Term | Definition |
Atmosphere | the mixture of gasses that sorounds the air |
Air pressure | the measure of the force with which particles in the air push on an area of a surface |
troposphere | lowest layer of the atmosphere |
stratosphere | layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere |
mesosphere | layer above the stratosphere |
ionosphere | layer above the mesosphere |
exosphere | layer above the ionosphere |
thermosphere | outermost layer of the atmosphere |
ozone layer | the area of the stratosphere with lots of ozone |
greenhouse effect | when gasses in the atmosphere absorb and give off infared radiation |
temperature | a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles |
thermal energy | total kinetic energy of particles |
thermal expansion | the increase in volume that results from an increase in temperature |
heat | the energy that is transferred between two objects that are at different temperatures |
radiation | the transfer of energy through electromagnetic waves |
convection | the transfer of energy due to the movement of matter |
conduction | the transfer of energy through direct contact |
wind | the movement of air caused by differences in air pressure |
Coriolis effect | the apparent curving of the path of a moving object from an otherwise straight path due to earth's rotation. |
jet stream | narrow belts of high speed winds that blow west to east, between 7 km and 16 km above earths surface |
local wind | the movement of air over short distances |
sea breeze | a cool breeze coming off the sea |
land breeze | when wind blows from the land to the water |
mountain breeze | when wind goes down into a valley |
valley breeze | when a breeze goes out from a valley |
global wind | pressure belts every 30 degrees of latitude and the Coriolis effect produces patterns of calm areas of wind |
trade wind | this brings cold air to warmer parts |
westerlies | wind travelling from west to east |
plolar easterlies | wind travelling from east to west in the polar region |
doldrum | trade winds from both hemispheres |
horse latitudes | when air stops moving and sinks |
weather | the condition of earth's atmosphere at a given time and place |
humidity | the amount of water vapor in the air |
relative humidity | the water vapor in the air compared to the needed water vapor to reach saturation |
dew point | when more condensation than evaporation occures |
precipitation | ant form of water that falls to earth |
cirrus | cloud forming wispy streaks at low altitude |
cumulus | a cloud forming surrounded masses heaped on each other at a low altitude |
stratus | a cloud forming a continuous horizontal gray sheet, often with rain or snow |
air pressure (density) | force of air's molecules pushing on an area |
high pressure system | a condition of the atmosphere in which the pressure is above average |
low pressure system | when the pressure is below average |
air mass | a body of air with horizontally uniform temperature, humidity, and pressure |
front | the boundary between two air masses that have different temperatures or humidity |
warm front | when warm air masses follows a warm air mass |
cold front | when cold air pushes warm air up |
stationary front | when a warm/cold front stays still |
occulded | to force air upward from earths surface |
evaporation | when liquid water turns into water vapor |
condensation | the change of state from a gas to a liquid |
runoff | streams, rivers, and the water that flows over land |