Vocab list 5

Question 1

Water vapor in the atmosphere

Answer 1

Humidity

Question 2

Low-altitude clouds that commonly have a top that resembles cotton balls and a dark bottom

Answer 2

Cumulus

Question 3

Feathery clouds that are composed of ice crystals and that have the highest altitude of any cloud in the sky

Answer 3

Cirrus

Question 4

High, dark storm clouds.

Answer 4

Cumulonimbus

Question 5

A thick, dark cloud that covers the sky and brings continuous, steady precipitation

Answer 5

Nimbostratus

Question 6

Clouds that have a flat, uniform base and that begin to form at very low altitudes

Answer 6

Stratus

Question 7

The boundary between two air masses with different temperatures and humidity levels, often leading to weather changes

Answer 7

Front

Question 8

A swirling mass of air or liquid, often associated with tornadoes or hurricanes

Answer 8

Vortex

Question 9

A scale used to measure the intensity of tornadoes

Answer 9

Fujita Scale

Question 10

A scale used to categorize hurricanes

Answer 10

Saffir-Simpson Scale

Question 11

A narrow band of strong winds that blow in the upper troposphere

Answer 11

Jet Stream

Question 12

The supercontinent that formed 300 million years ago and that began to break up 250 million years ago

Answer 12

Pangea

Question 13

Hypothesized continental drift; thought that all continents were part of a single landmass called a supercontinent

Answer 13

Alfred Wegener

Question 14

A measure of amount of salt in a liquid

Answer 14

Salinity

Question 15

An instrument used to measure relative humidity

Answer 15

Psychrometer

Question 16

The movement of deep, cold, and nutrient-rich water to the surface

Answer 16

Upwelling

Question 17

A horizontal movement of water in a well-defined pattern, such as a river or stream; the movement of air in a certain direction

Answer 17

current (water)

Question 18

A periodic occurrence in the eastern Pacific Ocean in which the surface-water temperature becomes unusually warm

Answer 18

El Nino

Question 19

A periodic occurrence in the eastern Pacific Ocean in which the surface-water temperature becomes unusually cold

Answer 19

La Nina

Question 20

Irregular current caused when water gets pulled back under itself due to gravity

Answer 20

Undertow

Question 21

A giant ocean wave that forms after a volcanic eruption, submarine earthquake, or landslide

Answer 21

Tsunami

Question 22

Tidal range is small; The moon and Sun are right angles to each other

Answer 22

Neap Tide

Question 23

Tidal range is largest during a new moon or full moon

Answer 23

Spring Tide

Question 24

The difference in levels of ocean water at high tide and low tide

Answer 24

Tidal Range

Question 25

Where the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere meet at the equator

Answer 25

Doldrums