| A | B |
|---|
| acid precipitation | rain, hail, sleet, or snow that contains acidifying pollution such as: sulfer dioxide and nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere |
| altitude | elevation above sea level |
| aneroid barometer | an instrument that measures changes in air pressure through the shape change of a metal coil |
| atmosphere | the mixture of gases that surrounds the earth in different layers with different properties |
| aurora borealis | a colorful, glowing display in the sky caused when particles from the sun strike oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the Earth's ionosphere; also called the northern lights |
| barometer | an instrument used to measure changes in air pressure |
| density | the amount of mass in a given space; mass per unit of volume (D=M/V) |
| exosphere | the outer layer of the thermosphere- extending outward into space; least dense |
| ionopshere | the lower part of the thermosphere, where electrically charged particles called ions are found that absorb harmful solar wind particle (make auroras) |
| mercury barometer | an instrument that measures changes in air pressure, consisting of a glass tube part filled with mercury, with its open end resting in a dish of mercury. Air pressure pushing on the mercury in the dish forces the mercury in the tibe higher |
| ozone | a form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of the usual two |
| photochemical smog | a brownish haze that is a mixture of ozone and other chemicals, formed when nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and other pollutants react with one aother in the presence of sunlight |
| pollution | harmful substances in the air, water, or soil |
| pressure | the amount of force pushing on a surface or area |
| temperature inversion | when the normal gradient of temperature is inverted; resulting in lower temperatures nearer the surface and higher temperatures above. This can cause smog from cities to linger over the city or nearby area. |
| water vapor | the invisible, gaseous form of water |
| weather | the condition of Earth's lower atmosphere at a particular time or place |
| primary pollutants | pollutants that are put into the air by humans or by natural events |
| Polar Easterlies | Prevailing winds that blow from east to west between 60 and 90 degrees latitude in both hemispheres |
| Coriolis effect | The apparent curving of moving objects from a straight path due to Earth's rotation |
| Pressure Belts | Bands of high or low pressure that are found at about every 30 degrees of latitude. |
| Jet Stream | Narrow belts of high-speed winds that blow in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere |
| Secondary Pollutants | Pollutants that form when primary pollutants react with other primary pollutants or with naturally occurring substance like air |
| Trade Winds | Winds that blow from 30 degrees almost to the equator |
| doldrums | areas of low pressure caused by rising air in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Very little wind |
| sunlight | the primary source of heating and energy for Earth |
| + Ozone Layer | A layer of ozone in the stratosphere that blocks harmful radiation |
| + Troposphere | the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, where weather occurs and temperatures decrease as altitude increases; contains weather |
| + Stratosphere | the second-lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere; the ozone layer is located in the upper stratosphere, the temperature increases as altitude increases |
| + Mesosphere | the middle layer of Earth's atmosphere; the layer in which most meteoroids burn up, coldest- gets colder as altitude increases |
| + Thermosphere | the uppermost layer of Earth's atmosphere in which temperature increases as altitude increases |
| + Greenhouse Gases | Gases that help to trap heat in Earth's atmosphere such as CO2, CH4, and H2O |
| + Carbon Dioxide (CO2) | One of the greenhouse gases, created by animals at normal levels, and created by burning fossil fuels at dangerous levels |
| + Methane (CH4) | Created by decaying material and is present in fossil fuels in enormous amounts; a powerful greenhouse gas |
| + Conduction | the transfer of heat energy through a material due to contact |
| + Convection | the transfer of heat energy through the circulation of molecules of liquid or gas |
| + Radiation | electromagnetic energy that can travel through a vacuum such as space. |
| + Local Winds | Winds that are formed due to unequal heating of local areas such as seabreeze/landbreeze and mountain/valley breezes |
| + Global Winds | winds caused by convection cells and the coriolis effect that affect large areas of the globe |
| + Air Pressure | the measure of the force that is the result of the weight of a column of air molecules pushing down on a surface |
| + Weather Fronts | The boundary along which different air masses meet; typically causes precipitation and sometimes causes severe storms and high winds |
| + Air Masses | Giant areas of moving air that has similar temperatures and humidity levels |
| + High Pressure | Atmospheric pressure that is higher than average- indicates clear skies and fair weather |
| + Low Pressure | Atmospheric pressure is lover than average- indicates oncoming rain or severe weather |
| + Evaporation | Water changes from liquid to gas and rises into the atmosphere |
