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Thermosphere The uppermost layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature increases as altitude increases Stratosphere the 2nd layer of the atmosphere that lies between the troposphere and the mesosphere and in which temperature increases as altitude increases; contains the ozone layer Mesosphere the layer of the atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere and in which temperature decreases as altitude increases. Troposphere layer of Earth's atmosphere that is closest to the ground, contains 99% of the water vapor and 75% of the atmospheric gases, and is where clouds and weather occur Air masses - air masses carry the conditions from where they originate - these conditions are a combination of two elements: - moisture content - temperature - moisture: ◦ maritime (m) - formed over water and therefore containing moisture ◦ continental (c) - formed over land and as a result is dry - temperature: ◦ tropical (T) - formed near the tropic (latitudes closer to the equator) - warm ◦ polar (P) - formed between latitudes of 55° and 66° N - cold ◦ arctic (A) - formed over the Arctic - very cold - one letter from each category is combined to get a complete picture of each air mass - Example: mT (maritime tropical) meaning wet and warm canadian air mass cold/dry cold air mass starts north moves to south/east source region location where an air mass forms; must be a relatively large and uniform area mP Maritime Polar mT Maritime Tropical cP Continental Polar cT continental tropical Anticyclone (meteorology) winds spiraling outward from a high-pressure center Cyclone (meteorology) rapid inward circulation of air masses about a low-pressure center Front (meteorology) the atmospheric phenomenon created at the boundary between two different air masses Weather Fronts a boundary separating the two different air masses cumulus Clouds that form less than 2 kilometers above the ground and look like fluffy, rounded piles of cotton. stratus dark gray clouds that form a low layer and sometimes bring light rain or snow showers nimbostratus Clouds that are low-level, uniform layer, usually very dark, that bring strong precipitation. rain or snow cumulonimbus A type of cumulus cloud that is tall and gray, and associated with thunderstorms. cirro clouds that form at high altitudes with hairlike (cirroque curly que) Cold Front forms when cold air moves under warm air which is less dense and pushes air up (produces thunderstorms heavy rain or snow Warm Front a front where warm air moves over cold air and brings drizzly rain and then are followed by warm and clear weather Stationary Front a boundary between air masses that don't move possibly causing rain for several days Occluded Front (meteorology) a composite front when colder air surrounds a mass of warm air and forces it aloft Mid latitude cyclone an area of low pressure that is characterized by rotating wind that moves toward the rising air of the central low-pressure region; the motion is counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere noreaster an extremly large storm whose winds rotate from the northeast. It is a low pressure area whos center of rotation is just of the coast. seawater salt sodium chloride waves touch the bottom 1/2 wave length milibar millibar, unit of atmospheric pressure equal to one thousand dynes per square centimeter barograph An instrument that registers graphically and continuously the atmospheric pressure. mercurial barometer A tool used to measure air pressure. air pushes on mercury and the height of mercury determines preesur anamometer a instoment that messures wind speed 1013.25 millibars standard sea level 29.92 Standard sea level pressure in inches of mercury is equivalent