What is the answer to… These fun and exciting vocabulary terms from Science Unit B????

Layer of air that surrounds earth

Atmosphere

The weight of particles of air pressing down on the Earth’s surface

Air Pressure:

Layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth

Troposphere :

Second layer of the atmosphere; contains ozone

Stratosphere

The condition of the atmosphere at any moment

Weather

Measure of the amount of water in the air

Humidity

Any form of water that falls from the clouds such as rain, sleet, snow or hail

Precipitation

Process by which a liquid changes into a gas:

Evaporation

Process by which a gas changes into a liquid:

Condensation

The cycle in which Earth’s water moves through the environment:

Water Cycle

Process by which plants give off water through their stomata:

Transpiration

Winds dependant upon local changes in temperature:

Local Winds

Global winds that blow constantly from the same direction:

Prevailing Winds

Huge body of air which has the same general properties as the land or water over which it forms:

Air Mass

The border where two air masses meet:

Front

Very strong storm with a lot of rain, thunder, lightning and sometimes hail:

Thunderstorm

Large spiraling storm system with winds that exceed 119 km/hr:

Hurricane

Stage of hurricane development when the winds of a tropical depression reach a constant speed of 63 km/hr (39 mph):

Tropical Storm

An intense windstorm that often forms within a severe thunderstorm:

Tornado

Prediction of what the weather will be like in the future:

Forecast

Arrangement of symbols and numbers that show the weather conditions recorded at a weather station:

Station Model

Map that includes station model symbols and information about fronts and about centers of high pressure and low pressure:

Surface Map

Balloon released into the atmosphere that carries a package of instruments to record data about temperature, air pressure, and humidity:

Weather Balloon

Map that shows data about recent weather conditions across a large area:

Weather Map

Average of all weather conditions through all seasons over a period of time:

Climate:

Climate of a very small area:

Microclimate

Short-term climate change that occurs every 2-10 years:

El Nino

Process by which the Earth’s atmosphere absorbs heat from the sun:

Greenhouse Effect

Rise in Earth’s average temperature due to an increase in carbon dioxide:

Global Warming

To travel in a closed path around an object:

Revolve

Path one body in space takes as it revolves around another body, such as Earth as it revolves around the sun:

Orbit

The spinning of Earth or any object on its axis:

Rotate

Imaginary line that passes through Earth’s center and its North and South poles:

Axis

Passing of one object through the shadow of another object:

Eclipse

Instrument that magnifies distant objects, or makes them appear larger:

Telescope

A natural body, like the moon, or an artificial that orbits another object:

Satellite

A robot vehicle used to explore deep space:

Space Probe

Visible surface of the sun:

Photosphere

The sun’s atmosphere:

Corona

Dark (cooler) area on the photosphere of the sun:

Sunspot

Brief burst of energy from the sun’s photosphere:

Solar Flare

Fast-moving stream of particles thrown into space by a solar flare:

Solar Wind

Group of objects in space that move around a central star:

Solar System

Large object that moves around a star:

Planet

Small rocky objects that move around the sun:

Asteroids

Small mass of dust that orbits the sun in a long, oval-shaped path:

Comet

Law that states that all objects in the universe are attracted to all other objects :

Law of Universal Gravitation