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Earth Science Vocabulary
First Nine Weeks
Unit 2 - Meteorology / Atmosphere - Key
Part I: Define the following terms
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1. cyanobacteria - blue green algae; a simple photosynthetic life
form that helped introduce oxygen into Earth’s ancient atmosphere
2. ozone - gas in Earth’s atmosphere formed when three atoms of
oxygen combine, absorbs ultraviolet radiation
3. wind - movement of air from an area of higher pressure to an area
of lower pressure
4. atmosphere - the blanket of air (mixture of gases) surrounding the
earth
5. clouds - fog, mist, or haze that forms at high altitudes
6. saturation value - the temperature at which the relative humidity is
100%, the air is saturated, and condensation occurs
7. nitrogen - the gas that makes up 78% of Earth's atmosphere
8. fronts - weather term for boundary between different air masses
9. air mass - a body of air that has the same properties as the region
over which it develops
10. photosynthesis - the process that plants use to make food,
using light, energy, carbon dioxide, and water
11. isobar - line on a weather map that connects locations with the
same air pressure
12. carbon dioxide - CO2; a gas that is naturally found in the air,
also comes from burning wood, from running vehicles on gasoline,
and from exhaling
13. isotherms - lines drawn to connect points of equal temperature
14. relative humidity - the actual amount of water vapor in the air
compared to the greatest amount the air can hold
15. convection - transfer of heat energy in a fluid (gas or liquid) by
means of currents
16. troposphere - the layer of the atmosphere closest to the earth’s surface
17. greenhouse effect - process in which carbon dioxide and other
gases in the atmosphere absorb infrared radiation from the sun,
forming a “heat blanket” around Earth
18. water vapor - the gaseous state of H2O
19. humidity - the amount of water vapor in the air
20. oxygen - the gas that makes up 21% of Earth's atmosphere
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