Weather And Climate Flashcards
Air pressure
Is the force exerted into a surface by the weight of the air.
Atmosphere
The envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet
Barometer
an instrument measuring atmospheric pressure, used especially in forecasting the weather and determining altitude.
Barometric pressure
the pressure exerted by the weight of the atmosphere, which at sea level has a mean value of 101,325 pascals (roughly 14.6959 pounds per square inch).
Celsius
of or denoting a scale of temperature in which water freezes at 0° and boils at 100° under standard conditions.
Climate
the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.
Cloud
the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.
Cumulonimbus cloud
a dense towering vertical cloud associated with thunderstorms and atmospheric instability.
Cumulus cloud
Cumulus clouds are puffy clouds that sometimes look like pieces of floating cotton.
Dew point
the atmospheric temperature (varying according to pressure and humidity) below which water droplets begin to condense and dew can form.
Drought
a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall; a shortage of water resulting from this.
Freezing point
the temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid when cooled.
Hurricane
a storm with a violent wind, in particular a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean.
Front
You are enjoying a sunny afternoon at the beach. Suddenly, you see thunderclouds forming in the sky. How did this happen? The clouds formed when a mass of cool air runs into a mass of warm air. The area where these air masses meet is called a front. The weather can change very quickly at fronts
Funnel cloud
Thunderstorms can make a funnel-shaped column of clouds. This column stretches down from the sky but does not reach the ground. When funnel clouds touch the ground, they are called tornadoes.
Global warming
The Earth’s surface absorbs sunlight and heats up. Earth releases this heat in the form of infrared radiation. Gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, known as greenhouse gases, trap this infrared heat energy. The trapped heat makes life possible on Earth. Human activities lead to an increase in the emission of greenhouse gases. As a result, more heat gets trapped resulting in the Earth’s climate gradually getting warmer.
Hail
Sometimes, water droplets in clouds freeze. The frozen drops move up into the cloud, carried by strong winds. More ice begins to form on them. When they become too heavy, they fall as hail. Some hailstones can be as large as baseballs.
Humidity
On a rainy day, wet clothes take longer to dry. Why does this happen? This is because air has a lot of water vapor in it. It cannot take water from the clothes as easily as on a sunny day. The amount of water vapor in the air is called humidity
Meteorology
Air masses form over large areas that have similar weather. A front is the boundary along which two air masses meet or collide. Different types of fronts bring different characteristic weather conditions. Recording and studying weather patterns makes it possible for meteorologists to forecast the weather.
Precipitation
Water vapor in air cools to form clouds. In clouds, small water drops come together to form bigger drops. When the drops become heavy, they fall to the ground as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. This is called precipitation.
Thunder
Sometimes, when it rains, you see big flashes of light in the sky. Lightning superheats the air. Superheating the air causes a loud noise called thunder.
Thunder storm
Sometimes hot and cold air meet in the atmosphere. The hot air rises above the cold air very quickly. Dark clouds form. Lightning flashes across the skies. These are followed by loud booms of thunder and rain. This is a thunderstorm.
Tornado
When a mass of cold air meets a mass of warm air, the cold air pushes the warm air up at great speeds. Sometimes this creates a twisting column of air, called a tornado. Tornadoes travel very fast. They can destroy anything in their path. Tornadoes are also called twisters.
Tropical depression
A hurricane usually starts as a low pressure system over warm tropical oceans. As the intensity increases, it develops into a tropical disturbance. As the storm develops sustained winds up to 38 mph, it is classified as a tropical depression. Winds rotate in a counter-clockwise direction in the Northern hemisphere.
