Final exam Flashcards
Weather
The condition of the atmosphere at a given time and place
Atmosphere
The envelope of gasses that surround the Earth
Water vapor
Water in the form of a gas
Density
The amount of mass in a given volume of air
Air pressure
The result of the weight of a column of air pushing on an area
Barometer
An instrument used to measure air pressure
Mercury baromter
A barometer that consists of a long glass tube that is closed on one end and opened at the other
Aneroid barometer
A barometer that has an airtight metal chamber
Altitude
Distance above sea level
Troposphere
The layer of the atmosphere were weather happens
Stratosphere
The layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer
Mesosphere
The layer that protects us from meteoroids
Thermosphere
The outermost layer of the atmosphere
Ionosphere
The first half of the thermosphere
Exosphere
The second half of the thermosphere
Greenhouse effect
When radiation goes back up from Earth’s surface and gets caught in gases that in turn heat the Earth
Convection
Heat transfer through the movement of a fluid
Conduction
Heat transfer through direct touching of two substances
Radiation
Heat transfer through rays
Wind
The movement of air parallel to Earth’s surface
Global winds
A steady blowing wind over a long distance
cause of local winds
Because of the unequal heating in Earth’s surface
Coriolis effect
The way Earth’s rotation makes wind curve
Global vs local
Global is long Local is short (all for distances)
Latitude
Lines that go East and West through the Earth
Longitude
Lines that go North and South through the Earth
Local winds
A steady blowing wind over a short distance
What causes winds to move?
Differences in air pressure
Water cycle
The movement of water through Earth’s systems, powered by the sun’s energy
Water cycle order
Evaporation Condensation Precipitation Run off Ground water
Evaporation
The process by which molecules of liquid escape into the air after becoming water vapor
Condensation
The process by water becomes liquid water
Precipitation
When water is released from clouds in any of the 5 forms of precipitation
Run off
Run off is precipitation that did not et absorbed into the soil, or so did not evaporate, and therefore made its way from the ground surface into places that water collect
Ground water
Water present beneath Earth’s surface from the runoff that collects and goes into lakes, river, streams, etc…
Humidity
The measure of water vapor in the atmosphere
Evapotranspiration
The process of water being released into the atmosphere (evaporation) from plants, trees, soil, or other surfaces
Relative humidity
The percentage of water that is actually in the air compared or the maximum amount of water vapor that the air can hold at a particular temperature
Psychrometer
An instrument used to measure relative humidity
Dew point
The point at which condensation begins
Cirrus clouds
Wispy feathery clouds at high altitudes
Cumulus
Clouds that look like cotton and indicate fair weather
Stratus
Dull gray flat layered clouds that produce precipitation
Nimbus
Clouds that produce thunderstorms
Precipitation (definition not water cycle)
Any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth’s surface
Rain
Drops of water that are at least 0.5 mm in diameter
Rain is the most common kind of precipitation
What is rain made up of?
Drops called drizzle which are made up of smaller drops called mist
Sleet
Ice particles smaller than 5 mm in diameter
These form when raindrops fall through a layer of air that is below 0 degrees celsius, the freezing point of water, as they fall raindrops freeze into solid particles of ice
formation of sleet
Hail
A round pellet of ice larger than 5 mm in diameter
Snow
When water vapor turns directly into ice crystals
Freezing rain
Rain drops that fall as liquid, but freeze when they touch a cold surface
5 types of precipitation
Hail, Snow, Sleet, Freezing rain, Rain
Rain gauge
An open ended tube that collects rain
Water vapor
Water in the form of a gas
Flood
An overflowing of water in a particularly dry area
Drought
A long period of scarce rainfall or dry weather
Air mass
A huge body of air in the lower atmosphere that has similar temperature, humidity, and air pressure at any given height
Tropical air mass
Warm
Polar air mass
Cold
Continental air mass
Dry
Maritime air mass
Wet
Jet streams
High bands of winds abut 10 km over Earth’s surface
Fronts
Boundaries where 2 air masses meet
Cold front
When the warm air is pushed upward along the leading edge of the cooler air
Warm front
When the fast moving warm air overtakes the slow moving cold air this mass is also accompanied by clouds and precipitation
Stationary front
When cold air masses and warm air masses meet, but neither can meet
Occluded front
When a warm air mass is caught between two cooler air masses and the warm air gets cut off or in other words occluded
Cyclone
A swirling low center of air pressure
Anticyclone
High pressure centers of dry air that come with fair weather and is marked with and H on a weather map
Storm
A violent disturbance in the amtosphere
Thunder storm
A small storm often accompanied by heavy rain and frequent thunder and lightning
Lightning
A sudden spark or electrical discharge
Hurricane
A tropical cyclone with winds of 119 km or larger
Storm surge
A “dome” of water that sweeps across the coast where the hurricane lands
Tornado
A rapidly whirling funnel-shaped cloud that reaches down from the thunderstorm to touch Earth’s surface
Evacuation
To move away temporarily from an area that will be hit by a hurricane or an other type of storm with possible damage to the area
Meterologist
A predicts who studies the weather
Axis
An imaginary line that runs through the Earth
Rotation
The spinning of Earth on its axis
Revolution
The movement of one object around another, in this case the Earth around the sun
Orbit
Earth’s path around the sun
Calendar
A system of organizing time that defines the beginning length, and divisions of a year
Solstices
When the sun appears farthest North and farthest South of the equator
Equinoxes
Halfway between solstices, each of these days has equal day and equal night
Moon phases
Total cycle is in 29.5 days (how a month came to be)
Summer solctice
sun hits tropic of cancer at 90 degree angle
Winter solctice
Sun hits tropic of capricorn longest night of the year
Vernal and Autumnal equinoxes
Sun hits equator at 90 degree angle
Neap tide
A tide where the moon’s pull is at right angle’s to the sun’s pull
Spring tide
When there is a 180 degree angle between the moons pulls and the sun’s pulls
How does a hurricane form step 1
Intense sunshine
How does a hurricane form step 2
Massive evaporation takes place
How does a hurricane form step 3
Convection causes t-storms
How does a hurricane form step 4
t-storms organize into squall line
How does a hurricane form step 5
Under the right condition upper level winds kink squall line
How does a hurricane form step 6
squall line spins around itself forming eyewall
How does a hurricane form step 7
Hurricane grows until forces destroy it
How does a hurricane die
Cold water
Cold upper level winds (continental polar air mass boundary) and Land
What is the order of the moon phases?
New moon, waxing crescent, 1st quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, 3rd quarter, waning crescent
When moon gets more light?
waxing
When moon gets less light?
waning
what percent of the atmosphere is made up of oxygen?
21
what percent of the atmosphere is made up of nitrogen?
78
what percent of the atmosphere is made up of gases other then oxygen and nitrogen?
Traces gases, 1%
As you ride upwards towards the atmosphere what happens to air pressure?
It decreases
Which layer of the atmosphere protects Earth’s surface from being hit by meteoroids?
Mesosphere
When heated, Earth’s surface radiates some of the energy back into the atmosphere as what type of radiation?
Infrared
Energy from the sun that reaches Earth is mostly in the form of visible light, infrared radiation and what type of radiation?
Ultraviolet radiation
Because air has mass, it exerts a force on an area or surface called what?
Air pressure
What is the elevation, or distance above sea level?
Altitude
Because of what global winds in the Northern hemisphere gradually turns towards the right?
Coriolis effect
What winds blow from west to eat away from horse latitudes?
Prevailing westerlies
What causes day and night?
Earth’s rotation on its axis
When the north end of Earth’s axis is tilted toward the sun, North America will experience what?
More direct rays and longer days
How long does Earth’s rotation take?
24 hours
What is a solar eclipse?
When the Moon is between the Earth and the sun
Why is it less likely to see a solar eclipse then a lunar eclipse?
Because the moon’s umbra only covers a small area of Earth’s surface
When are the tides highest?
At a spring tide, full moon when the Earth moon and sun are in a line
When are the tides lowest?
At a neap tide when the
Cool air is more or less dense?
More dense and flows under warm air
