Science tests (Words 1 - 20) Flashcards
(20 cards)
Altitude
Elevation above sea level
Air Mass
A body of air that has about the same temperature and moisture throughout
Prevailing westerlies
Winds that blow from west to east in the middle of the latitudes
Jet Stream
Bands of high-speed winds about 10 kilometers above earth’s surface
Front
The boundary where unlike air masses meet but do not mix
Evaporation
The process by which molecules at the surface of a liquid absorb enough energy through the vacuum of space
Air pressure
The pressure caused by the weight of a column of air pushing down on an area
Precipitation
Any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches earth’s surface
Water Cycle
The continual movement of water among Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, and land surface through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation
Condensation
The change in state from a gas to a liquid
Wind
The horizontal movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of lower pressure
Humidity
The amount of water vapor in a given volume of air
Atmosphere
The relatively thin layer of gases that forms earth’s outermost layer
Relative Humidity
The percentage of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor that air can contain at a particular temperature
Dew point
The temperature at which condensation begins
Cold Front
an advancing edge of a cold air mass
Warm Front
an advancing edge of a warm air mass
Occluded Front
A warm air mass pushes into a colder air mass (the warm front), and then another cold air mass pushes into the warm air mass (the cold front).
Stationary Front
When a warm air mass and a cold air mass meet.
Cyclone
When warm, moist air over the ocean rises up from the surface
