| Term | Definition |
|---|
| freezing | a liquid changes to a solid |
| melting | a solid changes to a liquid |
| condensation | a gas changes to a liquid |
| evaporation | a liquid changes to a gas |
| deposition | a gas changes directly to a solid |
| sublimation | a solid changes directly to a gas |
| calorie | heat required to change the temperature of 1g of water 1 degree Celsiuselsius |
| humidity | moisture in the air |
| specific humdity | mass of water in a given mass of air (g/Kg) |
| relative humidity | amount of water in the air compared to the amount it could hold at a given temperature (%) |
| dew point | temperature at which air is saturated (RH=100%) |
| saturation | the air is holding all the water it can hold (RH=100%) |
| precipitation | water in any form that comes from the atmosphere |
| rain | drops of water |
| snow | ice crystals form and fall |
| sleet | frozen rain |
| hail | "ball" of concentric layers of ice. Form in thunderstorms |
| fog | a cloud that is at the Earth's surface |
| dew | water condenses on surfaces |
| frost | ice crystals form on surfaces (deposition) |
| glaze | rain freezes on surfaces |
| rime | supercooled water freezes on surfaces |
| cumulus | clouds that look like piles of cotton balls |
| stratus | extensive, flat clouds |
| cirrus | clouds of ice crystals that look like wisps of hair |
| condensation nuclei | particulate matter in the atmosphere that serve as surfaces upon which water condenses |
| adiabatic | temperature change due to pressure change |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace
spastic smiley