Download Atmosphere Vocabulary

Unit 6: Atmosphere
Part 1
1. Ozone - a form of oxygen that combines
three oxygen atoms into each molecule (O3)
2. Troposphere - the bottom layer (closest to
the Earth), where weather occurs
3. Stratosphere - above the troposphere, where
the ozone is found
4.) Mesosphere - the third layer, above the
stratosphere, temperature is going to decrease.
5.) Thermosphere - a layer that contains only a tiny
fraction of the atmosphere’s mass
6.) Heat - the energy transferred from one object to
another because of a difference in their
temperatures.
7.) Temperature - a measure of the average kinetic
energy of motion.
8.) Conduction - the transfer of heat through matter
by molecular activity, TOUCH!
9.) Convection - the transfer of heat by mass
movement or circulation within a substance
10.) Radiation - travels in all directions, can travel
through the vacuum of space
11.) Greenhouse Effect - the heating of Earth’s
surface and atmosphere from solar radiation being
absorbed and emitted by the atmosphere, mainly
by water vapor and carbon dioxide.
12.) Albedo - the fraction of total radiation that is
reflected by any surface
13.) Isotherm - lines that connect points that have
the same temperature
14.) Precipitation - any form of water that falls from
a cloud
15.) Latent Heat - the energy absorbed or released
during a change in state, hidden
16.) Evaporation - the process of changing liquid to
a gas
17.) Condensation - where water vapor changes to
a liquid state
18.) Humidity - the amount of water vapor in the air
19.) Saturated - the state of air that contains the
maximum quantity of water vapor that it can hold at any
given temperature and pressure
20.) Relative Humidity - a ration of the air’s actual watervapor content compared with the amount of water vapor
air can hold at that temperature and pressure.
21.) Dew Point - the temperature to which a parcel of air
would need to be cooled to reach saturation.
22.) Orographic Lifting - when elevated terrains, such as
mountains, act as barriers to airflow this occurs.
23.) Front - when masses of warm air and cold air collide
this is produced
24.) Temperature Inversion - a layer of limited depth in
the atmosphere if limited depth where the temperature
increases rather than decreases with height
25.) Condensation Nuclei - tiny bits of
particulate matter that serves as surfaces on
which water vapor condenses.
Atmosphere Vocabulary
Part 2
1.) Air Pressure – The force exerted by the
weight of a column of air above a given point
2.) Pressure Gradient – the spacing of isobars
that indicated the amount of pressure changes
that occur over a given distance.
3.) Coriolis Effect – describes how the Earth’s
rotation affects moving objects.
4.) Jet Stream – fast-moving rivers of air
5.) Cyclone – a low pressure center
characterized by a counterclockwise flow of air
in the Northern Hemisphere
6.) Anticyclone – a high pressure center
characterized by a clockwise flow of air in the
Northern Hemisphere
7.) Trade Winds – two belts of wind that blow
almost constantly from easterly directions.
8.) Westerlies – travels towards the poles, and
generate these prevailing winds.
9.) Monsoon – Seasonal changes in wind
direction
10.) Prevailing Wind – when the wind constantly
blows more often from one direction than from
any other
11.) El Nino – The name given to the periodic
warming of the ocean that occurs in the central
and eastern Pacific, can cause extreme weather
in many parts of the world.
12.) La Nina – the opposite of El Nino,
atmospheric phenomenon, surface
temperatures in the eastern Pacific are colder
than average
13.) Barometer – an instrument that measures
atmospheric pressure
14.) Polar Easterlies – in the global pattern of
prevailing winds, winds that blow
15.) Polar Front – the stormy frontal zone
separating cold air masses of polar origin from
warm air masses of tropical origin
Part 3
1.) Air Mass – an immense body of air that is
characterized by similar temperatures and
amounts of moisture at any given altitude.
2.) Front – When two air masses meet, a
boundary that separates two air masses
3.) Warm Front – forms when warm air moves
into an area formerly covered by cooler air
4.) Cold Front – forms when cold, dense air
moves into a region occupied by warmer air
5.) Stationary Front – the surface position of the
front does not moves
6.) Occluded Front – when an active cold front
overtakes a warm front.
7.) Thunderstorm – a storm that generates
lightning and thunder.
8.) Tornado – violent windstorms that take the
form of a rotating column of air called a vortex.
9.) Hurricane – Whirling tropical cyclones that
produce winds.
10.) Storm Surge – a dome of water that sweeps
across the coast where a hurricane’s eye moves
onto land.
11.) Global Warming – A result of increases in
carbon dioxide levels.