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weather and climate
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| water cycle | the path that all water follows as it moves around Earth. |
| 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. |
| precipitation | Any form of water that falls to Earth's surface from the clouds |
| 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 to the amount of water vapor needed to reach saturation at a given time |
| dew point | at a constant pressure and water vapor contest, the rate of condensation equals the rate of evaporation. |
| 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 condenses of rain, strong winds, lightning, and thunder. |
| lightning | An electric discharge that takes place between two oppositely changed 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 . |
| sinkhole | a circular depression that forms when rock dissolves. |
| wildfire | an unplanned fire in land that is underdeveloped except for roads and power lines and other such structures. |
| muck fire | 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 . |
| topography | the size and shape of the land surface of a region. |
| elevation | the height of an object above sea level. |
| surface currents | A horizontal movement of ocean water that is caused by wind and that occur at or near the ocean's surface. |