Definitions: Modules 6-10 Flashcards
anthropogenic climate foraging
this is the climate change resulting from human activities at a local to global scale
South Asian Brown Cloud
a layer of air pollution that periodically covers part of South Asia
humidity
amount of water vapour in the air
absolute humidity
the mass of water vapour/volume of air
specific humidity
represents a given mass of water vapour in a given mass of air
vapour pressure
- amount of pressure exerted on the atmosphere by water vapour in an air parcel
- dependent on density and temperature of vapour
saturation
an equilibrium condition in which the rate at which the molecule evaporates is balanced but the rate at which they condense
saturation vapour pressure
- the vapour pressure of the atmosphere when it is saturated
- the maximum amount of water vapour pressure that can exist at a given temperature
saturation specific humidity
specific humidity of the atmosphere when it is saturated
dew point temperature
the temperature at which saturation occurs in the air
absolutely stable air
this occurs in the atmosphere when environmental lapse rate is less than the saturated adiabatic lapse rate
absolutely unstable air
occurs in the atmosphere when the environmental lapse rate is greater than the dry adiabatic rate
continually (un)stable air
this occurs in the atmosphere when the environmental lapse rate is in between the saturated adiabatic lapse rate and the dry adiabatic lapse rate
orographic uplift
- occurs when a mass of air is deflected over and/or around the terrain, usually over a hill or a mountain
- results in adiabatic cooling
forced lifting
occurs when two air masses converge at the front, resulting in clouds
fog
surface cloud formed when air either cools to the dew point, has moisture added to it, or when cooler air is mixed with warmer moist air
precipitation
any form of water that falls from a cloud and reaches the ground
aggregation
process of ice crystals colliding and then sticking together
cryosphere
portion of Earth where natural materials occur in frozen form
permaforest
ground in which the temperature is less than 0C for two or more consecutive years
pingoes
bodies of pure ice, exist mainly in upper part of the ground
reticulated ice
structure-forming ice that bonds sediments together
snowline
point at above which snow and ice cover the ground throughout the year
acidification
increase of hydrogen ion concentration in water and/or soil
residence times
the amount of time water spends in a given compartment of the Earth system
water table
underground depth at which the ground is totally saturated with water
runoff
portion of precipitation that runs off the ground surface as opposed to percolating into the ground
overland flow
heads into rivers/streams and then stored in lakes of ponds
interflow
water that percolates just below the land surface and moves in the same direction as overland flow
capillary water
- soil water type
- water that is held in soil micropores
gravitational water
- soil water type
- water that isn’t retained within soil pores and drains to become groundwater
hygroscopic water
- soil water type
- water that adheres tightly to soil particles and is unavailable to plants
percolated water
water that seeps into the ground and becomes groundwater
river
flowing body of water with a main channel and tributaries that run into it
headwaters
beginning of a river, its source of water
confluence
point where tributary joins the main channel
upstream
points toward headwater
downstream
points to the end point of a river (i.e. its mouth)
watershed
the total land area that drains surface water
