Local Climates Flashcards
During the day insolation heats up the slopes of a mountain causing anabatic winds to blow up the valley slopes
Anabatic wind
The angle at which the sun’s rays strike the surface of the earth
Angle of incidence
The direction in which a slope faces
Aspect
A low-lying area, such as a valley bottom, where crust regularly forms in winter.
Frost pockets
Particles in the air such as salt, dust and smoke that attract water vapor and provide and a surface for the water vapor to condense.
Hygroscopic nuclei
A layer of air where temperature increases with increasing altitude
Inversion layer
At night air at the top of a mountain cools quickly due to terrestrial radiation. The air foes down the sides of the slopes. Mostly occurs after midnight causing temperature inversions.
Katabatic winds
Winds blown down the length of the valley from the top of the mountain to the bottom; usually occur at night.
Mountain wind
A substance that makes the environment dirty for example exhaust fumes
Pollutant
A dome shaped mass of polluted air above a city
Pollution dome
Pollution dome a visible flow of pollutants from a factory smoke stack
Pollution plume
Fog caused by condensation of air that has cooled to dew point as a result of heat lost through terrestrial radiation
Radiation fog
An area, such as a slope, that does not receive any direct sunlight
Shadow Zone
Is the angle at which the suns rays strike a slope
Slope aspect
A mixture of smoke and fog
Smog
