Definitions

Anomalies

Variations from an average or other statistical reference value

Bimodal

Having two peaks (or modes)

Buoyant

As the air is heated it expands, becoming less dense than the air above it.

Convection

The transfer of energy by moving the heated molecule from one place to another – also the rising of heated air which forms cumuliform clouds and results in precipitation

El Niño

Spanish for "The Boy Child", a reference to the birth of Jesus Christ

Infrared

Wavelength of radiation longer than visible light and associated with the "heat" given off by a body

Moche

A pre-Colombian civilization in northern Peru that existed from about 100 to 800 A.D.

Paleoclimate Proxy Data

Climate information from before the invention of atmospheric monitoring instruments and derived from known chemical and bioliogical indicators in layers of glacial ice, corals, sea floor sediments, tree rings, etc.

pre-Colombian

Referring to South and Central America in the period of time before European influence

Pressure Gradient

The change in air pressure over a distance. A stronger gradient results in faster airflow from high to low pressure.

Sea Level Barometric Pressure

The force exerted by the atmosphere at sea level (zero meters elevation) as measured by a barometer

Standardized

Adjusted so values from samples with different properties can be compared to each other

Thermal Expansion

Heating an uncontained fluid or gas results in an increase in its volume as it attempts to maintain a constant pressure. In the ocean, since only the surface is unbounded, the expansion increases the sea level.

Thermocline

A zone beneath the ocean surface at which the surface water transitions to deep water, and a marked decrease in water temperature occurs. In both the surface (or mixed) layer and in the deep water, temperature is relatively constant with depth. Within the thermocline, water temperature quickly decreases from surface water temperature to deep water temperature.

Trade Winds

Winds in the tropics generally flow in an east to west direction (easterlies). So called because their consistency facilitated transoceanic sailing and commerce.