Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
weather vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Thermal Energy | Sum of the kinetic energy and the potential energy of the particles that make up the object |
| Energy | The ability to do work |
| Convection | The movement caused within a fluid by the tendency of hotter and therefore less dense material to rise, and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat. |
| Jet Stream | A narrow variable band of very strong predominantly westerly air currents encircling the globe several miles above the earth. |
| Coriolis Effect | An effect whereby a mass moving in a rotating system experiences a force (the Coriolis force ) acting perpendicular to the direction of motion and to the axis of rotation. |
| Global Winds | Winds that occur in belts that go all around the planet |
| Trade Winds | Air currents closer to Earth's surface that blow from east to west near the equator. |
| Westerlies | Wind blowing from the west. |
| Polar Easterlies | Dry, cold prevailing winds that blow from the east. |
| Doldrums | A belt around the Earth extending approximately five degrees north and south of the equator. |
| Horse Latitudes | Subtropical regions known for calm winds and little precipitation. |
| Sea Breeze | A breeze blowing toward the land from the sea. |
| Land Breeze | A breeze blowing toward the sea from the land |
| Atmosphere | Gases surrounding the earth or other planets. |
| Troposphere | The lowest region of the atmosphere, extending from the earth's surface to a height of about 3.7–6.2 miles (6–10 km), which is the lower boundary of the stratosphere. |
| Stratosphere | The layer of the earth's atmosphere above the troposphere, extending to about 32 miles (50 km) above the earth's surface (the lower boundary of the mesosphere). |
| Mesosphere | The region of the earth's atmosphere above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere, between about 30 and 50 miles (50 and 80 km) in altitude. |
| Thermosphere | The region of the atmosphere above the mesosphere and below the height at which the atmosphere ceases to have the properties of a continuous medium. The thermosphere is characterized throughout by an increase in temperature with height. |
| Exosphere | The outermost region of a planet's atmosphere. |
| Oxygen | A colorless, odorless reactive gas, the chemical element of atomic number 8 and the life-supporting component of the air. |
| Nitrogen | A colorless tasteless odorless element that occurs as a gas which makes up 78 percent of the atmosphere and that forms a part of all living tissues. |
| Argon | The chemical element of atomic number 18, an inert gaseous element of the noble gas group. Argon is the most common noble gas, making up nearly one percent of the earth's atmosphere. |
| Trace Gases | Gases that are present in small amounts within an environment such as a planet's atmosphere. |
| Water Vapor | The gaseous phase of water. |
| Air Pressure | The force exerted on a surface by the air above it as gravity pulls it to Earth. |
| Mercury Barometer | An instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure in a certain location. |
| Aneroid Barometer | A device for measuring atmospheric pressure without the use of fluids. |
| Low Pressure | Something has a lower pressure at its center than the areas around it. |
| High Pressure | Something has a higher pressure at its center than the areas around it. |
| Water Cycle | the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth's oceans, atmosphere, and land, involving precipitation as rain and snow, drainage in streams and rivers, and return to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration. |
| Evaporate | turn from liquid into vapor. |
| Condensation | water which collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it. |
| Runoff | the draining away of water |
| Meteorologist | an expert in or student of meteorology; a weather forecaster. |
| Cirrus | cloud forming wispy filamentous tufted streaks (“mare's tails”) at high altitude, usually 16,500–45,000 feet (5–13 km) |
| Stratus | cloud forming a continuous horizontal gray sheet, often with rain or snow. |
| Nimbus | a large gray rain cloud. |
| Cumulus | cloud forming rounded masses heaped on each other above a flat base at fairly low altitude. |
| Air Mass | a body of air with horizontally uniform temperature, humidity, and pressure. |
| Weather | the state of the atmosphere at a place and time |
| Climate | the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period. |
| Forecast | a prediction or estimate of future events, especially coming weather or a financial trend. |
| Temperature | the degree or intensity of heat present in a substance or object, especially as expressed according to a comparative scale and shown by a thermometer or perceived by touch. |
| Front | a weather system that is the boundary separating two different types of air. |
| Humidity | atmospheric moisture. |
| High Pressure System | higher pressure at its center than the areas around it. |
| Low Pressure System | lower pressure at its center than the areas around it. |
| Storms | a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow. |
| Precipitation | the action or process of precipitating a substance from a solution. |
| Tornado | a mobile, destructive vortex of violently rotating winds having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud and advancing beneath a large storm system. |
| Thunderstorm | a storm with thunder and lightning and typically also heavy rain or hail. |
| Hurricane | a storm with a violent wind, in particular a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean. |
| Flood | an overflowing of a large amount of water beyond its normal confines, especially over what is normally dry land. |
| Winter Storms | a combination of heavy snow, blowing snow and/or dangerous wind chills. |
| Cumulonimbus Clouds | menacing looking multi-level clouds, extending high into the sky in towers or plumes. |
Created by:
user-1738025
Popular Science sets