Chapter 17 Flashcards
A type of cyclonic storm in which funnel clouds pick up soil and objects, threatening life and doing great damage to property
Tornado
The thin layer of gases surrounding planet earth
Atmosphere
the bottommost layer of the atmosphere; it extends to 11 km above sea level
Troposphere
the layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere and below the mesosphere; extends from 11 km to 50 km above sea level
Stratosphere
a portion of the stratosphere, roughly 17-30 km above sea level, hat contains most of the ozone in the atmosphere
Ozone Layer
the weight per unit area produced by a column of air
Atmospheric Pressure
the ratio of water vapor contained in a given volume of air to the maximum amount the air could contain, given the temperature
Relative Humidity
a circular current (of air, water, magma, etc) driven by temperature differences
Convective Circulation
A cyclonic storm that forms over the ocean but can do damage upon its arrival on land
Hurricane
the band of air in which temperature rises with altitude
inversion layer
One of a pair of cells convective circulation between the equator and 30 degrees north and south latitude that increase global climate patterns
Hadley Cell
One pair of cells of convective circulation between 30 and 60 degrees north and south latitude that influence global climate patterns
Ferrel Cells
One pair of cells of convective circulation between the poles and 60 degrees north and south latitude influence global climate patterns
Polar Cells
The apparent deflection of north-south air currents to a -party east-west direction, caused by the faster spin of regions near the quarter than regions near the poles as a result of earth’s rotation
Coriolis Effect
A departure from the normal temperature distribution in the atmosphere in which a pocket of relatively cold air occurs near the ground, with warmer air above it
Temperature Inversion
the boundary where a mass of warm air displaces a mass of colder air
Warm Front
The boundary between air masses that differ in temperature and moisture, and therefore, density
Front
The pattern of atmospheric conditions found across large geographic regions over long periods of time
Climate
The local physical properties of the troposphere, such as temperature, pressure, humidity, cloudiness, and wind; over relatively short amounts of time
Weather
An airmass in which air moves toward the low atmospheric pressure at the center of the system and spirals upward, typically bringing clouds and precipitation
Low-pressure System