meteorology

Cards (32)

  • meteor - "from up high"
  • logia - "to study"
  • meteorology - study of weather, climate, and the earth's atmosphere
  • weather - daily condition of the earth's atmosphere in any place or region; it occurs in the troposphere
  • heat or thermal energy - changes in temperature; main source is the sun
  • pressure = force/area of the surface the force is being applied to
  • the force applied by the gases in the atmosphere is mostly coming from its weight
  • our atmosphere is held close to earth by gravity
  • force of gravity is weaker the farther an object is from the center of the earth; the higher the altitude, the lower the air pressure
  • air mass - immense body of air with uniform temperature and pressure
  • air body or weather front - boundary between two air masses
  • wind - horizontal movement of air over the earth's surface; moves from a region of high pressure to low pressure
  • weather vane - tells direction of the wind
  • anemometer - measures wind speed
  • beaufort scale - relates wind speed to conditions observes over land or sea
  • breeze - wind that is caused by the difference in temperature of land adjacent to a body of water
  • the difference in heat capacity of the land (heat and cools faster) and water (heat and cools slower) causes different air temperatures above them and produces convection currents
  • type of breezes:
    A) sea
    B) land
    C) warmer
    D) cooler
  • monsoon - reversal of wind direction with the season
  • southwest monsoon (hanging habagat) - june to october; warm and humid winds with frequent heavy rains
  • northeast monsoon (hanging amihan) - november to february; cool wind and prolonged rains
  • trade winds - march to april; wind that reliably blows eat to west just north and south of equator; dry warm weather
  • doldrums or inter-tropical convergence zone (itcz) - where north and south hemisphere meet and start to produce cyclones; calm winds and low pressure
  • coriolis effect - apparent turning of wind caused by earth's rotation
    • northern hemisphere turns counterclockwise
    • south hemisphere turns clockwise
  • humidity - amount of water vapor (moisture) in air
  • hygrometer - measures humidity
  • relative humidity - amount of water vapor in the air compared with the amount that the air can hold at current temperature
  • clouds - forms when air becomes saturated
  • precipitation - when enough water vapor coalesces in the clouds; occurs in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail
  • air pressure - downward force exerted by the atmosphere
  • factors that affect weather:
    • heat or thermal energy
    • air pressure
    • wind
    • humidity
  • mesosphere - where meteors are found