Properties of Air
This is a mixture of gaseous elements and compounds, including nitrogen, oxygen, and trace elements.
What is AIR?
What is the TROPOSPHERE?
This type of precipitation falls when the temperature of the air between the cloud and the ground is above freezing—that is, higher than 0℃.
What is RAIN?
This is what happens when warm and humid air masses produce heavy rain, lightning, and strong winds.
What is a THUNDERSTORM?
This huge body of air has similar temperature, humidity, and air pressure at any given height.
What is an AIR MASS?
This element makes up the largest portion of the air we breathe.
What is NITROGEN?
This layer of the atmosphere includes naturally-occurring ozone, which helps shield the Earth from ultraviolet radiation.
What is the STRATOSPHERE?
This precipitation occurs when ice crystals form high up in a cloud, and the air between the cloud and the ground is below freezing—that is, lower than 0℃.
What is SNOW?
This severe storm happens when a column of air begins to rotate, creating hail and heavy winds.
What is a TORNADO?
When two air masses collide, this is the boundary where they meet.
What is a FRONT?
This term describes the weight of the atmosphere plus gravity, measured with a barometer.
What is AIR PRESSURE?
Meteors burn up in this layer of the atmosphere, which gets its name from the Greek word for "middle".
What is the MESOSPHERE?
This precipitation forms when snowflakes melt in a thin band of warm air. Then they refreeze into little pellets as the air gets colder below.
What is SLEET?
This large storm forms over warm ocean waters and causes flooding and wind damage.
What is a HURRICANE, cyclone, or typhoon?
Heavy rains, thunderstorms, and tornadoes can result from this kind of front, when a cold air mass sweeps into a warm air mass, pushing the warm air up.
What is a COLD FRONT?
This term describes moisture or water vapor in the air, measured with a hygrometer.
What is HUMIDITY?
Satellites orbit in this hot layer of the atmosphere.
What is the THERMOSPHERE?
This precipitation starts as snow, but it melts when it falls through a thick layer of warm air. It forms a slippery layer of ice when it touches frozen ground.
What is FREEZING RAIN?
This weather pattern is caused by little or no rainfall, and can lead to forest fires.
What is DROUGHT?
This kind of front forms when a fast-moving warm air mass knocks a slower cold air mass down.
What is a WARM FRONT?
This term describes how hot or cold something is, measured by a thermometer.
What is TEMPERATURE?
In the lowest layer of the atmosphere, air pressure and temperature both do this as the altitude increases.
What is DECREASE?
These ice balls fall when ice crystals get blown high into the troposphere, where more water vapor freezes on them, making them bigger each time.
What is HAIL?
What is the TROPOSPHERE?
These two symbols on a weather map show which way the wind will blow, like air blowing out of hole in your bike tire.
What are H and L?