Weather, Water, Climate Flashcards
Radiation
Radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium
Conduction
Conduction is the transfer of heat energy from atom to atom or molecule to molecule when vibrating atoms or molecules collide
Convection
Convection is the transfer of heat by movement in fluids, gases, and liquids caused by differences in density within the fluids.
Dynamic Equilibrium
A region loses and gains equal amounts of energy.
Temperature
A measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles of a body of matter. (NOT a type of energy)
Specific heat
The quantity of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of any substance one degree Celsius
Condensation
Changing of a gas, or vapor, to a liquid
Crystallization
The process where solidification results in a solid with an ordered pattern of atoms.
Solidification
The changing of a liquid to a solid.
Sublimation/Deposition
The changing of a gas directly to a solid or from a solid directly to a gas without going through a liquid state.
Insolation
(INcoming SOlar radiATION) The portion of the sun’s output of electromagnetic radiation that is received by Earth at the outermost part of our atmosphere
Ozone
Form of oxygen gas (Found in stratosphere)
Angle of incidence
Angle at which the isolation strikes Earth’s surface
Transpiration
A process by which plants release water vapor into the atmosphere as part of their life functions.
Greenhouse effect
Trapping of the sun’s warmth in a planets lower atmosphere. It keeps the average temperature for the earth.
Sunspot
A darker region of the sun’s visible surface.
Weather variables
The state or condition of the variables of the atmosphere at any given location for a short period of time.
Troposphere
Part of he atmosphere immediately above Earth’s surface.
Isotherms
Temperature modeled on maps and charts by the use of isolines
Coriolis effect
Modifies the pattern of movement, deflecting winds to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
Atmospheric pressure; Barometric pressure/ Air pressure
The pressure is due to the weight of the overlying atmosphere pushing down on any given area.
Barometers
An instrument used to measure air pressure.
Air pressure gradient
The difference in air pressure for a specific distance
Knots (measurement)
Nautical miles per hour
Anemometer
An instrument used to measure wind speed.
Jet Streams
Bands of easterly moving air at the top of the troposphere.
Monsoons
Extreme weather changes
Humidity
General term that refers to the water vapor content of the atmosphere
Relative Humidity
The ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air (absolute humidity) to the maximum amount it can hold (its moisture capacity).
Dew point
The temperature at which air is filled with water vapor
Psychrometer
An instrument with 2 thermometers. One side has a dry bulb and the other has a wet bulb.
Cloud cover
The fraction or percent of the total sky at a location that is covered by clouds.
Fog
When a cloud is on, or just above earth’s surface
Precipitation
The falling of liquid or solid water from clouds towards the surface of Earth
Forms of precipitation
Rain, drizzle, snow, sleet, freezing, rain, hail
Rain gauge
Type of precipitation gauge to measure liquid precipitation
Atmospheric transparency
How transparent atmosphere is to insolation
Air mass
A large body of air in the troposphere with similar characteristics of pressure, moisture, and temperature.
Cyclones/Anticyclones
Cyclones have low pressure. Spins counterclockwise (Coriolis effect). Related to stormy weather and high cloud cover, much precipitation
Anticyclones have high pressure. Spins clockwise (Coriolis effect). Related to relatively clear skies and little or no precipitation.
Front
Where two air masses of different characteristics meet, an interface, or boundary.
Cold Front
The boundary of advancing cold air mass and warmer air mass where cold air pushes forward like a wedge. More dense
Warm Front
The boundary of advancing warm air mass and retreating wedge of a cooler air mass. The warm air mass rises. Less dense
Occluded Front
The boundary of opposing wedges of cold air masses formed when a cold front overtakes a warm front, lifting the warm air mass off the ground.
Stationary Front
When two adjacent air masses of different characteristics remain in the same positions.
Polar Front
Ever-changing boundary in the middle latitudes between the colder air masses toward the poles and the warmer air masses toward the equator
Mid-latitude cyclones, wave cyclones, or cyclonic storms
The movement of air masses along the polar fronts of the middle latitudes can result in the formation of low-pressure storm systems.
Hurricane
A tropical low-pressure center gains enough energy and a large enough pressure gradient to sustain winds of 74 miles an hour or more.
Tornado
Rapidly rotating, extremely low-pressure funnel that hangs down from thunderstorm clouds towards Earth’s surface.
Blizzard
A storm with winds of 35 miles an hour or greater associated with considerable amounts of falling and / or blowing snow.
Water cycle / Hydrologic cycle
The continuous circulation of water in the Earth-atmosphere system. Fueled by solar energy–isolation
Water retention
Precipitation can be stored or retained on the land surface as ice or snow.
Water table
The level between the zone of saturation and zone of aeration.
Ground water
Subsurface water below the water table
Porosity
The percentage of open space in a material compared to its total volume
Permeability
The ability of a material to allow fluids such as water to pass through
Stream discharge
Volume of water flowing past a certain spot in a stream in a specific amount of time. (expressed in cubic meters/second or liters/minute)
Climate
The overall view of a region’s weather conditions over a long period of time. (2 characteristics: average temperature of the year and annual temperature range.)
Prevailing winds
Movements of air over Earth’s surface that blow in the same direction most of the time.
Wind belts
Regions of the Earth where winds blow in a consistent direction and speed. They are caused by the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface by the Sun and the rotation of the Earth (Trade winds, prevailing westerlies, polar easterlies)
