Term
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Definition
| current state of the atmosphere |
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Term
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Definition
| collective state of the earth's atmosphere for over 30 years or more |
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Term
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Definition
| defines layer of gases that surround the earth and other planets |
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Term
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Definition
| study of the earth's atmosphere |
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Term
| Who is the father of Meteorology |
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Definition
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Term
| When did Aristotle's views get proved wrong? |
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Definition
| 1500s-1600s with the development of instrumentation and physics laws |
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Term
| Who created air mass/frontal theories? |
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Definition
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Term
| How is wind direction defined? |
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Definition
| from the direction in which it was blowing from |
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Term
| What causes clouds and rain? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is atmospheric pressure? |
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Definition
| the mass or weight of the air above us |
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Term
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Definition
| lines of equal or constant values of a given property with respect to place and time |
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Term
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Definition
lines of equal pressure
-only used on surface weather maps |
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Term
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Definition
| lines of equal temperature |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| lines of equal pressure change |
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Term
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Definition
| lines of equal dew point temperature |
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Term
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Definition
| lines of equal wind speed |
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Term
| As air pressure decreases temperature __________ |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
98% by volume
-Nitrogen
-Oxygen
-Argon
-Neon |
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Term
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Definition
2% by volume
-Water Vapor
-Methane
-Carbon Dioxide
-Nitrous Oxide
-Ozone |
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Term
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Definition
| absorbs damaging ultraviolet radiation |
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Term
| Where is good ozone found? |
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Definition
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Term
| Where is bad ozone found? |
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Definition
troposphere
-forms pollution |
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Term
| When height in the troposphere increases temp _______ |
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Definition
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Term
| When height in the Stratosphere rises temp _______ |
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Definition
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Term
| When height in the mesosphere increases temp ______ |
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Definition
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Term
| When height in the thermosphere increases temp ___________ |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Not really a layer but an electrical region |
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Term
| What are terrestrial waves? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
Vernal Equinox
-directly above the equator |
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Term
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Definition
Summer Solstice
-directly over Tropic of Cancer
-close to Mexico City |
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Term
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Definition
Summer Solstice
-directly over Tropic of Cancer
-close to Mexico City |
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Term
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Definition
Autumnal Equinox
-directly above equator |
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Term
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Definition
Winter Solstice
-directly over the Tropic of Capricorn |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| What is the least important form of energy transfer? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is a very important energy transfer on Earth? |
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Definition
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Term
| What radiation does the Earth absorb? |
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Definition
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Term
| What radiation does the Earth emit? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| steam cloud disappears with time |
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Term
| What is Raliegh scattering? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| total fraction of radiation that is reflected by a given surface |
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Term
| What % of radiation is absorbed by clouds and the atmosphere? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the average planetary Albedo? |
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Definition
30%
-freshly fallen snow 80-85%
-Thick clouds 70-80%
-Water 3-5% |
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Term
| Atmospheric "greenhouse" effect |
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Definition
the relatively easy transmission of shortwave (solar) radiation by the atmosphere of long wave (terrestrial) radiation
- esp. CO2 & H2O |
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Term
| If an object radiates more energy than it absorbs it'll turn _________ |
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Definition
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Term
| If an object absorbs more energy than it radiates it'll turn _________ |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| A perfect absorber or a perfect emitter |
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Term
| During the Day Heat is __________ |
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Definition
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Term
| During Night heat _______ |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| the property of a system that enables it to do work |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| form of energy transferred between objects by virtue of temperature differences |
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Term
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Definition
| ratio of heat absorbed(or released) by a system compared to the corresponding temperature rise or fall |
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Term
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Definition
| heat energy required for a change in state |
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Term
| What changes of State is latent heat absorbed? |
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Definition
Melting
-ice to liquid
Evaporation/Vaporization
-liquid to vapor
Sublimation
-ice to vapor |
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Term
| What changes of state is latent heat released? |
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Definition
Condensation
-vapor to liquid
Deposition
-vapor to ice |
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Term
| Where is more shortwave radiation received than lost? |
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Definition
| 36 degrees N or S of the equator |
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Term
| Latitudinal heat balance drives the ________ and _________ ___________ |
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Definition
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Term
| Where is surface temperature measured? |
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Definition
| 5 feet above ground level |
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Term
| What temperature scale is used for surface weather maps? |
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Definition
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Term
| What temperature scale is used for upper air maps? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the freezing point and boiling point for Kelvin's scale |
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Definition
273K - freezing
373 - boiling/steam point
-water |
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Term
| What is the temperature conversion for F to C? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the Temperature Conversion scale for C to F? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the four Temperature controls for place to place changes? |
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Definition
1. differential heating land/water
2. ocean currents
3. elevation
4. latitude and geographic position |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| ________ below F is a HDD |
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Definition
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Term
| ______ and ________ are the factors for heat index? |
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Definition
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Term
| ________ and _________ are factors of Wind chill index? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the most important element in the atmosphere when considering weather and climate? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
-Ratio of the air's actual water vapor content compared with the amount of water required for saturation at a given temperature
- air's actual water vapor / temperature |
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Term
| When is relative humidity the highest? |
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Definition
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Term
| When is relative humidity the lowest? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| temp. to which a parcel of air would need to be cooled to, assuming no change in air pressure or moisture content, in order for the given parcel of air to reach saturatration |
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Term
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Definition
| directly measures the air's actual water vapor pressure |
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Term
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Definition
| when a given parcel of air expands or compresses/warms with NO interchange of heat with the outside enviorment |
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Term
| unsaturated air cools and heats at what rate? |
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Definition
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Term
| Saturated heat cools and heats at what rate? |
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Definition
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Term
| Warm air aloft causes atmosphere to be _______ stable |
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Definition
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Term
| Colder air aloft causes atmosphere to be _________ stable |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Water that has condensed onto objects near the ground when the temp. of those objects has cooled below the dew point temp. of the surrounding air |
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Term
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Definition
| air temp. falls below freezing after the dew has formed |
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Term
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Definition
| covering of ice crystals produced by deposition on exposed surfaces when the air temp. falls below freezing point and temp of the exposed object falls below the surrounding air's dew point temp. |
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Term
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Definition
| when air rises, expands and cools |
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Term
| What must happen for condensation to occur? |
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Definition
1. the air must become saturated
2. there must be a surface on which condensation can occur |
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Term
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Definition
earth cools and dew point temp. gets closer to the temp. near the ground
-slight winds
-widespread
- clear, calm night as heat of day dissipates |
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Term
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Definition
| moist air moving over a colder surface |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| air forced up the side of a mountain |
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Term
| Fog dispersal is most successful in ____________ temperature environments? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| High Clouds are ________ ft. above ground? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
thin, wispy clouds blown by high winds aloft into long streaming
-usually well below freezing
- No precipitation
- Mare's Tale |
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Term
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Definition
small rounded white puffs than can occur in rows
-Virga
-always white
-instability
-mackerel sky
(scales of fish) |
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Term
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Definition
| precipitation that evaporates before it hits the ground |
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Term
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Definition
thing sheetlike cloud often covering the entire sky
-shadows still cast
-No precipitation
- > stable than cirrocumulus
-ice crystals
-solar and lunar halos |
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Term
| Middle Level Clouds are at ___________ ft. from the ground? |
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Definition
| 6,500-20,000ft above ground level |
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Term
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Definition
gray, puffy masses sometimes called out in parallel waves or bands
-mid level instability
-means bad weather
-Virga
-rising castles |
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Term
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Definition
gray to blue cloud that can often cover the entire sky
- NO shadows on ground |
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Term
| Low level clouds are _________ above ground level? |
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Definition
| Near surface to 6,500 ft AGL |
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Term
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Definition
uniform grayish cloud that can cover parts of the sky or the whole thing
-stable
- no precipitation |
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Term
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Definition
dark gray, "wet looking", cloud layer
-light precipitation
-never severe / hard rain
-drizzle / fog |
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Term
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Definition
low, lumpy cloud layer that can appear in rows, patches or rounded masses with blue sky between clouds
- slightly unstable
-not much precipitation |
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Term
| Clouds of Vertical Extent _________ ft AGL |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
in the form of an individual detached dome or tower
-cotton puffs
-cumulus humilis |
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Term
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Definition
-precipitation thunderstorm cloud
-heavy rain
-thunder lightning
-exclusively hail |
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Term
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Definition
-bag like
-extreme atmospheric instability
-cumulonimbus |
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Term
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Definition
-small size
-cumulus
-south central texas during summer |
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