Climate Change terms starting with M

42 terms

  1. Macroscale Large scale, characteristic of weather systems several hundred to several thousand kilometers in diameter.
  2. Magnetic pole Magnetic Pole Either of the two points on the Earth's surface at which magnetic meridians converge.
  3. Manure Dung and urine of animals that can be used as a form of organic fertilizer. See fertilizer, organic fertilizer.
  4. Marine climate Marine (maritime or oceanic) climate A climate dominated by the ocean. Because of the moderating effect of water, sites having this climate are considered…
  5. Mass balance The application of the principle of the conservation of matter.
  6. Mauna Loa An intermittently active volcano (elevation: 13,680 feet; 4,170 meters) on the island of Hawaii.
  7. Mechanism the means by which an effect or change is produced.
  8. melting layer The layer below the 0°C isotherm where snowflakes melt and turn into raindrops.
  9. Mercury Barometer An instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure. The instrument contains an evacuated and graduated glass tube in which mercury rises or falls as the…
  10. Meridional circulation Meridional circulation An atmospheric circulation in a vertical plane oriented along a meridian.
  11. Mesopause The top of the mesosphere, corresponding to the level of minimum temperature in the atmosphere found at 70 to 80 km.
  12. Mesoscale Size scale referring to weather systems smaller than synoptic-scale systems but larger than storm-scale systems.
  13. Mesosphere The atmospheric shell between about 20 km and about 70 to 80 km, extending from the top of the stratosphere (the stratopause) to the upper temperature…
  14. metadata Metadata is information about a particular data set which may describe, for example, how, when, and by whom it was received, created, accessed, and/or…
  15. metadata system (MDS) The components of the ARM data system that collect and report data stream metadata. Formerly known as the Site Ops Log.
  16. Meteorological element Meteorological element Any one of the properties or conditions of the atmosphere which together specify the weather at a given place for any particular…
  17. Meteorology The science dealing with the atmosphere and its phenomena. A distinction can be drawn between meteorology and climatology, the latter being primarily…
  18. Methane (CH4) A hydrocarbon that is a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential most recently estimated at 23 times that of carbon dioxide (CO2).
  19. Methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) A hydrocarbon that is a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential most recently estimated at 21.
  20. Methanol (CH<sub>3</sub>3OH) A colorless poisonous liquid with essentially no odor and little taste. It is the simplest alcohol with a boiling point of 64.7 degrees Celsius.
  21. Methanotrophic Having the biological capacity to oxidize methane to CO2 and water by metabolism under aerobic conditions. See aerobic.
  22. Methyl bromide (CH<sub>3</sub>Br) An effective pesticide; used to fumigate soil and many agricultural products. Because it contains bromine, it depletes stratospheric ozone when released…
  23. Metric Ton (or tonne) 1000 kilograms. 1 metric ton = 2,204.62 lb = 1.023 short tons.
  24. Microburst A convective downdraft with an affected outflow area of less than 2½ miles wide and peak winds lasting less than 5 minutes.
  25. Microscale Pertaining to meteorological phenomena, such as wind circulations or cloud patterns, that are less than 2 km in horizontal extent.
  26. microwave radiation Electromagnetic radiation generally in the frequency range between 300 MHz and 300 GHz (wavelengths between 1mm and 1m).
  27. Middle-level clouds Middle-level clouds (Ac and As) Altocumulus and Altostratus are the middle-level clouds.
  28. Millibar A unit of atmospheric pressure equal to 1/1000 bar, or 1000 dynes per square centimeter.
  29. Mineral A nutrient required to maintain health.
  30. Mixed Layer An atmospheric layer, usually the layer immediately above the ground, in which pollutants are well mixed by convective or shear-produced turbulence.
  31. Mixed Precipitation Any of the following combinations of freezing and frozen precipitation: snow and sleet, snow and freezing rain, or sleet alone. Rain may also be present.
  32. Mixing Ratio The ratio of the weight of water vapor in a specified volume (such as an air parcel) to the weight of dry air in that same volume.
  33. Mobile Facility The ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) was first deployed in 2005; it consists of large shipping containers converted into laboratories.
  34. model See Exhibit.
  35. Model year Refers to the "sales" model year; for example, vehicles sold during the period from October 1 to the next September 31 is considered one model year.
  36. moist adiabatic lapse rate (MALR) The rate at which the temperature of a parcel of saturated air decreases as the parcel is lifted in the atmosphere.
  37. Molecule The smallest particle of a substance that has all of the physical and chemical properties of that substance. Molecules are made up of one or more atoms.
  38. Monsoon A thermally driven wind arising from differential heating between a land mass and the adjacent ocean that reverses its direction seasonally.
  39. Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer The Montreal Protocol and its amendments control the phaseout of ozone depleting substances production and use.
  40. Motor gasoline A complex mixture of relatively volatile hydrocarbons, with or without small quantities of additives, obtained by blending appropriate refinery streams to…
  41. Mount Pinatubo A volcano in the Philippine Islands that erupted in 1991. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo ejected enough particulate and sulfate aerosol matter into the…
  42. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Waste material from households and businesses in a community that is not regulated as hazardous.