Meteorology Vocabulary

• 1. Relative Humidity: The % of water vapor the air is holding compared to how much it can hold.

• 2. Water Vapor: Water that is held in the air in a gaseous state.

• 3. Dew Point: The temperature that water in the air condenses and becomes liquid.

• Solar Radiation: All the energy coming from the Sun, the electromagnetic spectrum.

• Radioactive Decay: The spontaneous breaking down of atoms resulting in a release of energy.

4. Greenhouse Effect: Certain gasses like CO2 trap heat. This is why Venus is hotter than Mercury.

5. Fossil Fuel: Gasoline, Oil, & Natural Gas. We burn these for energy. They come from prehistoric organisms. (Animals & Plants)

• 6. Convection: The transfer of heat by the fluid movement of air or water.

• 7. Radiation: The transfer of heat by waves.

• 8. Conduction: The transfer of heat by direct contact.

9. Atmospheric Absorption: Smaller molecules (oxygen & Nitrogen) absorb short wavelengths of solar radiation. Larger molecules (water vapor & carbon dioxide) absorb longer wavelengths.

• 10. Photosynthesis: Plants convert CO2 + H2O into Oxygen +

Sugar. 6CO2 + 6 H2O = C6H12O6 (Sugar) + 6O2

(Oxygen)

•11. Weather: The condition of the atmosphere at the present time.

•12. Climate: The 30 year average of weather for a specific place on Earth.

• 13. ENSO (El’ Nino Southern Oscillation): Ocean water gets heated up more then usual, causing extra evaporation

• 14. Ozone: A gas made of 3 oxygen atoms. In the Stratosphere, it absorbs Ultraviolet Radiation. In the Troposphere, it is pollution.

O3 = Ozone

• 15. Temperature Inversion: The air near the ground is usually warmer. If the air above us warms(inversion), it can trap pollutants and cause bad air days.

16. Renewable Resource

•A resource that will never run out or can be replenished over a short time.