click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Weather Factors
Weather and Climate: Chapter Two
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| thermometer | an instrument used to measure temperature. |
| wind | the horizontal movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. |
| anemometer | an instrument used to measure wind speed. |
| wind vane | an instrument used to measure wind direction. |
| local winds | winds that blow over short distances. |
| global winds | winds that blow steadily from specific directions over long distances. |
| jet streams | bands of high-speed winds about 10 kilometers above Earth's surface. |
| evaporation | the process by which water molecules escape into the air as water vapor. (Think: The water cycle) |
| humidity | the measure of the amount of water vapor in the air. |
| psychrometer | an instrument used to measure the relative humidity in the air. (Think: water vapor) |
| clouds | formed when water vapor in the atmosphere become liquid water or ice particles. |
| cumulus | clouds that form less than two kilometers above the ground and look like fluffy, rounded piles of cotton. |
| stratus | clouds that forms in flat layers. |
| cirrus | wispy, feathery clouds mostly made of ice crystals that form at high levels. |
| precipitation | any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface. |
| rain | precipitation in the form of liquid water. |
| sleet | precipitation in the form of tiny ice particles less than 5 millimeters in diameter. |
| freezing rain | raindrops that freeze when they land on a cold surface. |
| hail | precipitation in the form of ice particles greater than 5 millimeters in diameter. |
| snow | precipitation in the form of water vapor that is converted into ice crystals. |
| rain gauge | an instrument that measures the amount of rainfall. |
| droughts | long periods of low precipitation. |