Earth
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Vocabulary
weather - what the lower atmosphere is like at any given time or place (air temperature, air pressure, amount of moisture in the air, wind, clouds and rain or snow)
climate - average weather pattern of a region often described simply with a temperature-precipitation graph
atmosphere - the air (blanket of gases) that surrounds the earth
troposphere - the layer of the atmosphere closest to earth’s surface (all weather happens in the troposphere)
latitude - an imaginary line that circles the Earth at a particular latitude and that is parallel to the equator
hemisphere - half of a sphere
altitude - measure of how high above or below sea level a place is (from sea level going up into the atmosphere)
temperature - a measurement of heat energy
thermometer - an instrument for measuring temperature
water vapor - water in the air in the form of a gas
humidity – that “amount” of water vapor in the air
fog - a cloud at ground level
wind - air that flows horizontally near the surface of the earth
wind direction – the direction from which the wind is blowing (a southeast wind means it is coming from the southeast going to the northwest)
prevailing winds - winds that blow in a particular direction
prevailing westerlies - the major wind pattern blowing generally from west to east at the middle latitudes (WE have winds that go West to East)
trade winds - winds that blow in an easterly direction near the equator
jet stream - a current of wind high in the atmosphere that is a boundary between large air masses. It blows west to east and holds the colder air up north and the warmer air to the south of it
convection cell - unequal heating and cooling of the air makes a pattern of rising air (warmer) and sinking air (cooler) creating wind
barometer - tool to measure air pressure
wind vane - an instrument for showing the direction of the wind
anemometer - a device that measures wind speed
rain gauge - an instrument used to measure precipitation
isobar – an imaginary line on a map connecting places with equal air pressure
cirrus clouds - form at very high levels our of ice crystals and have a wispy featherlike shape (looks like pulled cotton candy)
cumulonimbus clouds - very tall, darker clouds filled with moisture; usually bring thunderstorms
cumulus clouds - puffy clouds that appear to rise up from a flat bottom; fair weather
nimbostratus clouds - a low dark gray, blanket-like layer of cloud that usually produces rain or snow
stratus clouds - low blanket-like layers of clouds
air pressure – the force put on a given area by the weight of the air above it
low-pressure system - a pattern of air that usually means a storm will develop. In the northern hemisphere, these winds blow to the right in a counterclockwise direction
high-pressure system - a pattern of air that usually means fair weather. In the northern hemisphere these winds curve to the right in a clockwise pattern
air mass - large region of the atmosphere where the air has similar properties throughout
front - a boundary between air masses with different temperatures
cold front - cold air moves in under a warm air mass
warm front - warm air moves in over a cold air mass
tornado - violent whirling wind that moves across the ground in a narrow path
hurricane - very large, swirling storm with very low pressure at their center—form over warm, tropical oceans near the equator
storm surge - great rise of the sea along a shore associated with hurricanes-mainly caused by low air pressure
sea breeze - wind that blows from the sea to the land
land breeze - wind that blows from land to sea
gulf stream - a strong, fast moving, warm ocean current (in the water) that originates in the gulf of Mexico and flows around the Atlantic Ocean in the northern hemisphere.
La Nina - a cooling of the surface water of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, occurring every 4 -12 years causing unusual weather patterns. The cooler water brings drought to western S. America and drier, warmer weather to the southern United States.
El Nino - a warming of the surface water of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, occurring every 4-12 years causing unusual weather patterns. The warmer water brings heavy rains to western S. America, and wetter, cooler weather to the southern United States.
water cycle - continuous movement of water between earth’s surface and the air, changing from liquid to gas to liquid
evaporation - the slow changing of a liquid into a gas
condensation - changing of a gas into a liquid
precipitation - any form of water particles that falls from the atmosphere and reaches the ground (rain, snow, sleet, hail)
transpiration – the release of moisture into the air from plants
climate - average weather pattern of a region often described simply with a temperature-precipitation graph
atmosphere - the air (blanket of gases) that surrounds the earth
troposphere - the layer of the atmosphere closest to earth’s surface (all weather happens in the troposphere)
latitude - an imaginary line that circles the Earth at a particular latitude and that is parallel to the equator
hemisphere - half of a sphere
altitude - measure of how high above or below sea level a place is (from sea level going up into the atmosphere)
temperature - a measurement of heat energy
thermometer - an instrument for measuring temperature
water vapor - water in the air in the form of a gas
humidity – that “amount” of water vapor in the air
fog - a cloud at ground level
wind - air that flows horizontally near the surface of the earth
wind direction – the direction from which the wind is blowing (a southeast wind means it is coming from the southeast going to the northwest)
prevailing winds - winds that blow in a particular direction
prevailing westerlies - the major wind pattern blowing generally from west to east at the middle latitudes (WE have winds that go West to East)
trade winds - winds that blow in an easterly direction near the equator
jet stream - a current of wind high in the atmosphere that is a boundary between large air masses. It blows west to east and holds the colder air up north and the warmer air to the south of it
convection cell - unequal heating and cooling of the air makes a pattern of rising air (warmer) and sinking air (cooler) creating wind
barometer - tool to measure air pressure
wind vane - an instrument for showing the direction of the wind
anemometer - a device that measures wind speed
rain gauge - an instrument used to measure precipitation
isobar – an imaginary line on a map connecting places with equal air pressure
cirrus clouds - form at very high levels our of ice crystals and have a wispy featherlike shape (looks like pulled cotton candy)
cumulonimbus clouds - very tall, darker clouds filled with moisture; usually bring thunderstorms
cumulus clouds - puffy clouds that appear to rise up from a flat bottom; fair weather
nimbostratus clouds - a low dark gray, blanket-like layer of cloud that usually produces rain or snow
stratus clouds - low blanket-like layers of clouds
air pressure – the force put on a given area by the weight of the air above it
low-pressure system - a pattern of air that usually means a storm will develop. In the northern hemisphere, these winds blow to the right in a counterclockwise direction
high-pressure system - a pattern of air that usually means fair weather. In the northern hemisphere these winds curve to the right in a clockwise pattern
air mass - large region of the atmosphere where the air has similar properties throughout
front - a boundary between air masses with different temperatures
cold front - cold air moves in under a warm air mass
warm front - warm air moves in over a cold air mass
tornado - violent whirling wind that moves across the ground in a narrow path
hurricane - very large, swirling storm with very low pressure at their center—form over warm, tropical oceans near the equator
storm surge - great rise of the sea along a shore associated with hurricanes-mainly caused by low air pressure
sea breeze - wind that blows from the sea to the land
land breeze - wind that blows from land to sea
gulf stream - a strong, fast moving, warm ocean current (in the water) that originates in the gulf of Mexico and flows around the Atlantic Ocean in the northern hemisphere.
La Nina - a cooling of the surface water of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, occurring every 4 -12 years causing unusual weather patterns. The cooler water brings drought to western S. America and drier, warmer weather to the southern United States.
El Nino - a warming of the surface water of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, occurring every 4-12 years causing unusual weather patterns. The warmer water brings heavy rains to western S. America, and wetter, cooler weather to the southern United States.
water cycle - continuous movement of water between earth’s surface and the air, changing from liquid to gas to liquid
evaporation - the slow changing of a liquid into a gas
condensation - changing of a gas into a liquid
precipitation - any form of water particles that falls from the atmosphere and reaches the ground (rain, snow, sleet, hail)
transpiration – the release of moisture into the air from plants