Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Weather
Air Masses, Fronts, Clouds, Storms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Water Cycle | a model that shows different processes that water goes thru as it’s cycled through the Earth |
| Evaporation | liquid water that changes to a gas |
| Condensation | water vapor that rises in the atmosphere, cools and returns to a liqui state |
| Humidity | the measure of the amount of water vapor in the air |
| Relative Humidity | the percentage of water vapor that is in the air compared to how much it will actually hold |
| Psychrometer | measures the relative humidity in an area |
| Dew Point | the temperature at which condensation begins |
| Cirrus | wispy, feathery, “curly” clouds that form at higher altitudes |
| Stratus | clouds that form in “sheets” or flat layers - usually lower in the atmosphere and gray in color |
| Cumulous | clouds that are puffy and white and look like cotton - found above most stratus clouds |
| Rain Guage | used to measure the amount of rain that has fallen - an open ended tube |
| Air Mass | huge body of air in the lower atmosphere that is similar in temperature, humidity and air pressure - classified according to temperature and density |
| Tropical | warm air masses from the tropics - ow air pressure air masses |
| Maritime | air masses that form over oceans - very humid air masses |
| Polar | cold air masses that form either north or south of 50 degrees latitude - high pressure air masses |
| Continental | air masses that form over land - drier air masses |
| Jet Stream | bands of high speed winds that generally blow about 10 km above earth’s surface that carry air masses from west to east |
| Front | the boundary where air masses meet as large masses of air move across land and water |
| Occluded Front | warm air masses are caught between two cooler air masses - temperature at the ground becomes cooler as cooler air moves beneath the warmer air - associated with cloudy, rainy weather |
| Stationary Front | when a cold and warm air mass meet and neither can move the other - causes these masses to “stall out” - often brings rain, snow and fog for days until it moves out |
| Wam Front | a fast moving air mass overtakes a slower colder air mass - if the air mass is humid, light snow or rain - may cause rain and snow for several days - warm and humid after the front passes |
| Cold Front | a faster cold air mass pushes up a slower moving warm air mass - can cause heavy rains and thunderstorms - cause abrupt weather changes - can cause a drop in temperature of 15 or 20 degrees in just a few hours as it moves out |
| Cyclone | form in areas of low pressure - winds swirl and are deflected so that they turn in a counter-clockwise direction (Northern Hemisoher) - associated with clouds, wind and precipitation |
| Anticyclone | form in areas of high pressure - winds swirl and are deflected so that they turn in a clockwise direction (Northern Hemisphere) - associated with dry, clear weather |
| Storm | violent disturbance in the atmosphere- involve sudden changes in air pressure |
| Storm Surge | a “dome” of water that sweeps cross the coast as a result of a hurricane - can cause flooding - damage to property, beaches, and shorelines |
| Evacuate | move away temporarily to avoid extremely dangerous conditions |
| Lightning | a sudden spark or electrical reaction due to movement of positive and negative charged particles as they move from cloud-cloud, cloud -ground |
| Thunderstorm | small storm usually associated with heavy precipitation, thunder and lightning |
| Hurricane | tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 119 km/h - form in the Atlantic off the coast of Africa in the Northern Hemisphere |
| Cumulonimbus | clouds that begin lower in the atmosphere but begin to build higher in the atmosphere - often form the shape of an anvil - produce thunderstorms |
| -nused timbus | means rain |
| -alto | means high |
| Hurricanes Form... | over warm, moist water in a low pressure area - begin as a tropical disturbance - if wind speeds continue to increase, storms are upgraded - my become as strong as 320 km/h |
| Tornadoes Form... | most commonly in thick, black cumulonimbus clouds - the same clouds that cause thunderstorms - can reach windspeeds up to 500 km/h |
Created by:
Ms. Stacy Strickland - Science
Popular Earth Science sets