Nats Vocab From Chapter 4 Of Essentials Of Meteorology

Front 1

Newton's second law of motion

Back 1

Acceleration of an object is proportional to the net force applied
-F prop. a

Force equals mass x acceleration

Front 2

pressure gradient

Back 2

The amount of pressure change that occurs over a given horizontal distance
The stronger the PGF (steeper gradient) the stronger the wind

Front 3

Coriolis force

Back 3

Arises from fact that earth is a rotating frame of reference, not stationary
changes wind direction, not wind speed
To be significant, the air must be MOVING; it must NOT be on the equator (0° latitude); and it must be LARGE SCALE.

Net result: winds deflected to the RIGHT in the N.H.

Front 4

particulate matter

Back 4

-particles may remain suspended in the atmosphere for several weeks
-particles are small enough to penetrate into the lungs
-particles can cause a significant reduction in visibility

Front 5

This gas will replace oxygen in blood hemoglobin and thereby reduce the transport of
oxygen to the brain

Back 5

carbon monoxide (CO)

Front 6

Newton's first law of motion

Back 6

An object at rest will remain at rest, or remains moving in a straight line, unless acted upon by a force(s).

Front 7

if an object is changing direction (e.g., wind blowing around a low pressure system) then:

Back 7

A force must be acting on it
It must be accelerating

Front 8

Centripetal force

Back 8

derived from: center + towards) found where wind circulates around a Low or High. It must exist because wind flowing around a curve (e.g., L or H) is accelerating (Newton’s second law) (see section 3, below)

Front 9

Frictional force

Back 9

reduces wind speed due to surface roughness such as mountains, forests,

Front 10

Geostrophic wind

Back 10

straight line motion, parallel to contour lines

Front 11

Gradient wind

Back 11

curved path around low/high pressure centers in upper atmosphere

Front 12

Cyclonic flow

Back 12

counterclockwise around a Low (in N.H

Front 13

Anticyclonic flow

Back 13

clockwise around a High (in N.H.)