Question | Answer |
this is the average weather conditions in an area over a long-period of time | climate |
the change of state from a gas to a liquid | condensation |
the boundary between air masses of different densities & usually different temperatures | front |
an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure | barometer |
a usually brief, heavy storm that consists of rain, strong winds, lightning,& thunder | thunderstorm |
the short-term state of the atmosphere, including temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind,& visibility | weather |
the amount of water vapor in the air | humidity |
a large body of air where temp. & moisture content are constant throughout | air mass |
winds that blow mainly from one direction during a given period | prevailing winds |
the height of an object above sea level | elevation |
any form of water that falls to Earth's surface from clouds | precipitation |
an area in the atmosphere that has lower pressure than the surrounding areas & has winds that spiral toward the center | cyclone |
a serve storm that develops over tropical oceans & whose strong winds of more than 120km/h spiral toward the intensely low pressure storm center | hurricane |
an instrument used to measure wind speed | anemometer |
the distance north or south from the equator | latitude |
the ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air to the about of water vapor needed to reach saturation at a given temperature | relative humidity |
the rotation of air around a high pressure center in the direction opposite to Earth's rotation | anticyclone |
a destructive, rotating column of air that has very high wind speeds, is visible as a funnel-shaped cloud,& touches the ground | tornado |
an instrument that measures & indicates temperature | thermometer |
a horizontal movement of ocean water that caused by wind & that occurs at or near the ocean's surface | surface current |
a collection of small water droplets or ice crystals suspend in the air, which forms when the air is cooled & condensation occurs | cloud |
an electric discharge that takes place between two oppositely charged surfaces, such as between a cloud & the ground, between two clouds, or between two parts of the same cloud | lightning |
the sound caused by the rapid expansion or air along an electrical strike | thunder |
a large region characterized by a specific type of climate & certain types of plant & animal communities | biome |