the only met flashcards you will ever need

atmosphere

the envelope of gases that surround a planet and are held to it by the planet’s gravitational attraction

outgassing

the release of gases dissolved in hot, molten rock

nitrogen

a colorless and odorless gas that occupies about 78% of dry air in the lower atmosphere

oxygen

a colorless and odorless gas that occupies about 21% of dry air in the lower atmosphere

water vapor

water in a gaseous form, aka moisture

carbon dioxide

a colorless, odorless gas whose concentration is about 0.04 percent in a volume of air near sea level; a selective absorber of infrared radiation and important in earth’s greenhouse effect

ozone

an almost colorless gaseous form of oxygen with an odor similar to weak chlorine; its highest natural concentration is found in the stratosphere (stratospheric ozone) but also forms in polluted air where it is the main ingredient of photochemical smog (tropospheric ozone)

ozone hole

a sharp drop in stratospheric ozone concentration observed over the Antarctic during the spring

aerosols

tiny suspended solid particles (dust, smoke, etc) or liquid droplets that enter the atmosphere from either natural or human sources, like burning of fossil fuels

polluntants

any gaseous, chemical, or organic matter that contaminates the atmosphere, soil, or water

density

the ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume occupied by it, usually express as g/cm³ or kg/m³

pressure

the force per unit area

air pressure

the pressure exerted by the mass of air above a given point, usually expressed in millibars (mb), inches of mercury (Hg), or hectopascals (hPa)

lapse rate

the rate at which an atmospheric variable (usually temperature) decreases with height

temperature inversion

an increase in air temperature with height

troposphere

the layer of the atmosphere extending from Earth’s surface up to the tropopause (about 10km above the ground)

tropopause

the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere

stratosphere

the layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere and below the mesosphere (between 10km and 50km), generally characterized by an increase in temperature with height

radiosonde

a balloon-borne instrument that measures and transmits pressure, temperature, and humidity to a ground-based receiving station

mesosphere

the atmospheric layer between the stratosphere and thermosphere, located at an average elevation between 50 and 80km above Earth’s surface

thermosphere

the atmospheric layer above the mesosphere (above 85km) where the temperature increases rapidly with height

exosphere

the outermost portion of the atmosphere

homosphere

the region of the atmosphere below about 85km where the composition of the air remains fairly constant

heterosphere

the region of the atmosphere above about 85km where the composition of the air varies with height

ionosphere

an electrified region of the upper atmosphere where fairly large concentrations of ions and free electrons exist

weather

the condition of the atmosphere at any particular time and place

climate

the accumulation of daily and seasonal weather events over a long period of time

meteorology

the study of the atmosphere and atmospheric phenomena as well as the atmosphere’s interaction with Earth’s surface, oceans, and life in general

middle latitudes

the region of the world between 30 and 50 degrees latitude

extratropical cyclone

a cyclonic storm that most often forms along a front in middle and high latitudes (aka a middle-latitude cyclonic storm, a depression, and a low)

hurricane

a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of at least 64 knots (74 mi/hr)

thunderstorms

a convective storm (cumulonimbus cloud) with lightning and thunder, composed of an ordinary cell, multicells, or a rapidly rotating supercell

tornado

an intense, rotating column of air that often protrudes from a cumuliform cloud in the shape of a funnel or a rope who circulation is present on the ground

wind

air in motion relative to Earth’s surface

wind direction

the direction form which the wind is blowing

wind speed

the rate at which the air moves by a stationary object, usually measured in miles per hour or knots

front

the transition zone between two distinct air masses

energy

the property of a system that generally enables it to do work

potential energy

the energy that a body possesses by virtue of its position with respect to other bodies in the field of gravity

kinetic energy

the energy within a body that is a result of its motion

temperature

the degree of hotness or coldness of a substance as measured by a thermometer; also a measure of the average speed or kinetic energy of the atoms and molecules in a substance

heat

a form of energy transferred between systems by virtue of their temperature differences

absolute zero

a temperature reading of -273 C, -460 F, or 0 K; theoretically there is no molecular motion at this temperature

kelvin scale

a temperature scale with zero degrees equal to the theoretical temperature at which all molecular motion ceases (AKA absolute scale)

Fahrenheit scale

a temperature scale where 32 is assigned to the temperature at which water freezes and 212 to temperature where water boils (at sea level)

Celsius scale

a temperature scale where 0 is assigned to the temperature where water freezes and 100 to the temperature where water boils (At sea level)

heat capacity

the ratio of heat absorbed/released by a system to the corresponding temperature rise/fall

specific heat

the ratio of heat absorbed/released by the unit mass of the system to the corresponding temperature rise/fall

latent heat

the heat that is either released or absorbed by a unit mass of a substance when it undergoes a change of state, such as during evaporation, condensation, or sublimation

sensible heat

the heat we can feel and measure with a thermometer

conduction

the transfer of heat by molecular activity from one substance to another, or through a substance; transfer is always from warmer to colder regions

convection

motions in a fluid that result in the transport and mixing of the fluid’s properties; the atmospheric motions that are predominantly vertical, such as rising air current due to surface heating; the rising of heated surface air and the sinking of colder air aloft if often called free convection

thermal

a small, rising parcel of warm air produced when Earth’s surface is heated unevenly

advection

the horizontal transfer of any atmospheric property by the wind

radiant energy (radiation)

energy propagated in the form electromagnetic waves

shortwave radiation

a term most often used to describe the radiant energy emitted from the sun, in the visible and near ultraviolet wavelengths

electromagnetic waves

waves that do not need molecules to propagate them and in a vacuum they travel at nearly 300,000 km per sec

wavelength

the distance between successive crests, troughs, or identical parts of a wave

photons

a discrete quantity of energy that can be thought of as a packet of electromagnetic radiation traveling at the speed of light

stefan-boltzmann law

a law of radiation which states that the amount of radiant energy emitted from a unit surface area of an object (ideally a blackbody) is proportional to the fourth power of the object’s absolute temperature

wien’s law

a law of radiation which states that the wavelength of maximum emitted radiation by an object (ideally a blackbody) is inversely proportional to the object’s absolute temperature

longwave radiation

a term most often used to describe the infrared energy emitted by Earth and the atmosphere

visible region

the region of electromagnetic spectrum

ultraviolet radiation

electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than X-rays but shorter than visible light

infrared radiation

electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between about 0.7 and 1000 micrometers; longer than visible radiation but shorter than microwave radiation

blackbody

a hypothetical object that absorbs all of the radiation that strikes it and emits radiation at a maximum rate for its given temperature

radiative equilibrium temperature

the temperature achieved when an object, behaving as a blackbody, is absorbing and emitting radiation at equal rates

selective absorbers

substances such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, clouds, and snow that absorb radiation only at particular wavelengths

Kirchhoff’s Law

a law stating that good absorbers of a given wavelength of radiation are also good emitters of that wavelength

greenhouse gases

gases in Earth’s atmosphere, such as water vapor and carbon dioxide, that allow much of the sunlight to pass through but are strong absorbers of infrared energy emitted by Earth and the atmosphere; other greenhouse gases include methane, nitrous oxide, fluorocarbons, and ozone

atmospheric window

the wavelength range between 8 and 11 micrometers in which little absorption of infrared radiation takes place

solar constant

the rate at which solar energy is received on a surface at the outer edge of the atmosphere perpendicular to the sun’s rays when Earth is at a mean distance from the sun, ~1361 W/m²

scattering

the process by which small particles in the atmosphere deflect radiation from its path into different directions

reflected (sunlight)

albedo

the percent of radiation returning from a surface compared to that which strikes it

solar wind

an outflow of charged particles from the sun that escapes the sun’s outer atmosphere at high speed

space weather

variety of effects produced when the solar wind moves close enough to interact with Earth’s magnetic field

aurora borealis (northern lights)

glowing light display caused by excited gases in the upper atmosphere giving off light in Northern Hemisphere

aurora australis

glowing light display caused by excited gases in the upper atmosphere giving off light in Southern Hemisphere