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weather & climate :)
unit 11
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| water cycle | the continuous movement of water between the atmosphere, the land, the oceans, and living things |
| evaporation | the change of state from a liquid to a gas |
| transpiration | the process by which plants release water vapor into the air through stomata; also the release of water vapor into the air by other organisms |
| sublimation | the process in which a solid changes directly into a gas |
| condensation | the change of state from a gas to a liquid |
| precipition | any form of water that falls to Earth’s surface from the clouds; includes rain, snow, sleet, and hail |
| weather | the short-term state of the atmosphere, including temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind, and visibility |
| humidity | the amount of water vapor in the air |
| relative humidity | the ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air to the amount of water vapor needed to reach saturation at a given temperature |
| dew point | at constant pressure and water vapor content, the temperature at which the rate of condensation equals the rate of evaporation |
| precipitation | any form of water that falls to Earth’s surface from the clouds; includes rain, snow, sleet, and hail |
| air pressure | the measure of the force with which air molecules push on a surface |
| wind | the movement of air caused by differences in air pressure |
| visibility | the distance at which a given standard object can be seen and identified with the unaided eye |
| air mass | a large body of air throughout which temperature and moisture content are similar |
| front | the boundary between air masses of different densities and usually different temperatures |
| jet stream | a narrow band of strong winds that blow in the upper troposphere |
| thunderstorm | a usually brief, heavy storm that consists of rain, strong winds, lightning, and thunder |
| lighting | an electric discharge that takes place between two oppositely charged surfaces, such as between a cloud and the ground, between two clouds, or between two parts of the same cloud |
| thunder | the sound caused by the rapid expansion of air along an electrical strike |
| hurricane | a severe storm that develops over tropical oceans and whose strong winds of more than 119 km/h spiral in toward the intensely low-pressure storm center |
| storm surge | a local rise in sea level near the shore that is caused by strong winds from a storm, such as those from a hurricane |
| tornado | a destructive, rotating column of air that has very high wind speeds and that may be visible as a funnel-shaped cloud |
| sinkhole | a circular depression that forms when rock dissolves, when overlying sediment fills an existing cavity, or when the roof of an underground cavern or mine collapses |
| wildfire | an unplanned fire in land that is undeveloped except for roads and power lines and other such structures |
| muckfire | a fire that burns organic material in the soil |
| climate | the weather conditions in an area over a long period of time |
| latitude | the angular distance north or south from the equator; expressed in degrees |
| topography | the size and shape of the land surface features of a region, including its relief |
| elevation | the height of an object above sea level |
| surface currents | a horizontal movement of ocean water that is caused by wind and that occurs at or near the ocean’s surface |