ABCs of MeteorologyBy; Ajani Altes

A

A is for anemometer which is a meteorological instrument that measures wind velocity or wind speed.

B

B is for barometer which is a instrument that is used to measure the amount of water vapor in the air.

C

C is for cloud condensation nuclei which is the very small particles that are in the air that contain water vapor that will condense and make a cloud of any kind.

D

D is for Doppler Radar which is a radar that identifies the intensity of water, falling rain, and air particles.

E

E is for El Nino ,a great warming of waters that are near the equator in the eastern part of the pacific ocean.

F

F is for Foehn wind also known Chinook Wind which is a European term that warm and goes downward.

G

G stands for Geostationary Satellite, a satellite that is put right over the equator rotates around the earth only 1 time every 24 hours but remains in the same place.

H

H stands for Hydrologic Cycle, the picture of the inside change of water between the earth, atmosphere, and the sea.

I

I is for the Iridescence which is the colorful patches of green and pink sometimes you see them near levels of high and medium clouds.

J

Jet Stream is the J letter a Jet Stream is a zone strong winds usually found in a narrow band higher level of the atmosphere and indicates storms.

K

K is for Knot which is used to measure the speed of wind. A knot =1.15 statue mph.

L

L is for Latent Heat which is the heat energy that has to b e absorbed in order to when a something to a solid to a liquid.

M

M is for Meteorology which is the study of weather. Meteorologists use special instruments that are very easy to break so meteorologists have to be very careful and they have to trained for a long time. A meteorologist has to go to school for 5-8 years until they graduate with a bachelors degree. Meteorologists make between $100,000 -$500,000.

N

N is for NOAA which stands for Natural Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration which is a parent agency that the National Weather Service owns in the Department of Commerce.

O

O is for Ozone which is a form of oxygen that is the location of where the molecule which is made of 3 atoms instead of the usual 2 atoms.

P

P is for Permafrost which is a soil layer that is below the surface of the tundra regions that will always be frozen.

Q

Q is for Quality of Snow, the amount of ice that is in a snow sample that is shown as a %.

R

R is for the Rawinsonde which is a “balloon” which is tracked by radar to measure the speed and direction of winds.

S

S is for Small Craft Advisory which is a advisory that marines issue for sustained winds a/o frequent gusts that are stronger than 20 knots. (stronger than 23 statue mph)

T

T is for Tidal Piling which happens when unusual high levels of water occur as the result.

U

U is for Unstable Air which can form clouds and rain when air rises easily.

V

V is for Vorticity which is the tendency of gas that is moving or a liquid that is moving that rotates around an axis.

W

W is for Wiresonde which is an atmosphere instrument used to obtain humidity and temperture.

X

X is for X-Band is a frequency band of microwave radiation that operate radars.

Y

Y is for Yellow Wind is a cold, strong, dry wind that comes from eastern Asia that blows across the land in the winter and carries a yellow dust along with it.

Z

Z is for Zigzag Lightning an ordinary lightning bolt that that goes from cloud to ground with discharge.

Bibliography

www. nw-weathernet.com/wx_terms.htm

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