| A | B |
|---|
| acid rain | rain with a ph value of less than 5.6 the ph of natural rain. Often linked to the pollution associated with the burning of fossil fuels |
| adiabatic processes | changes of temperature within a gas because of compression (resulting in heating) or expansion (resulting in cooling); no heat is added or subtracted from outside |
| air mass | large portion of the atmosphere, sometimes subcontinental in size, that may move over earth’s surface as a distinct, relatively homogeneous entity |
| anticyclone | an area of high atmospheric pressure, also known as a high |
| atmospheric pressure (barometric pressure) | force per unit area that the atmosphere exerts on any surface at a particular elevation |
| Azores/Bermuda high | persistent , high atmospheric pressure center located in the subtropics of the north Atlantic Ocean. |
| Canadian high | high atmospheric pressure area that tends to develop over the central North American continent in winter |
| chinook/foehn winds | dry warm wind on the eastern slopes of the rocky mountains. Downslope wind on lee of mt. Range caused by adiabatic heating of descending air. |
| clouds | condensation around microscopic particles that are held aloft |
| Cirrus | high, detached clouds consisting of ice particles. White and feathery or fibrous in appearance |
| stratus | uniform layer of low sheet-like clouds, frequently grayish in appearance |
| cumulus | globular clouds, usually with a horizontal base and strong vertical development |
| cumulonimbus | towering rain-producing cloud with very strong convective uplift and a flat anvil-shaped top |
| condensation | vapor/gas to liquid |
| condensation nuclei | microscopic particles around which condensation takes place in the air |
| conventional lifting | air that is forced to rise as a result of surface heating |
| convergent wind circulation | pressure-and-wind system where the airflow is inward toward the center, where pressure is lowest |
| Coriolis effect | the effect of the earths rotation of freely moving bodies like wind and water currents |
| cyclone | region or center of low atmospheric pressure also known as a low. In N hemisphere air converges, rises, and circulates counterclockwise. In s hem it circulates clockwise |
| cyclonic lifting | happens when air is forced to rise in a low pressure system |
