Weather test

Atmosphere

The layer of gases surrounding the Earth.

Air Pressure

The force exerted by the weight of air in the atmosphere.

Altitude

The height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level.

Troposphere

The lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere where weather occurs.

Stratosphere

The layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere, where the ozone layer is located.

Mesosphere

The layer of the atmosphere above the stratosphere, where temperatures decrease with altitude.

Thermosphere

The uppermost layer of the atmosphere, characterized by high temperatures and low air density.

Greenhouse Effect

The warming that occurs when certain gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat.

Convection

The process by which heat is transferred by the movement of fluids such as air or water.

Coriolis Effect

The deflection of moving objects caused by the Earth's rotation.

Jet Stream

A fast flowing, narrow air current in the atmosphere.

Humidity

The amount of water vapor present in the air.

Precipitation

Any form of water, liquid or solid, that falls from clouds and reaches the ground.

Condensation

The process by which water vapor cools and changes into liquid water.

Evaporation

The process by which liquid water changes into water vapor.

Air Mass

A large body of air that has uniform temperature and moisture characteristics.

Front

The boundary between two air masses with different temperatures and humidity.

Tornado

A rapidly rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground.

Hurricane

A large tropical storm system characterized by strong wind and heavy rain.

air mass

a large body of air that has similar temperature and moisture throughout

air pressure

the measure of the force with which air molecules push on a surface

anemometer

a device used to measure wind speed.

atmosphere

a mixture of gases that surrounds a planet, such as Earth

barometer

an instrument used to measure air pressure

buoyancy

force of a fluid that pushes an object up

climate

the average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time

Coriolis effect

the curving of moving objects from a straight path due to the Earth's rotation

dew point

the temperature that air must cool in order for condensation (dew drops) to form

El Niño

periodic change in the location of warm and cool surface waters in the surface waters in the Pacific Ocean nearest the equator

front

the boundary that forms between two different air masses

global warming

a rise in average global temperatures

greenhouse effect

process by which heat is trapped by a planet's atmosphere and cannot return to space

humidity

the amount of water vapor (moisture) in the air

hurricane

a large, rotating tropical weather system with wind speeds at least 74 mph/119 km/h

ice age

a period during which ice collects in high latitudes (poles) and moves toward lower latitudes

isobars

lines that connect points of equal air pressure on a weather map

jet stream

narrow belts of high-speed winds that flow in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere which tend to influence weather patterns

lightning

the large electrical discharge that happens between two oppositely charged surfaces

meteorology

the study of the entire atmosphere

ozone

a gas molecule made of three oxygen atoms which absorb harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun

precipitation

solid or liquid water that falls from the air to the Earth

psychrometer

an instrument used to measure relative humidity

relative humidity

the amount of moisture the air contains compared to the amount it can hold at a certain temperature

station model

a small circle showing the location of a weather station along with a set of symbols and numbers surrounding it that represent weather data

storm surge

a local rise in sea level near the shore that is caused by strong winds from a storm, such as a hurricane

stratosphere

the atmospheric layer above the troposphere

thunder

the sound that results from the rapid thermal expansion of air along a lightning strike

tornado

a small, rotating column of air that has high wind speeds, low central pressure, and touches the ground

troposphere

the lowest layer of the atmosphere; where weather occurs

weather

the condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place

weather forecast

a prediction of future weather conditions over the next 3 to 5 days

wind

moving air