5.3: A Case Study
- Page ID
- 42069
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Topographic Lifting
The rising and sinking behavior of air parcels has a crucial impact on a region's climate. Air parcels near the surface may rise to higher elevations during the day because of surface heating from the Sun. As we noticed during the Stüve Diagrams exercise, such parcels carry water vapor with them from the surface, which condenses when the parcel cools down to its dew point temperature. This condensation leads to cloud formation and can also result in precipitation. However, solar heating isn't the only process that causes surface air to rise in elevation. Topographical lifting occurs when air is forced to rise along the side of a mountain range by horizontal winds. Many regions across the world receive a significant amount of rainfall due to the topographic lifting of air parcels. It can also significantly impact the precipitation a region, a state, or even a country receives annually. Let's try to understand how the average annual precipitation (Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)) varies over the San Francisco Bay Area due to its topography (Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\)) and answer the following questions.
- According to Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\), the city of Santa Cruz, California, receives between 26 and 30 inches of rain annually. Meanwhile, San Jose, in the southern San Francisco Bay Area, about 30 miles north of Santa Cruz, receives ____ of rain per year.
- 10-15 inches
- 40-45 inches
- 25-30 inches
- According to Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\) and Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\), between Santa Cruz and San Jose is a mountain range that receives ____ rainfall annually than either Santa Cruz or San Jose.
- significantly more
- significantly less
- This occurs because as air coming from the Pacific Ocean travels eastward over the Santa Cruz mountains, it ____ over the mountains.
- cools, condenses, and rains out
- warms and evaporates
- Once the air sinks down the east side of the mountain, near San Jose, it is significantly _____.
- colder and wetter
- warmer and drier
- This ____ the concept explored in questions 9-14, where air that rises cools and condenses. While air that sinks back down to the surface warms and dries.
- confirms
- contradicts
Mountains produce a natural rain shadow, where areas on the windward (front) side of the mountain range receive more rainfall than areas on the leeward (back) side of the mountain range. In the case study of Santa Cruz versus San Jose, winds blow onshore from Santa Cruz, up the mountain range, and then sink down into the Santa Clara valley.