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Climate & Weather #1
Term | Definition |
---|---|
atmosphere | the envelope of gases that surrounds Earth |
ozone | molecule of three oxygen atoms instead of the usual two atoms |
air pressure | the result of a column of air pushing down on an area |
altitude | the distance above sea level |
barometer | instrument used to measure changes in air pressure |
thermosphere | the outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere; sunlight strikes here first |
mesosphere | the atmospheric layer immediately above the stratosphere; layer of meteor protection |
stratosphere | the second lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere; contains the ozone layer |
troposphere | the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere; the layer where weather occurs |
greenhouse effect | the process by which gases hold heat energy in a blanket of air around Earth |
wind | the horizontal movement of air from high pressure to low pressure areas |
local winds | winds that blow over short distances |
sea breeze | the flow of cooler air from over an ocean or lake toward land |
land breeze | the flow of air from land to a body of water |
global winds | winds that blow steadily from specific directions over long distances |
jet streams | bands of high speed west to east winds about 10 km above Earth's surface |