Weather and climate key terms Flashcards
Arid
A region with little or no regular precipitation.
Carbon footprint
Measurement of all the greenhouse gases and individual produces.
Climate
The average weather conditions of an area occurring over many years.
Climate change
Variations in temperature and rainfall affecting the whole world.
Coriolis affect
The deflection of air movement by the earth’s rotation.
Crop yields
The amount of crops produced from an area.
Drought
An extended period of lower than normal precipitation, causing water shortages.
Enhanced greenhouse effect
The trapping of heat radiation around the Earth by excess greenhouse gases.
Evaporation
The process of changing liquid water to water vapour.
Eye
The centre of a tropical cyclone.
Eye wall
A thick band of cloud around the eye with high wind speeds and heavy rain.
Ferrel cell
Circulation cell that brings warm air north towards the UK.
Frontal rainfall
The boundary between air masses.
Glacial
A period of time with lower than average temperatures causing widespread glaciation.
Glacial period
A period when ice advances due to falling temperatures.
Global warming
A rise in average global temperatures.
Greenhouse gas
A gas that absorbs and re-emits infrared radiation, warming the earth’s surface.
Growth ring
A layer of wood created each year by a tree as it grows.
Hydrological drought
The impact of low precipitation on a hydrological system
Ice core
A section of ice drilled from a glacier showing the layers of ice created over time.
Hadley cell
A circulation cell near the equator.
Interglacial
A period of time between glaciations with higher average temperatures.
Jet stream
A fast-moving current of air in the upper atmosphere.
Meteorological drought
The level of dryness in an area when it receives less precipitation than usual.
Mitigate
Make the effects of something less harmful or serious.
Monsoon
A seasonal wind in the Indian Ocean and southern Asia.
Polar cell
A circulation cell furthest from the equator that brings cold air towards the UK.
Precipitation
Water vapour condensed in the atmosphere.
Prevailing wind
Direction in which the wind blows most frequently.
Quaternary period
The current period of geological time.
Storm surge
An increase in the height of the sea due to a storm.
Track
The path followed by a tropical storm.
Tropical storm
Has wind speeds over 63km per hour, can develop into tropical cyclones, hurricanes or typhoons.
Weather
The day to day conditions of the atmosphere.
