Meteorology Flashcards
wind
the movement of air from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure
thermometer
measures temperature
cold front
a fast-moving cold air mass that overtakes a warm air mass, causes thunderstorms
warm front
a warm air mass that overtakes a slow-moving cold air mass, causes several days of light rain or cloudy weather
stationary front
cold and warm air masses meet each other and cause long periods of precipitation
occluded front
a warm air mass that caught between two cooler air masses
tornado
a rapidly whirling funnel shaped cloud, forms on land in a tight spiral
hurricane
a tropical cyclone that has winds of 100+ mph, forms over water in a large spiral
humidity
the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere
Coriolis effect
when things move in a curved path rather than straight due to the earth’s rotation
barometer
measures air pressure
anemometer
measures wind speed
hygrometer
measures humidity
sea breeze
a local wind blowing toward the land during the day
land breeze
a local wind blowing toward the sea during the night
air pressure
the weight of air, low pressure = cloudy, high pressure = clear
troposphere
layer of the atmosphere closest to earth’s surface, where weather occurs
stratosphere
layer of the atmosphere with the ozone layer
mesosphere
layer of the atmosphere with the coldest temperatures
thermosphere
layer of the atmosphere with the ionosphere (area with electrically charged particles)
exosphere
the outermost layer of the atmosphere
greenhouse effect
when heat from the sun is trapped in the atmosphere by certain gasses
ozone
protects earth from harmful UV radiation
