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| The reflectivity of a substance, usually expressed as a percentage of the incident radiation reflected. |
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| The equinox that occurs on Sept. 21 -23 in the Northern Hemisphere and on march 21-22 in the Southern Hemisphere. |
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| The transfer of heat by the movement of a mass or substance. It can take place only in fluids. |
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| Solar energy scattered and reflected in the atmosphere that reaches Earth's surface in the form of diffuse blue light from the sky. |
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| The rate of temperature decrease with increasing height in the troposphere. |
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| Radiation with a wavelength from 0.7 to 200 micrometers. |
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| Lines connecting points of equal temperature. |
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| The layer of the atmosphere immediately above the stratosphere and characterized by decreasing temperatures with height. |
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| The motion of one body about another, as Earth about the Sun. |
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| The equinox that occurs on March 21-22 in the Northern Hemisphere and on Sept. 21-23 in the Southern Hemisphere. |
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| The layer of the atmosphere immediately above the troposphere, characterized by increasing temperatures with height, owing to the concentration of ozone. |
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| The solstice that occurs on June 21-22 in the Northern Hemisphere and on December 21-22 in the Southern Hemisohere. |
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| The region of the atmosphere immediately above the mesosphere and characterized by increasing temperatures due to absorption of very shortwave solar energy by oxygen. |
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| The lowermost layer of the atmosphere. It is generally characterized by a decrease in temperature with height. |
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| Radiation with a wavelength from 0.2 to 0.4 micrometer. |
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| Radiation with a wavelength from 0.4 to 0.7 micrometer. |
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| The solstice that ocurs on december 21-22 in the northern hemisphere and on june 21-22 in the southern hemisphere. |
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| Air that has a lapse rate greater than the dry adiabatic rate. |
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| Air with a lapse rate less than the wet adiabatic rate. |
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| Adiabatic Temperature Change |
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| Cooling or warming of air caused when air is allowed to expand or is compressed, not because heat is added or subtracted. |
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| A fog formed when warm, moist air is blown over a cool surface. |
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| A theory that relates the formation of precipitation to supercooled clouds, freezing nuclei, and the different saturation levels of ice and liquid water. |
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| One of three basic cloud forms; also one of three high cloud types. They are thin, delicate ice-crystal clouds often appearing as veil-like patches or thin, wispy fibers. |
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| Cloud of Verticle Development |
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| A cloud that has its base in the low-height range but extends upward into the middle or high altitudes. |
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| Collision-Coalescence Process |
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| A theory of raindrop formation in warm clouds (above 0*C) in which large cloud droplets (giants) collide and join together with smaller droplets to form a raindrop. Opposite electrical charges may bind the cloud droplets together. |
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| Tiny bits of particular matter that serve as surfaces on which water vapor condenses. |
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| Moist air with a lapse rate between the dry and wet adiabatic rates. |
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| The condition that exists when the distribution of winds within a given area results in a net horizontal inflow lower levels is associated with an upward movement of air, areas of convergent winds are regions favorable to cloud formation and precipitation. |
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| 1 of 3 basic cloud forms; also the name given one of the cloudsof vertical development. ____ are billowy individual cloud masses that often have flat bases. |
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| The process by which water vapor is changed directly to a solid without passing through the liquid state. |
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| The rate of adiabatic cooling or warming in unsaturated air. The rate of temperature change is 1*C per 100 meters. |
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| The boundary between two adjoining air masses having contrasting characteristics. |
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| lifting of air resulting when cool air acts as a barrier over which warmer, lighter air will rise. |
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| A coating of ice on objects formed when supercooledb rain freezes on contact. |
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| The energy absorbed or released during a change in state. |
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| Localized Convective Lifting |
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| Unequal surface heating that causes localized pockets of air (thermals) to rise because of their buoyancy. |
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| Mountains acting as bsarriers to the flow of air, forcing the air to ascend. The air cools adiabatically, and clouds and precipitation may result. |
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| An imagiinary volume of air enclosed in a thin elastic cover. Typically it is considered to be a few hundred cubic meters in volume and is assumed to act independently of the surrounding air. |
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| A device consisting of two thermometers (wet bulb and dry bulb) that is rapidly whirled and, with the use of tables, yields the relative humidity and dew point. |
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| A dry area on the lee side of a mountain range. Many middle-latitude deserts are of this type. |
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| The ratio of the air's water-vapor content to its water-vapor capacity. |
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| Air that resists verticle displacement. If it is lifted, adiabatic cooling will cause its temperature to be lower than the surrounding environment; if it is allowed, it will sink to its original position. |
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| 1 of 3 basic cloud forms; also, the name given 1 of the flow clouds. They are sheets or layers that cover much or all of the sky. |
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| The conversion of a solid directly to a gas without passing through the liquid state. |
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| The condition of being more highly concentrated than is normally possible under given temperature and pressure conditions. When describing humidity, it refers to a relative humidity that is greater than 100 percent. |
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| Air that does not resist vertical displacement. if it is lifted, its temperature will not cool as rapidly as the surrounding environment, so it will continue to rise on its own. |
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| The rate of adiabatic temperature change in saturated air. The rate of temperature change is variable, but it is always less than the dry adiabatic rate. |
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| A high-pressure center characterized by a clockwise flow of air in the Northern Hemisphere. |
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| A wind blowing down the leeward side of a mountain and warming by compression. |
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| The condition that exists when the distribution of winds within a given area results in a net horizontal inflow lower levels is associated with an upward movement of air, areas of convergent winds are regions favorable to cloud formation and precipitation. |
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| 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. |
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| A low-pressure center characterized by a counterclockwise flow of air in the Northern Hemisphere. |
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| The condition that exists when the distribution of winds within a given area results in a net horizontal outflow of air from the region. In ____ at lower levels the resultign deficit is compensated for by a downward movement of air from aloft; hence, areas of __ winds are unfavorable to cloud formation and precipitation. |
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| The name given to the periodic warming of the ocean that occurs in the central and eastern pacific. A major ____ episode can cause extreme weather in many parts of the world. |
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| A wind, usually above a height of 600 meters (2,000 feet), that blows parallel to the isobars. |
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| A line drawn on a map connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure, usually corrected to sea level. |
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| An episode of strong trade winds and unusually low sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific. Opposite of El Nino. |
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| 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. |
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