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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 |