Atmosphere and Weather
Layer of atmosphere where all weather takes place
troposphere
measure of actual amount of water vapor in the air compared to the total amount the air can hold at that temperature
Relative Humidity
lines that connect places with equal air pressure
isobars
Region where dry air descends on the leeward side of the mountain causing a desert.
Rain shadow region
Unequal heating and cooling of a region’s air form a circular pattern of rising air, sinking air and wind.
convection cell
Rock fragments from space burn up here
Mesosphere
billowy puffy clouds that appear to rise from bottom
cumulus clouds
large region of atmosphere in which air has similar properties
Air mass
Regions near the ocean or other large bodies of water have this climate
Maritime climate
During night, air above land is cooler (high pressure) than air above water (low pressure), winds usually blow from land to water,
Land breeze
shuttles orbit in this layer of atmosphere
Thermosphere
temperature at which relative humidity is 100 percent
dew point
This is created cold air moves in under warm mass
cold front
Climate in regions located within large landmass are far from water have hot summers, cold winters, low annual precipitation.
continental climate
Wind speed is measured using this instrument
Anemometer
amount of sun’s energy that reaches the earth’s surface at a given time and place.
Insolation
violent whirling wind that moves across the ground in a narrow path. It forms when cold dry air mixes with warm moist air.
tornadoes
This instrument uses radio signals to detect precipitation
radar
dark areas that appear temporarily on sun's surface
sun spots
winds that blow towards the equator, and curved to the west by coriolis effect
Trade winds
force exerted on a given area by the atmosphere de to gravity.
air pressure
large swirling storms with low pressure at the center, that begin as thunderstorms over tropical ocean, but are pushed west by global winds.
hurricanes
boundary between two air mass
weather front
Two main factors that decide climate of a place
Latitude and elevation
winds that blow towards the pole, curved to the east, so they seem to come from the west,
westerlies