Water Cycle
Change of a liquid to a vapor or gas
Evaportaion
A body of air extending over a large area that develops and returns specific characteristics of pressure, temperature, and humidity
Air Mass
Directional movement of ocean water: surface currents result from steady winds over the ocean surface; deep currents result from density variations due to temperature and salinity differences
Ocean currents
The distance from sea level
Altitude
The movement of water both on and above Earth's surface
Water Cycle
Water that collects in cracks and pores in underground soil and rock layers
Groundwater
The border between an advancing cold air mass and a retreating warm air mass
Cold front
Average weather patterns for a particular region
Climate
The day-to-day state of the atmosphere
Weather
Winds that act as a heat transfer system due to the unequal heating of Earth's surface
Global Winds
Rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls from clouds in the sky
Precipitation
A prediction or estimate of future events
Forecast
A circular movement of fluids caused by the rising of hotter, less dense fluid and falling of cooler, denser fluid
Convection Current
Geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on Earth's surface
Latitude
The mixture of gases that surrounds Earth
Atmosphere
Rainfall and surface water that drain or flow from the land into streams, rivers, lakes, or the ocean
Runoff
The boundary between an advancing warm air mass and a receding cooler air mass
Warm Front
Saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water
Salinity
The study of specific regions of Earth
Regional Geography
The main source of energy for the water cycle
Radiant energy
The process by which plants lose water through the stomata in their leaves
Transpiration
A map or chart that shows the weather conditions at a specific point in time over a specific region
Weather Map
The apparent deflection of moving air, as a result of Earth's rotation
Coriolis Effect
The large-scale movement of air around Earth
Atmosphric Circulation
When water soaks into the ground and moves downward through spaces in soil and rocks
Percolation