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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Troposphere | Closest to Earth; where weather happens (clouds, rain); airplanes fly in the lower part. |
| Stratosphere | Contains the ozone layer; commercial jets sometimes cruise near its lower region; temperature increases with altitude here. |
| Mesosphere | Meteors burn up here; temperatures decrease with altitude. |
| Thermosphere | Auroras occur; very thin air; temperature increases with altitude; satellites begin to orbit in upper parts. |
| Exosphere | Outermost layer; very sparse gas; satellites orbit here. |
| Evaporation | Liquid water becomes water vapor. This process absorbs energy (heat from the Sun). |
| Transpiration | Water released from plants into the air; also absorbs energy (driven by heat for evaporation from leaves). |
| Condensation | Water vapor cools and forms droplets (clouds). Condensation releases energy into the atmosphere (latent heat). |
| Precipitation | Droplets fall as rain/snow due to gravity — this is driven by gravity. |
| Surface runoff and infiltration/percolation | Water moves across or into the ground; largely driven by gravity. |
| Sublimation | Solid (ice/snow) becomes water vapor, absorbs energy. |
| Warm surface currents: | Warm the air above them. Tend to make the coastal climate warmer and more humid (can make climates warm and wet or warm and dry depending on local conditions). |
| Cold surface currents | Cool the air above them. Tend to make coastal climates cooler and often drier (can create cooler and dry conditions, sometimes stable air and fog). |
| Barometer (measures air pressure) | Falling pressure often means stormy or unsettled weather is approaching. Rising pressure suggests calming/sunnier weather. Example: If pressure falls steadily through the afternoon, forecast likely: stormy or bad weather. |
| Relative humidity | High humidity (close to 100%) indicates air is nearly saturated — fog, dew, or precipitation likely. |
| Meteorologist duties | Collect and analyze data, use technology and observations to make weather predictions (choose answers about collecting/analyzing data and using technology and global patterns). |
| Cold front | A cold air mass runs into a warm air mass; cold air pushes under the warm air, forcing it up — often triggers thunderstorms and abrupt temperature drops. |
| Warm front | A warm air mass runs into a cold air mass; warm air rises over cooler air and brings gradual cloudiness and steady precipitation; temperature usually rises after it passes. |
| Stationary front | Neither air mass can move the other significantly; weather near a stationary front can remain cloudy and wet for days. |
| Occluded front | A warm air mass is caught between two colder air masses (a faster cold front overtakes a warm front), often producing complex weather. |
| Convection current | Warm air rises and cool air sinks — the pattern where warm air rises from the ground and cooler air moves in to replace it. The correct pattern shows warm air rising and cool air descending (choose the diagram showing warm air rises and cool air comes dow |
| Sea breeze (day) | Land heats more quickly, warm air rises over land; cooler air over the ocean moves toward land — breeze from sea to land. |