| A | B |
|---|
| condensation | process where water vapor turns back into a liquid |
| evaporation | process by which water enters the atmosphere |
| air pressure | the force of air pressing down on earth's surface |
| barometer | an instrument used to measure air pressure |
| humidity | the amount of moisture in the air |
| relative humidity | the amount of moisture the air holds in relation to how much it can hold at a given temperature |
| precipitation | water that falls back to the earth |
| front | the boundary where two air masses meet |
| airmass | a large body of air |
| cirrus cloud | feathery clouds also known as mares tails |
| cumulus cloud | thick,, white, fluffy clouds that usually accompany fair weather |
| stratus cloud | smooth,grey clouds that cover the whole sky and block out the sun |
| fog | very low stratus clouds that nearly touch earth's surface |
| snow | water vapor that turns directly into a solid |
| hail | small balls or chunks of ice that fall from the atmosphere |
| sleet | small ice pellets formed when water droplets pass through an extremely cold layer of air |
| green house effect | the process of trapping heat in the atmosphere |
| thermometer | an instrument used to measure temperature |
| land breeze | flow of air from land to sea. (Off shore breeze) |
| sea breeze | flow of air from sea to land |
| atmosphere | the collection of gasses that surrounds the earth |
| climate | the general weather conditions of an area over a long period of time |
| ozone | a form of oxygen molecule that abosorbs ultraviolent radiation from the sun |
| tropical zone | wam climate zone located between 30 degrees latitude and the equator |
| polar zone | generally cold climate zone located between 60 and 90 degrees latitude |
| temperate zone | moderate temperature zone located between 30 and 60 degrees latitude |
| latitude | distance north and south of the equator |
| global winds | blow from one direction and cover longer distances |
| local winds | blow from any direction and cover short distances |
| jet streams | a narrow belt of high speed, high pressure winds that blow from west to east |
