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Ch. 12-15
Weather, Atmosphere
38
Science
Undergraduate 2
03/29/2013

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Cards

Term
Calorie
Definition
the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degrees C or 1.8 F
Term
Evaporation
Definition
The process of converting a liquid to a gas.
Term
Humidity
Definition
A general term referring to water vapor in the air but not to liquid droplets of fog, cloud, or rain.
Term
Dry Adiabatic Rate
Definition
The rate of adiabatic cooling or warming in unsaturated air. The rate of temperature change is 1 C per 100 meters.
Term
Absolute Stability
Definition
The condition of air that has an environmental lapse rate that is less then the wet adiabatic rate.
Term
Advective Fog
Definition
A fog formed when warm, moist air is blown over a cool surface.
Term
Precipitation Fog
Definition
Fog formed when rain evaporates as it falls through a layer of cool air.
Term
Coriolus effect
Definition
The deflective force of Earth's rotation on all free-moving objects including the atmosphere and oceans. Deflection is to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
Term
Isobars
Definition
A line drawn on a map connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure, usually corrected to sea level.
Term
Polar Easterlies
Definition
In the global pattern of prevailing winds, winds that blow from the polar high toward the subpolar low. These winds, however, should not be thought of as persistent winds, such as the trade winds.
Term
Front
Definition
The boundary between two adjoining air masses having contrasting characteristics.
Term
Occluded Front
Definition
An active cold front overtakes a warm front.
Term
Tornado
Definition
A small, very intense cyclonic storm with exceedingly high winds, most often produced along cold fronts in conjunction with severe thunderstorms.
Term
Latent heat
Definition
The energy absorbed or released during a change in state.
Term
Condensation
Definition
The change of state from a gas to a liquid
Term
Relative Humidity
Definition
The ratio of the air's water-vapor content to its water-vapor capacity.
Term
Wet Adiabatic Rate
Definition
The rate of adiabatic temperature change in saturated air. The rate of temperature change is variable, but it is always less that the dry adiabatic rate.
Term
Absolute Instability
Definition
The condition of air that has an environmental lapse rate that is greater than the dry asiabatic rate ( 1 C per 100 meters).
Term
Air Pressure
Definition
Force exerted by the weight of the air above.
Term
Cyclones
Definition
A low-pressure center characterized by a counterclockwise flow of air in the Northern Hemisphere.
Term
Westerlies
Definition
The dominant west-to-east motion of the atmosphere that characterizes the regions on the poleward side of the subtropical highs.
Term
Monsoon
Definition
Seasonal reversal of wind direction associated with large continents especially Asia. In winter the wind blows from land to sea; in summer from sea to land.
Term
Cold Front
Definition
A front along which a cold air mass thrusts beneath a warmer air mass.
Term
Mid-latitude Cyclone
Definition
Large low-pressure center with a diameter often exceeding 1000 kilometers that moves from west to east and may last from a few days to more than a week and usually has a cold front and a warm front extending from the central area of low pressure.
Term
Hurricane
Definition
A tropical cyclonic storm having winds in excess of 119 kilometers per hour.
Term
Precipitation
Definition
Term
Dew Point
Definition
The temperature to which air has to be cooled in order to reach saturation.
Term
Clouds
Definition
a form of condensation best described as a dense concentration of suspended water droplets or tiny ice crystals.
Term
Conditional Instability
Definition
The condition of moist air with an environmental lapse rate between the dry and wet adiabatic rate.
Term
Steam Fog
Definition
fGoh having the appearance of steam;produced by evaporation from a warm-water surface into the cool air above.
Term
Wind
Definition
Air flowing horizontally with respect to Earth's surface.
Term
Anticyclone
Definition
a high-pressure center characterized by a clockwise flow of air in the Northern Hemisphere.
Term
Trade Winds
Definition
Two belts of winds that blow almost constantly from easterly directions and are located on the equator-ward sides of the subtropical highs.
Term
Air Mass
Definition
A large body of air that is characterized by a sameness of temperature and humidity.
Term
Warm Front
Definition
A front along which a warm air mass overrides a retreating mass of cooler air.
Term
Thunderstorm
Definition
a storm produced by a cumulonimbus cloud and always accompanied by lightning and thunder, It is of relatively short duration and usually accompanied by strong wind gusts, heavy rain, and sometimes hail.
Term
sublimation
Definition
The conversion of a solid directly to a gas without passing through the liquid state
Term
Upslope Fog
Definition
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