Weather & Climate Flashcards
Solid
The state of matter in which molecules are locked together in bonds.
Liquid
The state of matter in which molecules are freed from their bonds but still “tumble” around each other, attracting and repelling each other. Liquids fill the shape of the container they are in.
Gas
The state of matter in which molecules are more energetic and move more freely than liquids. The atoms do not attract each other like in liquids. Gases also fill the container they are put in (depends).
Water Cycle
The water cycle is the process of water moving around the Earth in different states.
Evaporation
Molecules in a liquid state gain energy (for example, being heated by the sun) and become more energized, escaping into the air as a gas.
Transpiration
Transpiration is the process by which water is lost from a plant through its stomata, leaves, and stems.
Condensation
The process of molecules in a gas state becoming denser, clumping together, and forming stronger bonds–becoming a liquid.
Precipitation
Precipitation is water up in the atmosphere falling back towards earth. This can be in the form of rain, snow, sleet, and hail.
Infiltration
Infiltration is the process by which water enters the soil.
Runoff
Runoff is when infiltration reaches a point where it fills up all of the soil bed. With no more soil to absorb the water, it becomes runoff, water that travels along the surface.
Ground Water
Ground water is the water contained in the soil, or between rock spaces.
Surface Water
Surface water is fresh water present on the surface, such as rivers, lakes, ponds, and creeks.
Cold Front
A cold front is when a cold airmass pushes a warmer airmass out of the way. The warmer airmass is shoved upward, while the cold airmass tends to stay at the bottom. Cold fronts tend to move pretty quickly.
Warm Front
A warm front is when a warm airmass pushes a colder airmass out of the way. Warm air masses shift above colder air masses and move more gradually.
Occluded Front
An occluded front is when you have a warm, cooler, and cold air mass that all meet. The cooler air pushes the warmer air up into the atmosphere, so the temperature drops.
Stationary Front
A stationary front is when two airmasses meet but neither move. They are equally pushing each other until one eventually pushes over the other.
Density
Density is a way to measure a substance’s mass per unit of volume (d = m/v).
Maritime Tropical (mT)
A mT airmass is one that forms over the oceans in the tropics. mTs are humid and warm.
Maritime Polar (mP)
A mP airmass is one that forms over the polar oceans. mPs are humid and cold.
Continental Tropical (cT)
A cT airmass forms over land in the tropics. They are dry and warm.
Continental Polar (cP)
A cP airmass forms over land in the polar regions. They are dry and cold.
High-Pressure System
A high-pressure system is when air is concentrated in a smaller area and wants to blow out. High-pressure systems push air out and around them.
Low-Pressure System
A low-pressure system is when there is not a lot of density in an area, and so air tends to rush into low-pressure systems in order to balance everything out.
Coriolis Effect
The Coriolis Effect causes the major air currents on Earth to be deflected toward the right in the Northern hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern hemisphere.
Gyre
An ocean gyre is a large system of circular ocean currents powered by global wind patterns created by the Earth’s rotation (Coriolis effect). The world’s major ocean gyres drive the ocean conveyor belt, which is a large current that circulates water around the entire planet.
Clockwise
When something rotates clockwise, it rotates in the same direction a clock’s hands would (to the right).
Counter-Clockwise
When something rotates counter-clockwise, it rotates in the opposite a clock’s hands would (to the left).
Thermohaline Circulation
Deep ocean currents are driven by differences in the water’s density, which is controlled by temperature and salinity. This process is thermohaline circulation.
Atmosphere
The layer of gases surrounding a planet.
Latitude
The latitude of a point on Earth measures the distance North or South of the equator.
Longitude
The longitude of a point specifies its east-west position on Earth.
Current
A current is a large amount of water flowing in a certain direction.
Tidal Currents
The vertical motion of the tides near the shore causes water to move horizontally, creating tidal currents.
Surface Currents
Surface currents are currents that occur within 400 m of the ocean surface, powered by the wind.
Migrate
To move from one region of the Earth to another.
Climate
Climate is the long-term weather patterns in an area. For instance, the average summer temperatures in Maryland.
Weather
Weather is the atmospheric conditions at a specific place and a specific time, such as the forecast for the week.
Rain Shadow
A rain shadow is a patch of land that has become a desert due to mountain ranges blocking all the rain clouds from coming to that land.
Windward
The direction from which the wind is blowing. On a mountain, for example, the winds would be traveling up one side (the windward side), then cross to the other side.
Leeward
The leeward side is opposite of the windward side; it is facing away from the wind, sheltered by hills and/or mountains.
Wet Latitude
Wet latitude refers to the latitude levels at which rising air is common. The air tends to rise a lot near the equator and in the midlatitudes, 40° to 60°, so these tend to be “wet” areas.
Dry Latitude
As air from the tropics spreads to the north and south, it draws moisture from the land, creating “dry” latitude zones of about 30° north/south of the equator.
Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse gases are gases in Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat. During the day, sunlight strikes the Earth’s surface, which releases that energy as heat. When night falls, that heat is released back into space, but some of it is trapped by these greenhouse gases (they’re called greenhouse gases because they work like a greenhouse– trapping heat inside). The top three greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, all of which occur naturally.
