| A | B |
|---|
| Abyssal Plain | A large, flat, almost level area of the deep-ocean basin. |
| Continental Shelf | The gently sloping section of the continental margin located between the continental slope and the abyssal plain. |
| Continental Slope | The steeply inclined section of the continental margin located between the continental margin located between the shoreline and the continental slope. |
| Mid-Ocean Ridge | A long, undersea mountain chain that forms along the floor of the major oceans. |
| Ocean Trench | A steep and long depression in the deep-sea floor that runs parallel to a chain of volcanic island or a continental margin. |
| Coriolis Effect | The apparent curving path of a moving object from an otherwise straight path due to the earth's rotation. |
| Deep Current | A stream like movement of ocean water far below the surface. |
| El Nino | This periodic change in the location of warm and cool surface waters in the Pacific Ocean. |
| Surface Current | A horizontal movement of ocean water that is caused by wind and that occurs at or near the ocean's surface. |
| Tide | The periodic rise and fall of the water level in the oceans and other large bodies of water |
| Air Pressure | The measure of the force with which air molecules push on a surface. |
| Atmosphere | A mixture of gases that surrounds a planet or moon. |
| Global Wind | The combination of convection cells found at every 30 degrees of latitude and the Coriolis effect produces these patterns of air circulation. |
| Local Wind | Winds that generally move over short distances and can blow from any direction. |
| Wind | The movement of air caused by differences in air pressure. |
| Air Mass | A large body of air where temperature and moisture content are similar throughout. |
| Dew Point | The temperature at which a gas condense into a liquid. |
| Front | The boundary between air masses of different densities and usually different temperatures. |
| Humidity | The amount of water vapor in the air. |
| Weather | The short-term state of the atmosphere, including temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind, and visibility. |
| Climate | The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time. |
| Elevation | The height of an object above sea level. |
| Latitude | The distance north or south from the equator; expressed in degrees. |
| Microclimate | The climate of a small area. |
| Prevailing Winds | Winds that blow mainly from one direction during a given period. |
| Constellations | Sections of the sky that contain recognizable star patterns. |
| Day | The time required for Earth to rotate once on its axis. |
| Light-Year | A unit of length equal to the distance that light travels in 1 year. |
| Month | A division of the year that is based on the orbit of the moon around the Earth. |
| Year | The time required for the Earth to orbit once around the sun. |
| Big Bang Theory | The theory that the universe began with a tremendous explosion. |
| Black Hole | An object that is so massive that light cannot escape its gravity. |
| Galaxy | Large groups of stars, dust, and gas. |
| Main Sequence | The diagonal pattern on the H-R diagram where most stars lie. |
| Supernova | A gigantic explosion in which a massive star collapses and throws its outer layers into space. |
| Core | The central part of the Earth below the mantle. |
| Crust | The thin, outermost layer of the Earth. |
| Mantle | The layer beneath the crust. |
| Revolution | The spinning of a body, such as a planet, on its axis. |
| Rotation | One complete trip along an orbit. |
| Asteroid | Small, rocky bodies that revolve around the sun. |
| Comet | A small body of ice, rock, and cosmic dust loosely packed together. |
| Meteor | The bright streak of lighted caused by a meteoroid or comet dust burning up in the atmosphere. |
| Meteorite | A meteoroid that enters Earth's atmosphere and strikes the ground. |
| Meteoroid | A small, rocky body that revolves around the sun. |
