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ESS Unit 4
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Altitude | The distance above earth |
| Density | how tightly packed the matter is how much mass per volume |
| Convection | movement of air where cold/dense air sinks and hot/low density air rises |
| Altitude and Density | In the troposphere, the higher the altitude, the lower the density |
| Altitude and Pressure | In the troposphere, the higher the altitude, the lower the air pressure |
| Altitude and Temperature | In the troposphere, the higher the altitude, the lower the temperature |
| Troposphere | The layer of the atmosphere closest to earth's surface |
| Stratosphere | The second layer of the atmosphere |
| Windspeed | the speed at which air moves. Measured in knots. |
| Hurricanes | a storm that begins in the warm ocean (also called cyclones and typhoons) |
| Eye of the storm | the center of a hurricane where there is little wind |
| Low air pressure | air above cold land where the molecules are close together |
| high air pressure | air above warm land where the molecules are spread out |
| cold front | when a cold air mass runs into a warm air mass. Can cause lots of precipitation and storms. The following air mass is colder and has lower humidity. |
| warm front | When a warm air mass runs into a cold air mass. Can cause precipitation. The following air mass is warmer and has higher humidity. |
| occluded front | When a warm air mass is squished between two cold air masses. |
| Stationary front | when a front stops moving because it hits a barrier or another front (usually causes fog and drizzle). This can cause precipitation for many days. |
| condensation | When water vapor turns into liquid water. It condenses. |
| atmosphere | mixture of gasses that surround the planet |
| Coriolis Effect | When the earth rotates, convections cells are created |
| temperature gradient | when temperature slowly changes over a distance |
| humidity | the amount of water vapor in the air |
| relative humidity | how much water vapor is the air compared to how much it could hold |
| dew point | the temperature where the air becomes saturated with water (has as much water as it can possibly hold) |
| Fog | a cloud near earth's surface |
| water vapor | water as a gas in the atmosphere |
| solar radiation | the light that reaches the earth from the sun |
| air mass | a large group of air with the same temperature and humidity |
| tropical storm | a small hurricane |
| Isotherms | lines on a weather map that show areas of equal temperatures |
| Isobars | lines on a weather map that show areas of equal pressure |
| Isotachs | lines on a weather map that show equal wind speed |
| barometer | a tool for measuring air pressure |
| weather radar | technology that collects data about humidity and moisture. This is used to predict storms and rainfall. |
| thunderstorms | storms that form when ground temperatures are high. They can form along a cold front. |
| lightning | energy released as electricity during a thunderstorm |
| thunder | formed as a result of air being warmed quickly around lightning |
| Tornadoes | Caused by severe thunderstorms as the thunderstorm rises and strong winds begin. |
| Cyclone | Huge storms of swirling winds. Much larger than a tornado. Tropical cyclones are hurricanes. Cold cyclones are called Nor-easterns. |
| Blizzards | large snowstorms with high winds |
| Lake-effect snow | Large amounts of snow that form when an air mass goes across a lake, picks up water, then drops it as snow on the shore. |
| Drought | A period of time with little rain |
| precipitation | rain/snow/sleet/etc. |
Created by:
mharms
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