Weather and Biosphere Review

Flashcards covering the components of weather, layers of the biosphere, wind systems, and meteorological measurement tools based on the lecture chapters.

Weather

The state of the atmosphere at a certain place in a particular time.

Six components of weather

Temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind speed, climate, and location.

Atmosphere

The layer of the biosphere consisting of air.

Lithosphere

The layer of the biosphere consisting of land.

Hydrosphere

The layer of the biosphere consisting of water.

High specific heat capacity

The property of water that allows it to absorb heat, causing coastal locations to have cooler summers and milder winters than inland locations.

Coriolis effect

The process that causes winds to swerve to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

Global wind systems

Systems including polar easteries, prevailing westeries, and northeast and southeast trade winds.

Jet streams

Strong westerly winds resulting from air combined with the Coriolis effect and a large temperature gradient.

Fronts

The four types include cold front, warm front, stationary front, and occluded front.

Ocean

The place where most of the Earth's water is stored.

Fluorometer

A tool used to measure temperature.

Rain gauge

A tool used to measure precipitation.

Barometer

A tool used to measure atmospheric pressure.

Hydrometer

A tool used to measure humidity.

Speed and some meter

A tool used to measure wind speed and direction.