Meteorology

#1
Coriolis Effect

objects in the northern hemisphere move to the right, and in the southern to the left

#2
Cyclones

centers of low pressure

#3
Anticyclones

centers of high pressure

#4
Trade Winds

winds in both hemispheres flowing toward the Equator between 30 & 0 latitude

#5
Westerlies

eastward moving streams of air in the middle of both hemispheres

#6
Polar Easterlies

global wind system that lies between 60 latitude & the poles

#7
Polar Front

a boundary between the cold air from a polar region and the warm air of lower latitudes

#8
Monsoons

the seasonal reversal of wind direction over large continents, such as Asia

#9
Prevailing Wind

wind that blows more often in one direction than any other

#10
El Nino

the periodic warming of the ocean that happens in the central & eastern Pacific

#11
La Nina

the cooling of the Pacific

#12
Humidity

the general amount of water vapor in the atmosphere

#13
Relative Humidity

a ratio that compares the mass of water vapor in the air with the mass of water vapor the air can hold

#14
Dew Point

temperature at which air is cool enough to reach saturation

#15
Bergeron Process

a theory that relates the formation of precipitation in supercooled clouds

#16
Collision-Coalescence Process

a theory of raindrop formation on warm clouds

#17
Troposphere

where all weather occurs

#18
Stratosphere

where the ozone layer is located

#19
Summer Solstice

June 21 or 22
longest day of the year

#20
Winter Solstice

December 21 or 22
shortest day of the year

#21
Spring Equinox

March 21 or 22

#22
Fall Equinox

September 22 or 23

#23
Conduction

direct transfer of energy from one substance to another

#24
Convection

transfer of energy in a fluid

#25
Radiation

the transfer of heat

#26
Albedo

the fraction of total radiation that is reflected by any surface