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1. the altitude at which relative humidity is 100 per cent, hence clouds form
2. the amount of energy entering a system, the amount leaving a system, and the transfer
of energy within it
3. the amount of incoming solar radiation (heat energy from the sun) that reaches the
earth's surface, varying with season and latitude, greatest at the equator
4. an anomalous warming of surface waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean linked
with climatic disturbances
5. the average weather conditions of a place or area over a period of years
6. a boundary between a warm air mass and a cold air mass, resulting in frontal
(depressional or cyclonic) rainfall)
7. caused by the air temperature falling below dew point, this refers to a cloud at ground
level that reduces visibility to 1 km or less composed of water vapor that has condensed
on particles of dust in the atmosphere
8. change in temperature of a parcel of air caused by its ascent or descent (i.e. there is
no external source of heating or cooling).
9. changes in climate that can occur naturally or as a result of human activity. Natural
variations are usually caused by fluctuations in the amount of solar radiation reaching the
Earth; for example, sunspot activity.
10. a climate characteristic of a continental area (i.e. a long way from the sea), having very
hot summers, very cold winters and low rainfall.
11. the climate of a small area, such as a woodland, lake or hedgerow, right up to the
climate associated with a town or city.
12. a colorless, odorless greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, and is slightly
soluble in water and denser than air.
13. the combined losses of transpiration and evaporation
14 the conversion and transfer of moisture in the atmosphere to the land, including all
forms of rainfall, snow, frost, hail and dew
15. deepwater ocean convection current that moves cold water at depth from polar areas
towards the equator, while at the same time transferring warm waters from tropical and
sub-tropical areas to the mid latitudes
16. the direction from which the wind most commonly blows in a locality
17. the direction in which a slope faces. In the northern hemisphere a slope with a
southerly _______ receives more sunshine than other slopes
18. an effect that causes anybody that moves freely with respect to the rotating Earth to
veer to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere
19. the emission of electromagnetic waves such as x-ray and short- and long- wave;
20. the expansion of ocean water as it warms, causing sea levels to rise
21. fog containing impurities, mainly nitrogen dioxides (NOx) from domestic fires,
industrial furnaces, power stations and internal-combustion engines
22. fog formed by warm air flowing over a cold surface, being chilled, reaching dew point, ,
and condensation taking place close to the ground's surface
23. fog that forms on clear, calm nights when the land surface loses heat rapidly (by
radiation); the air above is cooled to below its dew point and condensation takes place.
24. a form of precipitation in which separate drops of water fall to the earth's surface from
clouds. The drops are formed by the accumulation of fine droplets that condense from
water vapor in the air, usually caused by rising and subsequent cooling of air
25. gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and chlorofluorocarbons that
allow short-wave radiation from the Sun to pass through the atmosphere and heat up the
Earth, but trap an increasing proportion of out-going long-wave radiation
27. a group of chemicals containing chlorine, fluorine and carbon. They are important
greenhouse gases as well as having an impact on the stratospheric ozone layer which in
turn starts a chain reaction that leads to the destruction of ozone
28. a high-pressure system
29. a hydrocarbon gas produced during the decomposition of organic material under
anaerobic conditions. It is an important greenhouse gas, and its atmospheric
concentration is increasing as a result of land clearances and increasingly large
populations of cattle, pigs and sheep, as well as increases in rice cultivation
30. the increase in temperatures that are observed around a large town or city. The
difference in temperature is most pronounced during anticyclonic (high pressure)
conditions, when there are clear skies at night. The heat given off by the city's houses,
offices, factories and vehicles raises the temperature of the air by a few degrees
31. the increasing amount o greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of human
activities, and their impact on atmospheric systems, including global warming.
32. a large body of air with relatively similar temperature and humidity characteristics
33. the leeward side of a hill, which has a relatively light rainfall compared to the
windward s i d e
34. low cloud caused by the condensation of water vapor in the lower part of the
atmosphere, reducing visibility to 1-2 km
35. the measurement of height, usually given in meters above sea level, with higher areas
having lower temperatures and pressures than lower ones
36. a measure of the amount of moisture in the air, expressed as an absolute (g/m^3) or
relatively (% of maximum possible)
37. the mixture of gases, predominantly nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide and
water vapor, that surrounds the Earth
38. a model of the general circulation of atmosphere based on convection. In the most
simple case, cells of warm air rise at the equator and descend at the poles
39. narrow, fast-flowing currents of air found near the tropopause. The major ones are
meandering westerly winds, and the main ones in each hemisphere are the polar jets
40. the normal decline of temperature with altitude; usually about 6°/1000 m
41. the observed change of temperature caused by the air changing internally, i.e. by rising
and falling in height
42. the observed increase in temperatures around the world that has been noticed over
the last 50 years or so
43. occurs when the ELR (environmental lapse rate) is lower than the DALR (dry adiabatic
relapse rate) but higher than the SALR (saturated adiabatic lapse rate). The air is unstable on
the condition that dew point is reached, and it cools at the SALR
44. precipitation in the form of moisture that collects on the ground, forming after the
temperature of the ground has fallen below the ___ point of the air in contact with it. as
the temperature falls during the night, the air and its water vapor become chilled, and
condensation takes place on the cooled surfaces
45. pressure conditions where air is unable to rise above a low level; calm, dry conditions,
46. the process by which a liquid is transformed into a gas
47. the process by which certain gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and
chlorofluorocarbons) allow short-wave radiation from the Sun to pass though and heat up
the Earth, but trap an increasing proportion of out-going long-wave radiation
48. radiation from a relatively cold body, such as the earth (infra-red radiation is long-wave
radiation that humans perceive as heat)
49. radiation from a very hot body
50. rainfall associated with hot climates, usually also associated with a thunderstorm,
resulting from the rising of convection currents of warm air.
51. rainfall that occurs when an airstream is forced to rise over a mountain range. As air
rises, it becomes cooled, and the amount of moisture that the air can hold is reduced,
52. the rain formed when warm air is forced to rise over denser cold air when two different air
masses meet at a front
53. the rate of change of atmospheric factors (e.g. temperature and humidity) with altitude