Chapter 16 - Water In The Air Flashcards
Humidity
The amount of water vapor in the air
Relative humidity
The ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air to the maximum amount of water vapor the air can hold at a set temperature
Condensation
The change of state from a gas to a liquid
Cloud
A collection of small water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air, which forms when the air is cooled and condensation occurs.
Precipitation
Any form of water that falls to the earths surface from the clouds
Air mass
A large body of air where temperature and moisture content are constant throughout
Weather
The short-term state of the atmosphere, including temp. Humidity, perceipitation, wind and visibility
Front
The boundary between air masses of different densities and usually different temps.
Cyclone
An area in the atmosphere that has lower pressure than the surrounding areas and has winds that spiral towards the center.
Anticyclone
The rotation of air around a high pressure center in the direction opposite to earths rotation
Thunderstorm
A usually brief heavy storm that consists of rain strong winds lighting and thunder
Lighting
An electric discharge that takes place between two oppositely charged surfaces such as between a cloud and the ground between two parts of the same cloud
Thunder
The sound caused by the rapid expansion of air along an electrical strike
Tornado
A destructive rotating column of air that has very high wind speeds is visible As a funnel shaped cloud and touches the ground
Hurricane
A severe storm that develops over tropical oceans and whose strong winds of more than 120 km per hour spiral in towards the intensity low pressure storm center
