Unit 8.3-8.4 Vocabulary Flashcards
Water cycle
The continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the earth
La Niña
A periodic change where below average ocean temps occur in the eastern Pacific Ocean
Continental polar
Air mass that forms over land near the poles and has cool, dry air
Maritime tropical
Air mass that forms over water near the tropics and brings warm, wet air
Maritime polar
Air mass that forms over water near the poles and brings wet, cold air
Meteorology
The study of weather and earths atmosphere
Seasons
Result from the yearly revolution of the earth around the sun as well as from the tilt of earths axis
Isobars
Lines on a weather map that are closed loops and connect areas of equal pressure
Atmosphere
The mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and other gases that surround the earth
Cold front
A fast moving cold air mass collides with a warm air mass pushing the mass air up, forming clouds, storms, and thunderstorms
Stationary front
Where a warm air mass and a cold air mass meet and neither have the energy to move the other out, clouds often form and may bring precipitation for many days
Precipitation
Water, in a solid or liquid form, that falls from the air to the earth, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail
Barometer
A tool that measures air pressure in millibars
Anemometer
A tool that measures wind speed
Sling psychrometer
A tool that measures relative humidity
Troposphere
The layer of earths atmosphere in which we live. As u move up through this layer of the atmosphere, wind speed increases, but temp and air pressure decrease
Condensation
The process by which gas becomes a liquid such as fog,dew, and clouds
Storm surge
A local rise in sea level near the shore that is caused by strong winds from a storm, such as a hurricane. It is the most destructive part of a hurricane
Flash flooding
Flooding caused by runoff from heavy rain due to strong thunderstorms
Evaporation
The process by which liquid near the surface becomes a gas such as water evaporating and becoming water vapor
Tornado
A small spinning column of air that has high wind speeds and that touches the ground
Weather
The short term state of the atmosphere at any given time or place
Jet stream
A narrow band of strong, fast moving winds high in the upper troposphere traveling west to east
Continental tropic
Air mass that forms over land near the tropics and had dry, warm air
