Meteorology Flashcards
Antarctic
having to do with continent of Antarctica or the area around it; having to do with the South Pole or the area around it
Arctic
In the Arctic, winter temperatures average about 30 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. The Arctic is the northernmost region in the world and includes the Arctic Ocean, polar ice caps, and continental land masses such as Greenland and the northernmost parts of Canada and Russia. This region is surrounded by an imaginary line called the Arctic Circle. In the summer, the sun doesn’t set in the Arctic, so there is continuous daylight all season. The opposite is true in the winter, when it is dark 24 hours a day for many months. The Arctic’s climate is harsh. There are no trees and few plants, but that doesn’t mean the area isn’t important. Scientists studying the Arctic are concerned about the receding, or melting, polar ice caps, as well as the ways global warming can impact the region. Native American peoples who live in this region include the Inuit, the Aleut, and the Yupik. Historically, few people have lived in the Arctic region, but it is home to polar bears and a diverse number of fish, marine mammals, and birds.
Celsius
the metric temperature scale: Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius, and it freezes at 0 degrees Celsius.
the third planet from the Sun; the planet on which we live (related words: earthly; earth - meaning soil or dirt)
Earth
movement; something that happens (related words: move, moving
Action
the part of the atmosphere closest to Earth; the part of the atmosphere that organisms on Earth use for respiration.
Air
Air pressure
the force that air puts on an area (related word: pressure)
layers of gas that surround a planet (related word: atmospheric)
Atmosphere
Barometer
a tool used to measure air pressure (related word: barometric)
Barometric pressure
the pressure (force per unit area) of the atmosphere against a surface
a natural cycle in which carbon compounds, mainly carbon dioxide, are incorporated into living tissue through photosynthesis and returned to the atmosphere by respiration, decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels
Carbon cycle
thin, wispy-looking clouds; commonly found at heights greater than 6 km
Cirrus clouds
a collection of water droplets or ice crystals in the atmosphere
Cloud
anvil-shaped cloud that is often involved in heavy or violent storms: ——————- ——- are also called thunderheads. (related words: cumulus, nimbus)
Cumulonimbus clouds
large, fluffy, white clouds, often seen in fair skies; can develop into cumulonimbus clouds
Cumulus clouds
an area that gets little precipitation and has very little vegetation
Desert
Dew point
the temperature at which water vapor in the air condenses into water
a prolonged shortage of rainfall
Drought
the transfer of energy from one organism to another through a food chain or web; or the transfer of energy from one object to another, such as heat energy
Energy transfer
Forecast
(v) to analyze weather data and make an educated guess about weather in the future; (n) a prediction about what the weather will be like in the future based on weather data
the temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid
Freezing point
Front
in weather, the boundary between two masses of air with different properties
Funnel cloud
a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud: Funnel clouds do not touch the ground.
the slow warming of Earth’s atmosphere due to climatic change
Global warming
