence liquid water is not deposited as precipitation.

(b) Hawaiian storm arrives with a temperature of 20oC (i.e., at an average altitude of 4 km), this implies the storms condenses and becomes precipitation. Liquid water deposited as precipitation has a cloud cover of 1 km thick. Volume of liquid water = 300 * 100 * 1 = 30000 km3

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