Key Climate Terms and Definitions: A Comprehensive Glossary
Climate: Key Terms and Definitions
Anticyclone
Anticyclone: An atmospheric center of action with a pressure greater than 1013 mbar, which is the mean pressure at sea level.
Aridity
Aridity: Synonymous with scarcity, defined as water shortages resulting from the relationship between rainfall, vegetation, and temperature.
Cierzo
Cierzo: A local term in the Ebro Valley for a northwest wind with a cold, gusty, and dry character. It is channeled through the valley, reaching great speeds.
Jet Stream
Jet stream: Powerful air currents that flow through the boundary of the troposphere. These winds flow from west to east at an altitude of approximately 9000 meters, with speeds ranging from 150 to 600 km/h.
Cyclone
Cyclone: A center of action with an atmospheric pressure lower than 1013 mbar, which is the mean pressure at sea level.
Evapotranspiration
Evapotranspiration: Loss of surface moisture due to evaporation and transpiration of living beings, especially plants.
Polar Front
Polar front: The interface between two air masses with different characteristics: warm and cold, dry and humid. In this case, it refers to the contact between the cold polar air mass and the tropical air mass. The greater the contrast, the more powerful the front.
Cold Droplet
Cold droplet: A cold air mass that slips from the polar front and falls at high speed towards warmer latitudes. The temperature contrast gives rise to significant convective processes that lead to abundant rainfall, sometimes causing disasters. The greater the thermal difference between the two air masses, the more intense the event. Common in the Mediterranean.
Heat Stroke
Heat stroke: The duration of sunshine; the amount of direct solar radiation incident per unit area, expressed as the number of hours of sunlight reaching the ground.
Isobar
Isobar: An imaginary line on a weather map connecting points of equal pressure, measured at sea level. A set of isobars represents pressure changes.
Isotherm
Isotherm: An imaginary line joining points on temperature maps, representing either an average or a specific time.
Isohyet
Isohyet: An imaginary line on a map joining points of equal precipitation.
Convection Rain
Convection rain: Precipitation due to convection movements in the atmosphere. These are caused by local overheating of air masses, leading to their elevation. As the air rises, it carries water vapor from ground level, expands, and cools. At a certain height, the water vapor condenses, forming cumulus clouds that cause precipitation.
Air Mass
Air mass: A nearly homogeneous portion of the atmosphere with a large lateral extension and strong horizontal uniformity of humidity, temperature, and pressure. These characteristics are acquired through prolonged contact with their place or region of origin.
Solana
Solana: Temperate areas on a hill or mountain slope facing south in the Northern Hemisphere (and north in the Southern Hemisphere). Characterized by high insolation and the resulting heat buildup.
Downwind
Downwind: Slopes protected from the dominant wind, generally drier and with a greater thermal amplitude than the windward slope. It is usually drier due to the Foehn effect.
Umbria
Umbria: The shaded side of a hill or mountain slope, exposed to the north. It is almost always in shadow, often colder and more humid than the sunny side.
Weather
Weather: The state of the atmosphere at a precise moment in a particular location. It is defined by the values of different weather elements: temperature, precipitation, wind, sunshine, etc.