Flashcards
Acid rain
a broad term referring to a mixture of wet and dry deposition (deposited material) from the atmosphere containing higher than normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids
Humidity
A quantity representing the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere or a gas
Relative humidity
the amount of water vapor present in air expressed as a percentage of the amount needed for saturation at the same temperature
Cirrus
cloud forming wispy filamentous tufted streaks (“mare’s tails”) at high altitude, usually 16,500–45,000 feet (5–13 km)
Cumulus
a cloud forming rounded masses heaped on each other above a flat base at fairly low altitude
Stratus
cloud forming a continuous horizontal gray sheet, often with rain or snow.
Air masses
a body of air with horizontally uniform temperature, humidity, and pressure
Stewardship
the management or care of something, particularly the kind that works
El Nino
an irregularly occurring and complex series of climatic changes affecting the equatorial Pacific region and beyond every few years, characterized by the appearance of unusually warm, nutrient-poor water off northern Peru and Ecuador, typically in late December
La Nina
a cooling of the water in the equatorial Pacific that occurs at irregular intervals and is associated with widespread changes in weather patterns complementary to those of El Niño
NOAA(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
An American scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere
Cold front
the boundary of an advancing mass of cold air, in particular the trailing edge of the warm sector of a low-pressure system
Warm front
the boundary of an advancing mass of warm air, in particular the leading edge of the warm sector of a low-pressure system
Stationary front
a pair of air masses, neither of which is strong enough to replace the other
Occluded front
composite front produced by occlusion
