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Atmosphere / Winds
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Percent of Gases in the atmosphere | 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 1% trace gases |
Land breeze | Warm air rises over the sea and cool moves in from the land |
Sea breeze | Warm air rises over the land and cool air moves in from the sea or other large body of water |
Easterlies | Prevailing wind blowing east to west 60-90 degrees north and south latitudes (the polar regions). |
Westerlies | Prevailing wind blowing west to east 30-60 degrees north and south latitudes (temperate regions). Westerlies move weather west to east in the US. |
Trade winds | Prevailing wind blowing east to west 0 to 30 degrees north and south latitudes (the tropical regions). |
Coriolis effect | The way the spinning of the Earth causes global winds to curve |
Jet streams | A fast moving ribbon of air moving from west to east in the northern hemisphere, moving air masses and weather in its path |
Troposphere | Closest to Earth. Provides essential gasses to support life. Weather and clouds form here. Temperature decreases as altitude increases |
Stratosphere | Second layer. Contains ozone which absorbs and provides protection from harmful ultra violet radiation. As a result, temperature increases as altitude increases. |
Mesosphere | The coldest layer of the atmosphere. Meteors usually burn up here due to increased friction. |
Thermosphere | Hottest layer of the atmosphere. Satellites and space shuttles orbit here. Ionosphere sends radio signals. Exosphere is on the edge of outer space. |
Atmosphere | A thin layer of gas that surrounds the Earth |
Air pressure | Earth's gravity forces air to the surface, causing air to be packed tighter. Air pressure decreases as altitude increases. |
Wind | Usually the horizontal movement of air caused by a difference of air pressure. |
Temperature | A measure of the average kinetic energy of a substance |