vocab list 5 Flashcards
amount of moisture/water vapor in air
humidity
cotton candy clouds at fairly low altitude
cumulus
feathery, wispy clouds
cirrus
explosion shaped cloud. most dangerous clouds, brings thunderstorms and stuff. lowish
cumulonimbus
dark, gray clouds that cover the whole sky. low-level. associated with continuous moderate rain/snow
nimbostratus
dominate the sky. low. little to no rain fall but if thick enough = very light rain
stratus
boundary separating air masses of different characteristics such as air density, wind, and humidity
front
refers to the counter-clockwise flow of air that helps keep the colder air close to the poles
vortex
a scale of tornado severity with numbers from 0 to 6, based on the degree of observed damage.
fujita scale
1 to 5 rating based on a hurricane’s sustained wind speed
saffir-simpson scale
bands of strong wind that generally blow from west to east all across the globe
jet stream
supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras
pangaea
created first continental drift hypothesis. proved that pangaea was real
alfred wegner
amount of salt in water
salinity
device used to measure the humidity of air.
psychrometer
a rising of seawater, magma, or other liquid
upwelling
movement of water/air that follows a regular pattern
current
wind does not push warm water aside for cold, nutrient water filled water to rise
el nino
wind pushes warm water aside, causing cold, nutrient filled water to rise
la nina
current of water below the surface moving in a different direction from any surface current
undertow
long high sea wave caused by an earthquake, submarine landslide, or other disturbance.
tsunami
refers to a period of moderate tides when the sun and moon are at right angles to each other
neap tide
a tide just after a new or full moon, when there is the greatest difference between high and low water.
spring tide
height difference between high tide and low tide.
tidal range
refers to the belt around the Earth near the equator where sailing ships sometimes get stuck on windless waters
doldrums
