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Weather and Climate
Vocabulary
Water Cycle –Continuous movement of water between
Earth’s surface and the air, changing from liquid to gas to liquid
Groundwater - Water seeps into spaces between bits of
rocks and soil (underground) until it is blocked by a kind of rock that is so tightly
packed the water cannot pass.
Water table - When the ground water that is blocked begins
to back up and fill in all the spaces between the bits rocks and soil above.
Reservoirs- Storage areas for
freshwater supplies
Atmosphere-The air that surrounds the Earth. Reaches from
Earth’s surface to the edge of space. All life exists within the Troposphere.
Air pressure -
The force put on a given area by the weight of the
air above it. As altitude increases, air pressure decreases (there is less air above,
therefore less pressure). The more water there is in the atmosphere the lower the air
pressure(water molecules are lighter than the molecules that make up air) . The colder
the air the higher the air pressure will be (cold air matter is packed tightly together in a
ball, while warm air matter is spread out )
Weather -
What the lower atmosphere or troposphere is like at any given
time or place. Conditions that make up weather: air temperature, air pressure, amount of
moisture in the air, wind, clouds and rain or snow
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Current conditions as of 1:53 PM EDT
Sunny
Feels Like:
76 °F
Barometer:
30.14 in and falling
Humidity:
65 %
Visibility:
10 mi
Dewpoint:
63 °F
Wind:
SW 8 mph
UV Index:
8
UV Description:
Very High
Barometer-Tool to measure air
pressure
Water Vapor - Water in the air-in the form of a gas.
Water vapor is invisible, colorless, odorless, and tasteless
Humidity - Amount of water vapor in the air. Measured
using a hygrometer. Warm temperatures combined with high humidity,
lead to us sweating a lot during the summer.
Evaporation-Changing of a liquid into
a gas. Takes lots of energy from the Sun. The water molecules absorb
the Sun’s energy and speed up causing them to change from liquid to gas.
Precipitation-Any form of water particles that falls
from the atmosphere and reaches the ground.
Rain, Snow, Sleet and Hail
Temperature- Steadily decreases with altitude in the
troposphere. Measure with a thermometer
Condensation-Changing of a gas into a liquid. When air is
cooled, molecules in the air slow down-water molecules slow down also-form
water droplets and stick together
Run-off - Precipitation that flows across the land’s surface
or falls into rivers and streams
All clouds form in the troposphere. Stratus clouds-Form in blanket-like layers. Cumulus
clouds- Puffy clouds that appear to rise up from a flat bottom Cirrus clouds -Form at
very high levels out of ice crystals and have a wispy featherlike shape. Nimbo & nimbus
are added to a cloud’s name if rain or snow fall from that loud Fog- cloud at ground level
Cumulonimbus clouds – Vertically forming clouds that result in thunderstorms
Stratus clouds
Cumulus Clouds – Puffy like cotton
– Fair weather clouds (Sunshine)
Cirrus – Wispy, feather like, form high in the sky and made from ice
crystals. Fair (Sunny)weather clouds. May indicate that unsettled weather is a
day or two away.
Cumulonimbus Clouds – (Thunderheads or
Anvilheads) – Vertically forming clouds that result in thunderstorms
Fog – Clouds at ground level. Caused by the layer of air above
the ground being cooler than the air at ground level
Wind-Flow of air that moves horizontally. Air flows from areas of higher
pressure to areas of lower pressure. Air that rises=updraft Air that
sinks=downdraft
Wind direction -The direction from
which the wind is blowing.
Air mass - Large region of the atmosphere where the air
has similar properties throughout
Front - When air masses of different temperature meet they
form a boundary called a front. Weather changes rapidly with
fronts.The front marks the leading edge or front of an air mass that is
moving into an area where another air mass is moving out
Cold front Cold air moves in under a warm air mass pushing the
warm air up creating clouds. Often bring brief, heavy storms-afterwards skies
are clearer and the weather is usually cooler and drier
Stationary Front
Two fronts meet and neither is strong
enough to push the other out. Results in extended periods of precipitation
.
Occluded Front Two cold air masses squeeze a
warm air mass creating strong updrafts resulting in thunderstorms
Warm front- Warm air moves in over a cold air mass.
Often brings light, steady precipitation.
Thunderstorm- Starts when intense heating causes air to
rise very quickly-- Most common kind of storm, form in clouds called
thunderheads. Lightning and thunder, heavy rain and strong winds
Tornado- Violent whirling wind that moves across
the ground in a narrow path
Hurricane- Very large, swirling storms with very
low pressure at their center—form over tropical oceans
near the equator. Hurricanes that affect the east coast of
the United States form off the coast of Africa.
Storm Surge - Great rise of the sea along a shore
associated with hurricanes-mainly caused by low air pressure. Cause
the most destruction
Latitude-Measure of how far north or south a place is from the
equator. Temperatures are different at different latitudes: tropical zone,
temperate zones, polar zones. Equator – hot, North and South Poles
– cold
Altitude - Measure of how high above sea level a place is.
The higher a place is above sea level, the cooler its climate is. The
beach is at sea level.
Weather Instruments
• Thermometer Used to measure
temperature
• AnemometerUsed to measure wind
speed
• HygrometerUsed to measure humidity
• Weather/Wind VaneUsed to measure
wind direction
• BarometerUsed to measure air pressure
• Rain GaugeUsed to measure rainfall
Sea Breeze –
Winds go from the ocean toward land during the
day. Cool air (High Pressure) over the water sinks replacing the rising warm air (Low
Pressure) over land
Land Breeze
– Winds go from land toward
the sea at night. Cool air over land sinks and moves over the water to replace warm
rising air.
Transpiration – The process by which
plants give off water into the atmosphere.
Mountain and Valley Breeze –
During the day mountain air warms and rises and is replaced by cooler
air from the valley – Valley Breeze blows up the mountain. At night ,
mountain air cools and sinks creating a mountain breeze down the
the mountain.
Weather
• What is happening in the troposphere
today.
Climate
• Average weather pattern of a region.
Determined by weather conditions as
observed or a long period of time.
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