Weather & Climate Lab Final

Front 1

atmosphere

Back 1

a mixture of gas molecules, small suspended particles of solid and liquid, and falling precipitation

Front 2

air pressure

Back 2

the force exerted against a surface by the continuous collision of gas molecules

Front 3

dew point

Back 3

the temperature to which air needs to be cooled to reach saturation

Front 4

station model

Back 4

graphical method of communicating a variety of meteorological data

Front 5

universal time

Back 5

a time standard based on earth's rotation

Front 6

revolution

Back 6

earth's annual trip around the sun

Front 7

rotation

Back 7

earth's spin on its axis per day; 24 hours

Front 8

solar angle

Back 8

lower = less radiation which leads to cooler temps
higher = more radiation which leads to warmer temps

Front 9

vernal / autumnal equinox

Back 9

every place on earth receives twelve hours of daylight and North & South hemispheres receive equal amounts of insolation

Front 10

summer solstice

Back 10

north of the arctic circle = 24 hours of daylight and south of antarctic circle = 24 hours of night. northern hemisphere receives more insolation than the southern hemisphere.

Front 11

winter solstice

Back 11

north of arctic circle = 24 hours of night and south of antarctic circle = 24 hours of daylight. northern hemisphere receives less insolation than the southern hemisphere

Front 12

isotherms

Back 12

lines of equal temperature

Front 13

temperature gradient

Back 13

indicates rate of temperature change across space. closely spaced lines = high; while lines farther apart = low

Front 14

controls of temperature

Back 14

factors that cause temps to vary from place to place and from time to time

Front 15

hydrologic cycle

Back 15

movement of water between and within the atmosphere and earth

Front 16

melting

Back 16

solid > liquid

Front 17

evaporation

Back 17

liquid > gas

Front 18

condensation

Back 18

gas > liquid

Front 19

freezing

Back 19

liquid > solid

Front 20

sublimation

Back 20

solid > gas

Front 21

deposition

Back 21

gas > solid

Front 22

saturation

Back 22

equilibrium state with condensation and evaporation being equal

Front 23

relative humidity

Back 23

ratio of the amount of water vapor actually in the air compared to the max amount of water vapor required for saturation at that particular temperature and pressure

Front 24

dew point

Back 24

temperature at which would have to be cooled for saturation to occur

Front 25

sling psychrometer

Back 25

used to calculate relative humidity

Front 26

wet bulb temperature

Back 26

depends on the amount of moisture in the air.

Front 27

wet bulb depression

Back 27

difference between the dry and wet bulb temperatures

Front 28

adiabatic temperature changes

Back 28

temperature changes in which no heat is added or subtracted. caused by expansion or compression

Front 29

dry adiabatic lapse rate || wet adiabatic lapse rate

Back 29

rate at which unsaturated air changes its temperature as a result of expansion of compression

Front 30

lifting condensation level

Back 30

the altitude at which a parcel of air reaches saturation

Front 31

orographic lifting

Back 31

forcing air above a mountain barrier. enhanced precipitation of windward side and rain shadow effect on leeward side

Front 32

frontal wedging

Back 32

displacement of one air mass over another

Front 33

convergence

Back 33

pileup of horizontal air flow

Front 34

localized convective lifting

Back 34

due to unequal heating of Earth's surfaces

Front 35

rain shadow effect

Back 35

an area having relatively little precipitation due to the effect of a topographic barrier

Front 36

adiabatic cooling and condensation

Back 36

rising air cools and expands quicker to the surface of the condensation level then slows down

Front 37

wind

Back 37

the horizontal movement of air caused by unequal heating of earth's surface

Front 38

pressure gradient force

Back 38

change in pressure along a given distance

Front 39

Coriolis force

Back 39

earth's rotation modifies or deflects the path of air that has been set in motion

Front 40

friction

Back 40

earths surface exerts a frictional drag on air blowing above it

Front 41

jet stream

Back 41

narrow ribbon of high speed winds embedded within the flow of air aloft

Front 42

air pollution

Back 42

gases, liquids, or solids in the air that can adversely affect plant and/or animal life

Front 43

animal quality

Back 43

the degree to which the ambient air is pollution-free, assessed by measuring a number of indicators of pollutants

Front 44

primary pollutants

Back 44

pollutants that are emitted directly by natural or anthropogenic processes

Front 45

secondary pollutants

Back 45

pollutants that arise form chemical reactions of atmospheric gases with gases emitted by natural or anthropogenic processes

Front 46

smog

Back 46

synonym for air pollution; created by combining the words smoke and fog but doesn't have to contain a combo of the two

Front 47

photochemical smog

Back 47

it is the chemical reaction of sunlight, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere, which leaves airborne particles and ground level ozone

Front 48

climograph

Back 48

the amount of precipitation and average temp of each month for a year plotted onto a graph

Front 49

tropical climate A

Back 49

average temp for all months is greater than 18' C; winterless

Front 50

dry climate B

Back 50

potential evaporation exceeds precipitation; constant water deficiency

Front 51

humid mid-latitude with mild winters C

Back 51

coldest month of the year has an average temperature higher than -3' C but below 18' C

Front 52

humid mid-latitude with severe winters D

Back 52

winters have at least occasional snow cover, with the coldest month having a mean temperature below - 3' C. summers are typically mild

Front 53

polar E

Back 53

all months have mean temperatures below 10' C most equator-ward and milder = tundra ; most poleward = ice cap

Front 54

weather

Back 54

state of the atmosphere at any particular time and place (generally minutes to days) current conditions

Front 55

climate

Back 55

composite pattern of long-term weather conditions over a given region. average weather, yearly cycles

Front 56

milankovitch cycle

Back 56

earth's climate is affected by the changes in the earth's orbit and inclination to the sun

Front 57

precession

Back 57

direction of the axis

Front 58

obliquity

Back 58

tilt of earth's axis

Front 59

eccentricity

Back 59

shape of earth's orbit

Front 60

frontal weather

Back 60

boundary that separates two contrasting air masses

Front 61

warm front

Back 61

replaces cold air with warm air

Front 62

cold front

Back 62

replaces warm with cold air

Front 63

stationary front

Back 63

surface position of a front does not move due to air flowing parallel to front boundaries

Front 64

dryline

Back 64

replaces moist air with dry air. important in severe thunderstorm formation

Front 65

mid-latitude cyclone

Back 65

further intensification of cyclogenesis

Front 66

cyclogenesis

Back 66

the formation of low pressure systems aka wave cyclones

Front 67

tornado

Back 67

small, intense, short-lived windstorm that protrudes from the base of a cumulonimbus cloud and is in contact with the ground. results from extreme differences in atmospheric pressure over small areas

Front 68

tropical storm

Back 68

sustained winds 39-73 mph and circulation intensifies

Front 69

hurricane

Back 69

sustained winds 74 or more mph and pronounced rotation around central core

Front 70

eye

Back 70

calmest place of a hurricane, located in the center