| GLOSSARY |
Our comprehensive earth science glossary is available to assist in your understanding of the MY NASA DATA microsets, lesson plans and computer tools. Please select the first letter of the word you wish to check for a definition and further information. |
| H |
| Hadley Cell: |
| a major Earth atmospheric circulation pattern that consists of rising air at or near the Equator and sinking air at or near 30 degress north or south of the Equator.
More information on atmospheric circulation
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Image courtesy NASA |
| H |
| heat: |
| The energy transferred from one body or system to another as a result of a difference in temperature.
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| H |
| high clouds: |
| We define clouds using three broad altitude ranges, and the various cloud types are assigned to one of these ranges. For satellite observations, some measure of the cloud's altitude (often cloud top or effective cloud height) is used to place the cloud into an altitude range. The satellite does not have the qualitative information to pick a cloud type.
Information on cloud types and levels from the S'COOL Project.
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Image courtesy The S'COOL Project |
| H |
| horizontal resolution: |
| indicates the horizontal distance between data point measurements or increments with respect to the Earth's surface (said to be coarse resolution if data points are farther apart or grid boxes are larger, said to be fine if data points are closer together or grid boxes are smaller).
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| H |
| human-made aerosols: |
| Human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels and vegetation and the alteration of natural surface cover, generate aerosols. Averaged over the globe, aerosols made by human activities are currently estimated to account for about 10 percent of the total amount of aerosols in our atmosphere. The concentration of aerosols is highest in the northern hemisphere where industrial activity is centered.
NASA Aerosols Fact Sheet
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| H |
| humidity: |
| a measure of moisture (water vapor) in the atmosphere.
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| H |
| hydrocarbon: |
| An organic compound made of the elements hydrogen and carbon. Examples are methane (CH4), propane (C3H8).
The Molecularium Project
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