Physical Geography

Front 1

weather

Back 1

the short term condition of the atmosphere

Front 2

meterology

Back 2

the scientific study of the atmosphere

Front 3

air mass

Back 3

specific conditions of humidity, stability, and cloud coverage within a homogenous air mass

Front 4

classifications of air masses

Back 4

m-maritime(wetter)
c-continental(drier)
a-arctic
p-polar
t-tropical
e-equatorial
aa-antarctic

Front 5

convergent lifting

Back 5

airflow conflicts that can force the air upward

Front 6

convectional lifting

Back 6

air passing over warm surfaces gain boyancy

Front 7

orographuc lifting

Back 7

passage over a topographic barrier

Front 8

chinook winds

Back 8

word for warm wing flowing down the leeward sides of mountains

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rain shadow

Back 9

area of a mountain (leeward) blocked from the same moisture as the windward size

Front 10

cold front

Back 10

an air mass comprised of colder weather and higher winds

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warm front

Back 11

an air mass comprised of warmer weathe

Front 12

squall line

Back 12

right before a front, this air mass causes widely changeing wind patterns and levels of precipitaion

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midlatitude cyclone

Back 13

also known as a wave cyclone, a low pressure systems that moves accross a contient moving air masses into conflicts

Front 14

cyclogensis

Back 14

the birth of low pressure circulation

Front 15

occluded front

Back 15

when a cold front overtakes a warm front in the maturing cyclone

Front 16

stationary front

Back 16

developes between conflicting air masses where air flows verticle to the fronts on the side

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storm tracks

Back 17

guided by the jet streams of the upper troposhere along seasonal shifting

Front 18

sleet

Back 18

severe ice storms cause sleet, layers of ice that covers roads and power lines etc.

Front 19

lightning

Back 19

electrical discarges in the atmosphere

Front 20

thunder

Back 20

sonic bangs produced by rapid expansions of air after intense heating from lightning

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hail

Back 21

ice pelets formed when rain in blown through cumulonimbus clouds

Front 22

mesocycione

Back 22

spinnign cyclonic column rising to the mid troposphere

Front 23

funnel clouds

Back 23

dark grey clouds that can form tornados

Front 24

tornados

Back 24

formed when funnel clouds hit the earth's surface

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waterspout

Back 25

occurs when a tornado forms over water

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tropical cyclone

Back 26

when large tropical air masses with low pressure centers form along the easterly troughs, can lead to hurricanes

Front 27

huricanne

Back 27

a tropical cyclone with the right central pressure and wind speed exceeds 74mph forms this violent storm

Front 28

outgassing

Back 28

water molecules making their way to the earth's surface from within over a period of billions of years

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eutasy

Back 29

worldwide changes in sea level

Front 30

glacio-eustatic factors

Back 30

glaciers and ice sheets what change the worldwide sea levels

Front 31

phase change

Back 31

a state from one change to another

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sublimation

Back 32

change from liquiod to solid

Front 33

sublimation

Back 33

the change from solid to vapor

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latent heat

Back 34

energy required in the process of water changing states and this heat or energy is hidden in the ice or vapor

Front 35

latent heat of vaporation

Back 35

it takes 540 calories of energy to transform 1 gram of water to water vapor

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latent heat of condensation

Back 36

when water vapor returns to water 540 calories of energy is relased per 1 gram

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latent heat of sublimation

Back 37

the energy is exchanged when water turns from ice to vapor

Front 38

humidity

Back 38

the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere

Front 39

relative humidity

Back 39

the percentage of humidity compared to the maximum capasity the same air mass could hold

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saturated

Back 40

when air can hold temperature when the relative humidity is 100%

Front 41

dew-point temperature

Back 41

the temperature at which the air reaches stauration

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vapor pressure

Back 42

the portion of atmospheric pressure that is produced by water vapor

Front 43

specific humidity

Back 43

the mass of water vapor in grams per mass of air in kilograms at any specific temperature

Front 44

hair hygrometer and the sling psychrometer

Back 44

instraments that measure the relative humidity and the actual humidity content of the air

Front 45

stability

Back 45

the tendency of an air parcel with water vapor to either remain in the same place or to change vertical position

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adiabatic

Back 46

the warming and cooling rates for a parcel of expanding or compressing air

Front 47

the moist adiabatic rate(mar)

Back 47

the average rate at which saturated rising air cools by expansion or decending air warms by compression
3.3 degrees f per 1000 feet

Front 48

the dry adiabatic rate(dar)

Back 48

the rate at which dry air cools by expansion when rising and air warms while asending by compression (used when the relative humidity is less than 100%)
5.5 degress f for every 1000 feet

Front 49

cloud

Back 49

an acumilation of tiny water droplets and ice crystals suspended in the air

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mositure droplets

Back 50

formed when the saturated air and the cloud-condensation nuclei lead to condensation

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stratus

Back 51

low flat clouds in layers ranging from 6500ft in the middle latitudes

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cumulus

Back 52

low puffy clouds in heaps ranging from 6500ft in the middle latitudes

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nimbostatus

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when stratus clouds yeild precipitation

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stratocumulus

Back 54

lumpy greyish low level clouds near the end of the day

Front 55

altocumulus

Back 55

middle level clouds

Front 56

cirrus

Back 56

clouds at high altitudes primarily composed of ice crystals

Front 57

cumulonimbus

Back 57

a giant cumulus cloud that are associated with thunder, lightening, wind gusts, up drafts or down drafts, heavy rain, and hail

Front 58

radiation fog

Back 58

when the surface chills the air directly above it to the dew point temperature

Front 59

advection fog

Back 59

air migrates to conditions that can lead to saturation

Front 60

evapration fog

Back 60

or steam fog, can occur over water

Front 61

upslope fog

Back 61

mosit air is forced to higher elevations

Front 62

valley fog

Back 62

cool dense air settles in low lying areas