Midterm Flashcards

1
Q

tornado

A
  • a violently rotating column of air associated with extreme horizontal winds
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

latent heat

A
  • the amount of heat that is either absorbed or released when a substance changes phases
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

conduction

A
  • the transfer of heat through a substance by means of atomic or molecular interactions
  • Relies on temperature differences, causing heat to flow through a substance from an area of greater temperature to an area of lesser temperature
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

convection

A
  • the transfer of heat by the mass movement of a fluid, such as water or air
  • important process for the transfer of atmospheric heat in thunderstorms and in the large-scale circulation of warm air away from the equator
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

radiation

A
  • refers to wave-like energy that is emitted by any substance that possesses heat
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

atmosphere

A
  • the thin gaseous envelope that
    surrounds Earth
  • made up of gas molecules, suspended particles of solid and liquid, and falling precipitation
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

relative humidity

A
  • the ratio of the water vapor present in the atmosphere to the maximum amount of water vapor that could be there for a given temperature
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

troposphere

A
  • lowest layer of the atmosphere
  • where we are
  • boundary to the next layer is the tropopause
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

jet streams

A
  • westerly winds (flowing from
    west to east) that encircle the globe and play an important role in creating severe weather and controlling the
    path of storms
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Coriolis effect

A
  • the apparent deflection of moving objects due to the Earth’s rotation
  • happens because Earth, our frame of reference, rotates beneath the flowing air masses, causing a deflection of the wind to
    the right or to the left
  • winds in the Northern Hemisphere are deflected to the right and blow in a
    counterclockwise rotation around the low-pressure center
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

front

A
  • the boundary between a cooler and warmer air mass
  • called a cold front when cold air is moving into a mass of warm air and a warm front when the opposite occurs
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Vertical wind shear

A
  • produced by an increase in wind velocity with altitude, or change in the horizontal direction of wind with altitude, which causes a rolling motion—horizontal axis rotation—of the air in the lower troposphere
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

supercell storm

A
  • The most damaging of all severe thunderstorms
  • defined by the presence of an upward spiraling columnnof air—vertical axis rotation—known as a mesocyclone
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

lightening

A
  • consists of flashes of light produced by
    the discharge of millions of joules of electricity
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

hail-stones

A
  • hard, rounded, or irregular pieces of ice
  • produced by large thunderstorms
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

EF scale

A
  • Enhanced Fujita
  • assigns values to tornados based on a post-storm damage survey
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

blizzards

A
  • severe winter storms in which large
    amounts of falling or blowing snow are driven by high winds to create low visibilities for an extended period of time
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

ice storms

A
  • prolonged periods of freezing rain, can
    be more damaging than blizzards and just as dangerous
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

drought

A
  • An extended period of unusually low precipitation that produces a temporary shortage of water for people, other animals, and plants
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

dust storms

A
  • strong windstorms in which suspended dust that is carried by the wind reduces visibility for a significant period of time
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

heat waves

A
  • prolonged periods of extreme heat that are both longer and hotter than normal
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

heat index

A
  • measures the body’s perception of air temperature, which is greatly influenced by humidity
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Urban heat island effect

A
  • a local climatic condition in which a metropolitan area may become as much as 12°C (~22°F) warmer than the surrounding countryside
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

warning

A
  • indicates that the area affected is in
    danger, and people should take immediate action to protect themselves and others
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
wildfire
- a self-sustaining, rapid, high-temperature biochemical oxidation reaction that releases heat, light, and other product
26
pyrolysis
- literally means “heat divided” - a group of processes that chemically degrade the fuel - ex: takes place when you scorch a piece of toast and turn it black
27
combustion
- begins with ignition - marks the start of a set of processes completely different from those related to preignition
28
hydrophobic layer
- a water repellant layer in the soil that is caused by an extremely hot fire
29
dry ravel
- the process where sediment moves downslope in dry weather following a wildfire - moves sediments like sand, gravel, and organic material
30
sediment flushing
- sediment is flushed from the channel, leaving it much as it was before the fire
31
vegetation fire
- effects on vegetation are numerous, varied, and complex
32
wildland–urban interface
- the fringes of wetland - more people are living here as human population increases - Homes are built in undeveloped canyons and on wooded slopes susceptible to fire
33
fire regime
- includes (1) the types of fuel that are found in plant communities; (2) typical fire behavior as described by fire size, intensity, and amount of biomass removed; and (3) the overall fire history of the area, including fire frequency and recurrence interval
34
prescribed burns
- a controlled fire that is intentionally set to manage land and resources - counters the dangerous build up of fuel
35
red flag warnings
- issued by National Weather Service forecast offices when extreme fire conditions either are occurring or will take place in less than 24 hours - alert people
36
cyclone
- an area or center of low atmospheric pressure characterized by rotating winds - ex: Hurricane Sandy
37
tropical cyclones
- form over warm tropical or subtropical ocean water, typically between 5° and 20° latitude - not associated with fronts
38
extratropical cyclones
- develop over land or water in temperate regions, typically between 30° and 70° latitude - generally associated with fronts and have cool central core
39
cyclone intensity
- usually indicated by their sustained wind speeds and lowest atmospheric pressure
40
hurricanes
- strong tropical cyclones -
41
typhoons
- name for hurricanes n the Pacific Ocean west of the International Dateline (180° longitude) and north of the equator
42
tropical cyclone
- general term for large thunderstorm complex with winds that circulate inward toward an area of atmospheric low pressure that has formed over warm tropical ocean water
43
tropical disturbance
- what most hurricanes start out as - a large area of unsettled weather that is typically 200 to 600 km (~120 to 370 mi.) in diameter and has an organized mass of thunderstorms that persists for more than 24 hours
44
easterly waves
- North–south elongatated troughs that form over west Africa and migrate westward across the Atlantic Ocean with the trade winds at a rate of 15–30 km (~10–20 mi.) per hour
45
tropical depression
- what a tropical disturbance may become if winds increase and spiral around the area of disturbed weather to form a low-pressure center
46
tropical storm
- what the depression is upgraded to once maximum sustained wind speeds increase to 63 km (~39 mi.) per hour
47
rains band
- The clouds that spiral around a hurricane - contain numerous thunderstorms
48
eyewall
- innermost band of clouds that the most rainfall and winds happen in
49
North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)
- A fluctuating atmospheric pressure phenomenon in the North Atlantic Ocean that affects the flow of westerly winds in the midlatitudes primarily during winter months
50
overwash
- deposits that are formed by sand eroded from the beach and coastal sand dunes that gets carried landward by the storm surge - form as broad fans or deltas at the end of channels as the storm surge cuts through the beach and dunes perpendicular to the shoreline
51
sea cliff
- The landward extent of the beach that is a cliff - called this along the seashore, but a bluff along a lakeshore
52
relative sea level
- the position of the sea at seashore - Influenced by both the movement of the land and the movement of the water
53
eustatic sea level
- also called global sea level - Controlled by processes that affect the overall volume of water in the ocean and the shape of the ocean basins
54
rip currents
- Ppowerful currents form that carry large amounts of water away from the shore - develop when a series of large waves piles up water between the longshore bar and the swash zone
55
beach budget
- An easy way to visualize erosion at a particular beach is to take a beach budget approach - we can analyze a beach in terms of input, storage, and output of the sand or gravel that makes up the beach - Most input of sediment to a beach is caused by the coastal processes that move the sediment along the shore or by local wave erosion
56
seawalls
- Structures built on land parallel to the coastline to help slow erosion and protect buildings from damage
57
beach nourishment
- The process of adding sand, gravel, or other sediment to a beach to compensate for erosion - requires extracting sand from the ocean floor and placing it onto the beach
58
breakwater
- Designed to intercept waves and provide a protected area or harbor for mooring boats or ships
59
Jetties
- Usually built in pairs, perpendicular to the shore at the mouth of a river or at the entrance of an inlet to a bay or lagoon
60
weather
- condition of the atmosphere at a certain time and place - short term
61
climate
- weather that is observed and measured over a long period of time
62
external energy
- Weather disasters are fueled by the Sun - Weather drives hydrologic cycle which in turn drives erosion - Sun heats earth unevenly – this causes our patterns of weather & climate
63
greenhouse effect
- a natural process that traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere, making the planet warmer than it would be without it - Allows visible light, inhibits outgoing radiation
64
specific heat
- water has a high specific heat - heats up and cools down slowly
65
relative humidity
- the amount of water vapor present in air - how close the air is to being fully saturated - 100%= in a cloud or fully raining - based on air's water content and capacity
66
dew point
- the temperature to which air would have to be cooled for saturation to occur - the higher it is, the higher the water vapor content
67
air
- easily compressed, denser closer to Earth's surface, high pressure at surface, held by gravity - flows from higher pressure to lower pressure
68
adiabatic cooling/warming
- expansion causes cooling, which is when the temperature decreases without the loss of heat energy - compression causes warming, which when the temperature increases without gain in heat energy
69
air mass
- chunk of air that is based on some type of moisture and temperature property - Ex: cool moist air mass
70
high pressure systems
- sinking air at at the surface, the air is moving out - sunny, dry, calm days
71
low pressure systems
- air converges and rises - makes thunderstorms, winter storms, etc - unstable air
72
cold fronts
- more commonly seen - cold air mass moves in and under warm air mass, lifting it up
73
warm fronts
- widespread light precipitation - warm air flows up and over cold air mass
74
dry line
- neither warm nor cold front - Steep change in moisture - Can produce cumulus clouds or thunderstorms
75
rain
- Above freezing diameter of 0.5mm or larger - If smaller than 0.5mm----drizzle
76
snow
- Most of our precip starts as snow - Snow reaching the ground depends on the freezing level in the atmosphere
77
dry snow
- small powdery snow that is good to ski in
78
wet snow
- about at the freezing line - clumpy snowflakes - good for making snowmen
79
sleet vs freezing rain
- falling snowflake melts as it goes through warm layer - if it falls through layer of below freezing air near the surface, it will freeze into an ice pelet= sleet - if that same cold layer is too shallow to freeze a pellet, drops will be supercooled=freezing rain
80
types of winter storms
- heavy snow-snow squall - alberta clippers - Nor'easters - blizzards - ice storms - lake effect snow
81
how do winter storms form?
- Cold, dry air interacts with warm, moist air creates a lot of energy
82
alberta clippers
- light snow - high winds (35-45 mph) - sharp drop in temperature
83
Nor'Eastern
- originates neat southeast coast - heavy rain or snow - blizzard like conditions
84
blizzards
- Long lasting snowstorm with strong winds and intense snowfall - Cold air at the surface - Large amounts of moisture - Lift (warm air must rise over cold air) Criteria: - Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35mph or more - Visibility less than ¼ mile - Conditions prevailing for more than 3 hours
85
snow squalls
- high impacts - flash freezes
86
ice storms
- Caused by freezing rain - NWS- accumulation of at least 0.25 inches of ice on exposed surfaces - Form when precipitation falls through a shallow layer of warm air, then freezing near the surface
87
lake effect snow
- cold air blows over a large relatively warm lake, and there is a build up of clouds, and snow dumps to the eastern shore of the lake
88
watch
- looking at the conditions, could happen or not
89
warning
- probably going to happen
90
advisory
- in between watch and warning
91
storm of the century 1993
- Formed of the Gulf of Mexico on March 12 1993 - Heavy snow stretching from Alabama (69 inches in TN) - Hurricane force winds - High Storm surge - Scattered Tornadoes in the south - Record cold temperatures across the south and east (-12F) - 208 fatalities, 10 million without power
92
the blizzard of 2016 (Snowzilla)
- Up to 3 feet of snow in Mid-Atlantic and Northeast - 12 States declared State of Emergency - 13,000 flights cancelled - At least 55 fatalities - Low pressure over Texas - New low pressure over Carolinas threw forecasters off - Strengthened as it moved north
93
March 2017 North American Blizzard
- Up to 3 feet of snow - Extratropical cyclone from North Pacific moved ashore and created new low - Alberta Clipper - Weak low from Gulf moved NE fed moisture into northern system - New low near Georgia- Nor’easter - Controversy in NYC
94
Jan 2018 Grayson
- Below average temps for East - Low pressure system dropped pressure very quickly - Historic “bombcyclone” - 22 fatalities - 300,000 without power
95
extreme cold
- ~1300 deaths per year - Hypothermia - Vulnerable subpopulations - Homeless, elderly
96
polar vortex
- extreme cold air from Arctic region - jet stream brings down extreme temperatures in the middle of the US every winter
97
health risks
- frost bites - hypothermia
98
drainage basin
- The region drained by a single stream or river - also called watershed or river basin
99
discharge
- The volume of water moving through a cross-section of a river per unit time
100
floodplain
- Relatively flat land adjacent to a river that is produced by river processes - meanders migrate back and forth across this
101
flooding
- The natural process of overbank flow
102
flash floods
- Typically occur in the upper part of a drainage basin (zone 1) and in some small drainage basins of tributaries to a larger river
103
downstream floods
- In zone 2 - often make national television and newspaper headlines
104
megafloods
- a high-magnatide, low-frequency, catastrophic flood that involves the sudden release of a large amount of water
105
Water–Energy–Food Nexus
- a concept that describes the interdependencies between water, energy, and food security
106
channelization
- a method of engineering that modifies rivers and roads to improve flow and reduce flooding