The Atmosphere
Wind and Weather
Air Circulation
Moisture and Clouds
Weather Systems and severe Weather
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What is the ozonosphere?
This region of the atmosphere extends from 10-30 miles in altitude; in it, the Sun's radiation reacts with oxygen molecules to create ozone
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What is wind?
A body of air in motion.
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What is the summer solstice?
This occurs when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun on June 21st or 22nd; it marks the longest day of the year
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What is precipitation?
The general term for various types of condensed water that fall to the earth's surface
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What is a warm front?
A front which occurs when warm air moves into an area of colder air, overriding the cold air and causing it to sink because cold air is heavier
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What is the stratosphere?
A layer of the atmosphere extending from the tropopause for about 30 miles; the U-2 Dragon Lady routinely flies through it
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What is a tailwind?
A wind blowing from behind the aircraft; it increases the aircraft's speed and saves fuel, enabling earlier arrival at a destination
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What is the Coriolis Effect?
An apparent deflection of moving objects caused by the Earth's rotation
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What is fog?
A cloud that is very near to or touching the ground; it is composed of tiny droplets of liquid water that are at or near the surface of the geographical area
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Thunderstorms come from what cloud?
Cumulonimbus clouds
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What is the troposphere?
This first layer of the atmosphere extends from sea level up to 20,000 feet over the poles and to 55,000-60,000 feet over the equatorial regions; it ends at the tropopause
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What is a microburst?
Defined as a sudden, powerful, localized air current, especially a downdraft or downburst, this phenomenon has caused several jet accidents
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What is the doldrums?
An area of calm surrounding the equator, where the trade winds from the north and the south converge
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What are cumulus clouds?
White, billowy, puffy clouds that indicate good weather
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What is a front?
A boundary between air masses; it is classified as warm, cold, stationary, or occluded
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What are the mesosphere and the thermosphere?
The last two layers of the atmosphere; in the image, they appear blue
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What is wind chill?
The effective lowering of the air temperature caused by the wind blowing warm air away from an object or human body
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What are trade winds?
Warm, steady breezes that blow almost continuously toward the equator but appear to curve toward the west
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What is a cumulonimbus cloud?
This kind of cloud, characterized by its anvil-shaped top, is one you should never fly into
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What is an air mass?
A huge body of air, usually 1,000 miles or more across, with the same temperature and moisture characteristics
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What is the ionosphere?
This region begins at an altitude of about 25 miles and extends outward to about 250 miles; and is characterized by the continous loss or gain of electrons in the atoms and molecules there
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What is the Beaufort Scale?
This tool for estimating wind speed originated in 1805 and is still widely used today; among other things, it describes each wind speed's effects on land and at sea
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What is the jet stream?
This wind pattern crosses the US at 30,000 to 35,000 feet, generally moving in a west to east direction; it is caused by strong temperature differences in the upper troposphere; in the winter, it gains strength and dips farther south
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What are lenticular clouds?
Stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at high altitudes, normally aligned at right angles to the wind direction; they foreshadow bad weather and are often mistaken for UFOs
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What wind speed is a F-3 tornado?
158 to 206 mph