Glossary |
Select a letter from the index given below,
to be shown those glossary items which begin with the same letter.
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L |
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Land Breeze |
A local offshore wind. At night, when the land cools more quickly,
and to a greater extent, than the sea, the land breeze circulation is set up.
Cooler air from the land flows offshore to replace the warm air rising over the sea.
The air in contact with the sea warms and expands and the resulting changes in the
pressure and temperature differences and distributions cause the land breeze circulation. |
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La Niņa |
The extensive cooling of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. In Australia
(particularly eastern Australia), La Niņa events are associated with increased
probability of wetter conditions. Click here for more
information. |
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Lightning |
The flash of light accompanying a sudden electrical discharge which takes
place from or inside a cloud, or less often from high structures or the ground or
from mountains. A large electrical spark.
Caused when the negative charge in the lower part of the cloud and the positive
charge in the upper part of the cloud become so great that they can overcome
the natural resistance of the air and discharge between negative and
positive takes place. |
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Low latitudes |
The southern hemisphere low-latitudes are considered to be the
areas of the Earth north of about 30 degrees latitude. For
Australia, this means the area north of a line from halfway between
Perth and Geraldton (in Western Australia) to Bourke (in New South Wales).
This part of Australia generally experiences a subtropical to tropical
climate. |
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Low pressure |
Atmospheric circulations that rotate clockwise in the southern hemisphere.
Cyclones are areas of lower pressure and generally associated with stronger
winds, unsettled conditions, cloudiness and rainfall. |
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