| Term | Definition |
|---|
| acid rain | rain that has become acidic after contact with certain atmospheric gases (primarily sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides) |
| afforestation | process of establishing a forest |
| air mass | a large body of air all of similar temperature and humidity |
| air pressure | barometric pressure; weight of the atmosphere at a particular point of interest |
| anomaly 1 | unusual temperature or precipitation for a given region over a specified period. Also see anomaly 2 (Orbital Mechanics section) |
| anticyclone | high pressure area with counterclockwise winds in the Southern Hemisphere and clockwise winds in the Northern Hemisphere |
| Atmospheric Infrared Sounder | advanced sounding instrument designed to retrieve vertical temperature and moisture profiles in the troposphere and stratosphere achieving a temperature retrieval accuracy of 1 degree C with a 1 km vertical resolution. It has been selected to be onboard the EOS-PM1 a remote sensing satellite to take orbit in the year 2000 |
| atmospheric pressure | force exerted on a surface area, created by the weight of air above it |
| blizzard | severe weather in which there is low temperatures, strong winds and heavy amounts of snow falling or blowing |
| climate | average meteorological conditions in a certain area over a certain period |
| convection | the process in which cool air delves down, while warmer air rises to the top. The warm air usually cools in the cooler, higher sections of the atmosphere and again begins to return back down. Local breezes, wind and even thunderstorms are a result of convection |
| cryosphere | a component of the Earth's system that is frozen water; the forms include: snow, permafrost, floating ice, and glaciers. The cryosphere component is directly related to ocean sea-level, therefore is indirectly related to changes in the atmosphere and biosphere |
| dew | condensed moisture (water vapor), appearing as small drops on a cool surface; usually occurs after or during a very warm day |
| doldrums | area near equator that experiences low pressures and light shifting winds |
| Doppler radar | weather radar system that employs the apparent shift in frequency of radio waves to perceive air motion and consequently predict tornadoes and precipitation sooner than previous radars, as well as measure the speed and direction of rain and ice |
| eclipse | solar=partial to total darkening of sun due to moon coming between Earth and sun, lunar=partial to total darkening due to Earth casting its shadow on a full moon |
| evaporation | the process by which an element changes phase from a liquid to a gas; the opposite of condensation |
| exosphere | the outer-most layer of the Earth's atmosphere (500 to 1000km above surface); the only part of the atmosphere where an appreciable amount of atmospheric gases escape the Earth |
| front | boundary that defines two separate air masses; where two different air masses collide, sometimes resulting in severe weather changes |
| glacier | a large mass of ice (at least .1km^2) set in motion by the Earth's gravity, which is a result of accumulated snowfall with little snow melt |
| hail | precipitation composed of chunks of ice that form atop cumulonimbus clouds and fall as soon as they become too heavy for the cloud updrafts to hold |
| hurricanes | tropical storms with winds exceeding 74 mph originating over the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans near high humidity and light winds. One well known characteristic of a hurricane is it's eye, which is generally about 5 to 25 miles in diameter and in which are present calm conditions, with clear skies and light winds. Hurricanes can move rather quickly losing intensity as soon as land is encountered, but not without having created very high tides and possibly massive destruction |
| monsoon | season of wind originating from the Indian Ocean and southern Asia, these winds are usually accompanied by heavy rains |
| precipitation | rain, drizzle and other forms of moisture falling from clouds. Raindrops form around particles of dust or salt, join other water droplets or ice droplets and fall when sufficently heavy in the from of liquid or ice, depending on the quantity of collected ice crystals |
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