Desalination – Getting fresh water from sea water. Water Cycle -- The continuous movement of water between Earth’s surface and the air, changing from liquid to gas to liquidWater Cycle Evaporation – the slow changing of a liquid into a gas Condensation – the changing of a gas into a liquid Precipitation – any form of water particles that fall from the atmosphere and reaches the ground Water Vapor – water in the form of a gas

Groundwater – precipitation that seeps into the ground and is stored in tiny holes, or pores in soil and rocks. Aquifer – an underground layer of rock or soil filled with water Water Table – the top of the water-filled spaces in the ground Spring – a place where groundwater seeps out of the ground Reservoir – a storage area for fresh water supplies Well – a hole dug below the water table that water seeps into Water Cycle Jump

AtmosphereAtmosphere – the blanket of gases that surrounds Earth TroposphereTroposphere – the layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth Insolation – Incoming SOLar RadiaTION; the amount of the Sun’s energy that reaches Earth at a given time and place.

Air Pressure Air Pressure – The force put on a given area by the weight of the air above it. Isobar – a line on a weather map connecting places with equal air pressure Barometer – a device for measuring air pressure

WindWind – air that moves horizontally Sea Breeze – wind that blows from the sea to land Land Breeze – wind that blows from the land to sea Coriolis Effect – the curving of the path of a moving object caused by Earth’s rotation

ConvectionConvection – the flow of heat through a liquid or a gas, causing the hot parts to and cooler parts to risesink. Convection Cell – a circular pattern of air rising, air sinking, and wind. Air Mass – a large region of the atmosphere where the air has similar properties throughout Front – a boundary between air masses with different temperatures Cold Front – a front where cold air moves in under a warm air mass Warm Front – a front where warm air moves in over a cold air mass

Thunderstorm – the most common severe storm, formed in cumulonimbus clouds Tornado – a violent, whirling wind that moves across the ground in a narrow path

Hurricane – a very large, swirling storm with very low pressure at the center Storm Surge – a great rise of the sea along a shore caused by low air pressure.

Weather – what the lower atmosphere is like at any given place and time. Climate – the average weather pattern of a region Humidity – the amount of water vapor in the air Relative Humidity – a comparison between how much water vapor is in the air and how much the air could hold at a given temperature if it were full