Term
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Definition
| " a mixture of gases that surrounds a planet, such as earth" |
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Term
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Definition
| the force per unit area that is exerted on a surface by the weight of the atmosphere |
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Term
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Definition
| " the lowest layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature drops at a constant rate as altitude increases; the part of the atmosphere where weather conditions exist" |
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Term
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Definition
| " the layer of the atmosphere that lies between the troposphere and the mesosphere and in which temperature increases as altitude increases, contains the ozone layer" |
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Term
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Definition
| " the coldest layer of the atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere, in which temperature decreases as altitude increases" |
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Term
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Definition
| " the uppermost layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature increases as altitude increases, includes the ionosphere" |
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Term
| Electromagnetic spectrum- |
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Definition
| all of the frequencies or wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation |
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Term
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Definition
| the fraction of solar radiation that is reflected off the surface of an object |
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Term
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Definition
| " the warming of the surface and lower atmosphere of Earth that occurs when carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases in the air absorb and reradiate infrared radiation" |
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Term
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Definition
| the transfer of energy as heat through a material |
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Term
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Definition
| the movement of matter due to differences in density that are caused by temperature variations; can result in the transfer of energy as heat |
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Term
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Definition
| the curving of the path of a moving object from an otherwise straight path due to Earth’s rotation |
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Term
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Definition
| prevailing winds that blow from east to west from 30 latitude to the equator in both hemispheres |
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Term
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Definition
| prevailing winds that blow from west to east between 30 and 60 latitude in both hemispheres |
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Term
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Definition
| prevailing winds that blow from east to west between 60 and 90 latitude in both |
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Term
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Definition
| a narrow band of strong winds that blow in the upper troposphere |
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Term
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Definition
| nitrogen moves from air to the soil and then to plants and animals and eventually returns to air |
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Term
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Definition
| " plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to produce their food, and they release oxygen as a byproduct" |
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Term
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Definition
| evaporated water that enters the air as invisible gas |
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Term
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Definition
| a gas molecule that is made up of three oxygen atoms |
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Term
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Definition
| absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun |
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Term
| Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) |
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Definition
| break down ozone and have caused parts of ozone to be weakened |
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Term
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Definition
| various tiny solid particles |
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Term
| Standard atmospheric pressure |
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Definition
| " 1 atmosphere = 760 mm of mercury, or 1000 millibars" |
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Term
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Definition
| a model of which measures the pressure on liquid mercury |
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Term
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Definition
| measure pressure by absorbing change of “bulge” on the container |
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Term
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Definition
| the zone in which the temperature of the troposphere stops decreasing |
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Term
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Definition
| marks the upper boundary of the stratosphere |
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Term
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Definition
| coldest temperature in the atmosphere; is the upper boundary of the mesosphere |
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Term
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Definition
| lower region of the thermosphere |
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Term
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Definition
| caused by solar radiation that is absorbed by atmospheric gases which cause the atoms of gas molecules to lose electrons and to produce ions and free electrons |
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Term
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Definition
| zone of indefinite altitude that blends into the almost complete vacuum of space |
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Term
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Definition
| " any substance in the atmosphere that is harmful to people, animals, plants, or property" |
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Term
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Definition
| the layer of warm air on top of cool air |
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Term
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Definition
| a general term for air pollution that indicates a combination of smoke and fog |
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Term
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Definition
| includes all forms of energy that travel through space as waves |
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Term
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Definition
| waves that make up all forms of radiation |
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Term
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Definition
| warm zone in which most air movement is upward and surface winds are weak and variable |
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Term
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Definition
| subtropical high-pressure zones |
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Term
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Definition
| " in the northern hemisphere, the trade winds that flow from northeast" |
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Term
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Definition
| " in the southern hemisphere, the trade winds that flow from southeast" |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| " forms in the subtropical regions, where very warm equatorial air meets the cooler air of the middle latitudes" |
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Term
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Definition
| gentle winds that extend over distances of less than 100 km |
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Term
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Definition
| a cool wind moving from land to water |
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Term
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Definition
| a land breeze flows from the cool land toward the warmer water |
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Term
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Definition
| forms when warm air from the valleys moves upslope |
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Term
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Definition
| created when cool air descends from the mountain peaks |
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Term
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Definition
| the heat energy that is absorbed or released by a substance during a phase change |
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Term
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Definition
| the process in which a solid changes directly into a gas (the term is sometimes also used for the reverse process) |
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Term
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Definition
| water vapor in the atmosphere |
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Term
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Definition
| " at constant pressure and water vapor content, the temperature at which the rate of condensation equals the rate of evaporation" |
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Term
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Definition
| " the mass of water vapor per unit volume of air that contains the water vapor, usually expressed as grams of water vapor per cubic meter of air" |
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Term
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Definition
| the mass of water vapor in unit of air relative to the mass of the dry air |
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Term
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Definition
| the ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air to the amount of water vapor needed to reach saturation at a given temperature |
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Term
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Definition
| instrument that is used to measure relative humidity |
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Term
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Definition
| consists of a ceramic cylinder with electrodes attached to it and treated with lithium chloride |
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Term
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Definition
| determines relative humidity based on the principle that hair becomes longer as relative humidity increases |
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Term
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Definition
| " a collection of small water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air, which forms when the air is cooled and condensation occurs" |
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Term
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Definition
| a solid particle in the atmosphere that provides the surface on which water vapor condenses |
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Term
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Definition
| the process by which the temperature decreases as the air mass rises and expands |
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Term
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Definition
| the rate at which the temperature of a parcel of air changes as the air rises or sinks |
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Term
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Definition
| the altitude at which the net condensation begins |
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Term
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Definition
| the process by which the temperature of an air mass decreases as the air mass moves over a cold surface |
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Term
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Definition
| " clouds that have a flat, uniform base and that begin to from at very low altitudes" |
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Term
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Definition
| means “sheet-like” or “layered” |
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Term
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Definition
| dark clouds that can cause heavy precipitation |
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Term
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Definition
| form at middle altitudes and are generally thinner than the low stratus clouds and usually produce very little precipitation |
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Term
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Definition
| " a low-level, billowy cloud that commonly has a top that resembles cotton balls and a dark bottom" |
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Term
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Definition
| means “piled” or “heaped” |
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Term
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Definition
| " thunderheads; often accompanied by rain, lighting and thunder" |
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Term
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Definition
| base begins at middle altitudes |
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Term
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Definition
| low clouds that are a combination of stratus and cumulous clouds |
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Term
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Definition
| a feathery cloud that is composed of ice crystals and that has the highest altitude of any cloud |
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Term
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Definition
| " rare, high-altitude, billowy clouds composed entirely of ice crystals" |
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Term
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Definition
| " form high, transparent veil across the sky" |
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Term
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Definition
| water vapor that has condensed very near the surface of Earth because air close to the ground has cooled |
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Term
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Definition
| results from the loss of heat by radiation |
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Term
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Definition
| " forms when warm, moist air moves across a cold surface" |
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Term
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Definition
| forms by the lifting and cooling of air as air rises along land slopes |
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Term
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Definition
| shallow layer of fog that forms when cool air moves over an inland warm body of water |
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Term
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Definition
| " any form of water that falls to Earth's surface from the clouds; includes rain, snow, sleet, hail" |
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Term
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Definition
| rain in which raindrops that are smaller than 0.5 mm in diameter |
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Term
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Definition
| the result of rain falling through a layer of freezing air near the ground |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| the condition in which glaze ice is produced |
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Term
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Definition
| solid precipitation in the form of lumps of ice |
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Term
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Definition
| the formation of a large droplet by the combination of smaller droplets |
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Term
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Definition
| " a condition in which a substance is cooled below its freezing point, condensation point, or sublimation point without going through a change of state" |
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Term
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Definition
| solid particles that are suspended in the air and that have structures similar to the crystal structure of ice |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| the process of introducing freezing nuclei or condensation nuclei into a cloud in order to cause rain to fall |
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Term
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Definition
| a large body of air throughout which temperature and moisture content are similar |
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Term
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Definition
| air masses that form over the ocean or large bodies of water; higher humidity and moist |
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Term
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Definition
| air masses that are moist and cold |
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Term
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Definition
| air masses that are moist and warm |
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Term
| Continental air masses (c) |
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Definition
| air masses that form over large landmasses; low humidity and dry |
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Term
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Definition
| air masses that are dry and cold |
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Term
| Continental tropical (cT) |
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Definition
| air masses that are dry and warm |
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Term
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Definition
| the front edge of a moving mass of cold air that pushes beneath warmer air mass like a wedge |
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Term
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Definition
| a boundary between air masses |
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Term
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Definition
| a long line of heavy thunderstorms |
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Term
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Definition
| the front edge of advancing warm air mass that replaces colder air with warmer air |
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Term
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Definition
| a front of air masses that moves either very slowly or not at all |
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Term
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Definition
| a front that forms when a cold air mass overtakes a warm air mass and lifts the warm air mass of the ground and over another air mass |
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Term
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Definition
| an area of low pressure that is characterized by rotating wind that moves toward the rising air of the central low-pressure region |
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Term
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Definition
| boundary where cold polar air meets the topical air mass of the middle latitudes |
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Term
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Definition
| a bend that forms in a cold front or stationary front |
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Term
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Definition
| beginnings of low-pressure storm centers |
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Term
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Definition
| sinks and flows outward from a center of high pressure |
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Term
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Definition
| " a usually brief, heavy storm that consists of rain, strong winds, lighting, and thunder" |
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Term
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Definition
| electricity discharged from clouds during a thunderstorm |
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Term
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Definition
| the loud noise produced during the releasing of energy from clouds (lighting) |
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Term
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Definition
| a severe storm that develops over tropical oceans and whose strong winds of more than 120 km/h spiral in toward the intensely low-pressure storm center |
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Term
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Definition
| an instrument that measures and indicates temperature |
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Term
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Definition
| an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure |
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Term
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Definition
| an instrument that is used to measure wind speed |
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Term
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Definition
| an instrument used to determine direction of the wind |
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Term
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Definition
| " a packaged of instruments that’s I carried aloft by balloons to measure upper atmospheric conditions including temperature, dew point, and wind velocity" |
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Term
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Definition
| " Radio Detection And Raging, a system that uses reflected radio waves to determine the velocity and location of objects" |
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Term
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Definition
| a pattern of metrological symbols that represents the weather at a particular observing station and that is recorded on a weather map |
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Term
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Definition
| lines that connect points of equal temperature |
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Term
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Definition
| lines that connect points of equal atmospheric pressure |
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Term
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Definition
| mainly use radar and enable forecasters to focus on timing precipitation and tracking severe weather |
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Term
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Definition
| predict weather conditions for a 48-hour period |
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Term
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Definition
| issued when conditions are ideal for severe weather |
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Term
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Definition
| given when sever weather has been spotted or is expected within 24 hours |
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Term
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Definition
| the average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time |
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Term
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Definition
| the difference between the highest and lowest monthly averages |
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Term
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Definition
| the regions between about 20? and 30? latitude in both hemispheres |
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Term
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Definition
| the quantity of heat required to raise a unit mass of a specified way given constant pressure and volume |
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Term
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Definition
| the warm-water phase of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation; a periodic occurrence in the eastern Pacific Ocean in which the surface-water temperature becomes unusually warm |
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Term
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Definition
| " a seasonal wind that blows toward the land in the summer, bring heavy rains, and that blows away from the land in the winter, bring dry weather" |
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Term
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Definition
| a climate characterized by high temperatures and heavy precipitation during at least part of the year; typical of equatorial regions |
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Term
| Tropical rain-forest climates |
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Definition
| humid and warm and support a diverse variety of life |
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Term
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Definition
| receive less than 25 cm of precipitation every year and have little or no vegetation |
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Term
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Definition
| support pen grasslands that have drought-resist trees and shrubs; have very wet summers and very dry winters |
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Term
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Definition
| a climate that has an average maximum temperature of 8?C in the coldest month and an average minimum temperature of 10?C in the warmest month |
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Term
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Definition
| a climate that is characterized by average temperatures that are near or below freezing; typical of polar regions |
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Term
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Definition
| the climate of a small area |
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Term
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Definition
| characterized by large variation in temperatures |
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Term
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Definition
| a scientist who gathers data to study and compare past and present climates and to predict future climate change |
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Term
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Definition
| a gradual increase in the average global temperature that is due to a higher concentrations of gasses such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere |
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Term
Types of Air Masses
[Remember Table] |
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Definition
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