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Meteorology Vocab

Unit 4 For Meteorology

Question	Answer
Ozone	colorless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odor and powerful oxidizing properties
Troposhere	lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere and site of all weather on Earth
Stratosphere	layer of the earth's atmosphere above the troposphere, extending to about 32 miles (50 km) above the earth's surface
Mesosphere	the region of the earth's atmosphere above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere, between about 30 and 50 miles (50 and 80 km) in altitude.
Thermosphere	atmosphere above the mesosphere and below the height at which the atmosphere ceases to have the properties of a continuous medium
Conduction	heat energy is transmitted through collisions between neighboring molecules
Convection	heat transfer by mass motion of a fluid such as air or water when the heated fluid is caused to move away from the source of heat, carrying energy with it
Radiation	energy that comes from a source and travels through some material or through space
Reflection	the throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it.
Scattering	the process in which electromagnetic radiation or particles are deflected or diffused.
Green House effect	process by which radiation from a planet's atmosphere warms the planet's surface to a temperature above what it would be in the absence of its atmosphere
Albedo	fraction of solar energy (shortwave radiation) reflected from the Earth back into space
Isotherms	a curve on a diagram joining points representing states or conditions of equal temperature
Precipitation	rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground.
Latent Heat	energy released or absorbed, by a body or a thermodynamic system
Evaporation	type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs from the surface of a liquid into a gaseous phase
Condensation	change of water from its gaseous form (water vapor) into liquid water
Sublimation	ransition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas phase without passing through the intermediate liquid phase
Humidity	a quantity representing the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere or a gas.
Saturated	holding as much water or moisture as can be absorbed; thoroughly soaked.
Dew point	measure of atmospheric moisture.
Hydrometer/Psychrometer	instrument used to measure the specific gravity (relative density) of liquids
Weather front	area where two air masses with different temperatures and densities collide, but do not mix.
Condensation nuclei	small particles typically 0.2 µm, or 1/100th the size of a cloud droplet on which water vapour condenses
Cirrus	atmospheric cloud generally characterized by thin, wispy strands
Cumulus	puffy clouds that sometimes look like pieces of floating cotton
Stratus	low-level cloud characterized by horizontal layering with a uniform base
Super saturated increase	the concentration of (a solution) beyond saturation point.
Air pressure	pressure exerted by the weight of air in the atmosphere of Earth
Barometer	instrument measuring atmospheric pressure
Pressure gradient	direction and at what rate the pressure changes the most rapidly around a particular location
Coriolis effect	apparent deflection of moving objects when the motion is described relative to a rotating reference frame
Jet stream	fast flowing, narrow air currents found in the atmosphere of some planets
Cyclone	area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth
Anti-cyclone	weather phenomenon defined by the United States National Weather Service's glossary as "a large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure
Trade winds	prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics
Westernlies	prevailing winds from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees latitude
Polar easterlies	dry, cold prevailing winds that blow from the high-pressure areas of the polar highs at the north and south poles towards low-pressure areas within the Westerlies at high latitudes
Anemometer	device used for measuring wind speed
El Nino	drive moisture into the atmosphere as a result of warm water and light winds
Air mass	volume of air defined by its temperature and water vapor content
Stationary front	pair of air masses, neither of which is strong enough to replace the other
Occluded front	cold front overtakes a warm front
Storm surge	coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water

Created by: 3161979

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