| A | B |
|---|
| Gases in the Atmosphere | Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, Water Vapor, Trace Gases |
| Ozone Layer | Shields Earth from harmful UV rays |
| Troposphere | Lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere where most weather occurs and temperature normally decreases with height |
| Stratosphere | Layer above the troposphere which is rich in ozone and temperature increases with height |
| Temperature Inversion | When temperature increases with height in the atmosphere |
| Mesosphere | Third level of the atmosphere |
| Thermosphere | Fourth layer of the atmosphere |
| Greenhouse Effect | Atmospheric warming involving heat absorption by trace gases such as carbon dioxide and water vapor |
| Latent Heat | Energy used to melt snow or evaporate water |
| Two basic types of Clouds | Cumulus (puffy) and Stratus (flat) |
| Global Water Cycle | Precipitation, Runoff, Storage, Evaporation |
| Atmospheric Pressure | Always decreases with altitude |
| Westerlies | Winds that blow from the west in the middle latitudes |
| Trade Winds | Winds that blow from the east in the tropics |
| Factors that produce winds | Unequal heating between the equator and poles, Rotation of Earth |
| Jet Streams | High-speed, powerful air currents that affect many weather processes, such as the development of storms |
| Subtropical Highs | Relatively stable belts of high pressure near latitudes of 30 degrees; Calm winds and clear skies |
| Sub-Polar Lows | A disturbance that moves with the jet streams; Rainfall and storms |
| Weather Fronts | Zones in which air masses interact,; associated with low pressure systems |
| Warm Front | Warm air rises gently above cold air, forming fog and rain |
| Cold Front | Cold air pushes the warm air aloft in a random and chaotic fashion, which produces showers and thunderstorms |
| Thunderstorms | Formed from cumulonimbus clouds and unstable air |
| Downdraft | Sinking current of cold air after a thunderstorm |
| Squall | When a downdraft hits the suface with a particularly strong force, and spreads out in a series of windy gusts |
| Downburst | When a downdraft hits the ground and burts outward in all directions |
| Tornado | Intense, short-lived, localized storms in the mid-latitudes |
| Hurricane | Tropical storm that covers vast areas and lasts for days |
