Definitions: Modules 6-10

Question 1

anthropogenic climate foraging

Answer 1

this is the climate change resulting from human activities at a local to global scale

Question 2

South Asian Brown Cloud

Answer 2

a layer of air pollution that periodically covers part of South Asia

Question 3

humidity

Answer 3

amount of water vapour in the air

Question 4

absolute humidity

Answer 4

the mass of water vapour/volume of air

Question 5

specific humidity

Answer 5

represents a given mass of water vapour in a given mass of air

Question 6

vapour pressure

Answer 6

• amount of pressure exerted on the atmosphere by water vapour in an air parcel
• dependent on density and temperature of vapour

Question 7

saturation

Answer 7

an equilibrium condition in which the rate at which the molecule evaporates is balanced but the rate at which they condense

Question 8

saturation vapour pressure

Answer 8

• the vapour pressure of the atmosphere when it is saturated
• the maximum amount of water vapour pressure that can exist at a given temperature

Question 9

saturation specific humidity

Answer 9

specific humidity of the atmosphere when it is saturated

Question 10

dew point temperature

Answer 10

the temperature at which saturation occurs in the air

Question 11

absolutely stable air

Answer 11

this occurs in the atmosphere when environmental lapse rate is less than the saturated adiabatic lapse rate

Question 12

absolutely unstable air

Answer 12

occurs in the atmosphere when the environmental lapse rate is greater than the dry adiabatic rate

Question 13

continually (un)stable air

Answer 13

this occurs in the atmosphere when the environmental lapse rate is in between the saturated adiabatic lapse rate and the dry adiabatic lapse rate

Question 14

orographic uplift

Answer 14

• 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

Question 15

forced lifting

Answer 15

occurs when two air masses converge at the front, resulting in clouds

Question 16

fog

Answer 16

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

Question 17

precipitation

Answer 17

any form of water that falls from a cloud and reaches the ground

Question 18

aggregation

Answer 18

process of ice crystals colliding and then sticking together

Question 19

cryosphere

Answer 19

portion of Earth where natural materials occur in frozen form

Question 20

permaforest

Answer 20

ground in which the temperature is less than 0C for two or more consecutive years

Question 21

pingoes

Answer 21

bodies of pure ice, exist mainly in upper part of the ground

Question 22

reticulated ice

Answer 22

structure-forming ice that bonds sediments together

Question 23

snowline

Answer 23

point at above which snow and ice cover the ground throughout the year

Question 24

acidification

Answer 24

increase of hydrogen ion concentration in water and/or soil

Question 25

residence times

Answer 25

the amount of time water spends in a given compartment of the Earth system

Question 26

water table

Answer 26

underground depth at which the ground is totally saturated with water

Question 27

runoff

Answer 27

portion of precipitation that runs off the ground surface as opposed to percolating into the ground

Question 28

overland flow

Answer 28

heads into rivers/streams and then stored in lakes of ponds

Question 29

interflow

Answer 29

water that percolates just below the land surface and moves in the same direction as overland flow

Question 30

capillary water

Answer 30

• soil water type

- water that is held in soil micropores

Question 31

gravitational water

Answer 31

• soil water type

- water that isn’t retained within soil pores and drains to become groundwater

Question 32

hygroscopic water

Answer 32

• soil water type

- water that adheres tightly to soil particles and is unavailable to plants

Question 33

percolated water

Answer 33

water that seeps into the ground and becomes groundwater

Question 34

river

Answer 34

flowing body of water with a main channel and tributaries that run into it

Question 35

headwaters

Answer 35

beginning of a river, its source of water

Question 36

confluence

Answer 36

point where tributary joins the main channel

Question 37

upstream

Answer 37

points toward headwater

Question 38

downstream

Answer 38

points to the end point of a river (i.e. its mouth)

Question 39

watershed

Answer 39

the total land area that drains surface water