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Meteorology Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ozone | colorless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odor and powerful oxidizing properties |
| Troposhere | lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere and site of all weather on Earth |
| Stratosphere | layer of the earth's atmosphere above the troposphere, extending to about 32 miles (50 km) above the earth's surface |
| Mesosphere | the region of the earth's atmosphere above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere, between about 30 and 50 miles (50 and 80 km) in altitude. |
| Thermosphere | atmosphere above the mesosphere and below the height at which the atmosphere ceases to have the properties of a continuous medium |
| Conduction | heat energy is transmitted through collisions between neighboring molecules |
| Convection | heat transfer by mass motion of a fluid such as air or water when the heated fluid is caused to move away from the source of heat, carrying energy with it |
| Radiation | energy that comes from a source and travels through some material or through space |
| Reflection | the throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it. |
| Scattering | the process in which electromagnetic radiation or particles are deflected or diffused. |
| Green House effect | process by which radiation from a planet's atmosphere warms the planet's surface to a temperature above what it would be in the absence of its atmosphere |
| Albedo | fraction of solar energy (shortwave radiation) reflected from the Earth back into space |
| Isotherms | a curve on a diagram joining points representing states or conditions of equal temperature |
| Precipitation | rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. |
| Latent Heat | energy released or absorbed, by a body or a thermodynamic system, |
| Evaporation | type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs from the surface of a liquid into a gaseous phase |
| Condensation | change of water from its gaseous form (water vapor) into liquid water |
| Sublimation | ransition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas phase without passing through the intermediate liquid phase |
| Humidity | a quantity representing the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere or a gas. |
| Saturated | holding as much water or moisture as can be absorbed; thoroughly soaked. |
| Dew point | measure of atmospheric moisture. |
| Hydrometer/Psychrometer | instrument used to measure the specific gravity (relative density) of liquids |
| Weather front | area where two air masses with different temperatures and densities collide, but do not mix. |
| Condensation nuclei | small particles typically 0.2 µm, or 1/100th the size of a cloud droplet on which water vapour condenses |
| Cirrus | atmospheric cloud generally characterized by thin, wispy strands |
| Cumulus | puffy clouds that sometimes look like pieces of floating cotton |
| Stratus | low-level cloud characterized by horizontal layering with a uniform base |
| Super saturated | increase the concentration of (a solution) beyond saturation point. |
| Air pressure | pressure exerted by the weight of air in the atmosphere of Earth |
| Barometer | instrument measuring atmospheric pressure |
| Pressure gradient | direction and at what rate the pressure changes the most rapidly around a particular location |
| Coriolis effect | apparent deflection of moving objects when the motion is described relative to a rotating reference frame |
| Jet stream | fast flowing, narrow air currents found in the atmosphere of some planets |
| Cyclone | area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth |
| Anti-cyclone | weather phenomenon defined by the United States National Weather Service's glossary as "a large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure |
| Trade winds | prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics |
| Westernlies | prevailing winds from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees latitude |
| Polar easterlies | dry, cold prevailing winds that blow from the high-pressure areas of the polar highs at the north and south poles towards low-pressure areas within the Westerlies at high latitudes |
| Anemometer | device used for measuring wind speed |
| El Nino | drive moisture into the atmosphere as a result of warm water and light winds |
| Air mass | volume of air defined by its temperature and water vapor content |
| Stationary front | pair of air masses, neither of which is strong enough to replace the other |
| Occluded front | cold front overtakes a warm front |
| Storm surge | coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water |
Created by:
Alex Kidd
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