Download Unit 8 Vocabulary - Part 1 Atmosphere

Unit 8 Vocabulary - Part 1
1.
Atmosphere: the layer of gases
surrounding the Earth
2.
convection current: movements
caused by temperature changes in
liquid or gas. Oceans, storm clouds and
the earth’s crust are all affected by
convection currents.
3.
jet stream: a narrow band of high winds
located near the top of the troposphere
4.
humidity: the amount of water vapor in
the air
5.
psychrometer: a hygrometer consisting
of a wet-bulb and a dry-bulb
thermometer, the difference in the two
thermometer readings being used to
determine atmospheric humidity
6.
anemometer: a device used for
measuring wind speed
7.
prevailing winds: winds that blow
predominantly from a single general
direction over a particular point on the
Earth's surface.
8.
weather front: the boundary separating
two masses of air of different densities,
and is the principal cause of weather.
*List and describe the 3 kinds of fronts.
9.
air mass: a large area of air that has
uniform temperature, humidity, and
pressure. *What are 5 types of air
masses?
10.
air pressure: the pressure that a
column of air exerts on the air, or a
surface, below it