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Unit 11 Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| water cycle | The continuous movement of water between the atomsphere,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 the 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 Earths surface from the clouds;includes rain,snow,sleet,and hail. |
| weather | The short-term state of the atomsphere,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 of 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. |
| 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 trosposhere. |
| thunderstorm | A usually brief,heavy storm that consists of rain,strong winds,lighting,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 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 overlaying sediment fills an existing cavity, or when the roof of an underground cavern of mine collapses |
| wildfire | An unplanned fire in land that is undeveloped except for roads and power lines and other such structures |
| muck fire | A fire that burns organic material in the soil |