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Science Weather
UNit 3 Weather
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Map | a flat, 2-dimensional drawing of land and water |
Globe | a spherical scale model of the Earth |
latitude | geographic coordinate that specifies the north or south of the Equator |
longitude | distance measured in degrees east or west from an imaginary line(called the prime meridian) that goes from the North Pole to the South Pole and that passes through Greenwich, England |
hemisphere | A circle drawn around the Earth that divides it into two equal halves |
Weather | the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, and precipitation |
Climate | the average weather conditions in an area over a long period |
atmosphere | The envelope of gases surrounding the earth |
cirrus | White wispy clouds that form at high altitudes and are always made of ice crystals. |
cumulus | air weather clouds with white puffy tops and dark flat bottoms |
stratus | lowest clouds that cover the sky like a thick gray blanket. |
nimbus | precipitating cloud, such as nimbostratus or cumulonimbus cloud. |
cumulonimbus | a huge vertical cloud that can produce a thunderstorm |
land breeze | a breeze blowing toward the sea from the land, especially at night, because the sea is warmer than the land. |
sea breeze | a breeze blowing toward the land from the sea , especially during the day, because land is cooler than the sea. |
precipitation | water that falls to the Earth’s surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. |
evaporation | the process of changing from a liquid to a gas |
condensation | the process of changing from a gas to a liquid |
jet stream | a steady worldwide wind that blows from west to east high above Earth |
gulf stream | a warm current that starts near the equator and moves from Florida all the way to Iceland |
air mass | a large “bubble” of air that has about the same temperature and humidity throughout it |
la nina | unusual warming or cooling of the seawater in the Pacific Ocean |
temperature | the average speed of the particles in a substance |
air pressure | the weight of the air pushing on everything around it |
humidty | water vapor in the air |
thermometer | a tool that measures temperature |
barometer | a weather instrument that measures air pressure |
anemometer | a weather instrument that measures wind speed |
wind vane | a weather instrument that shows the direction the wind is coming from |
rain gauge | a weather instrument that measures rainfall |
front | a place where one air mass meets and pushes aside another air mass |
hurricane | a very large and violent tropical storm |