Vocabulary
Precipitation
Fronts & Breezes
Atmosphere
Weather Instruments
100
Water that is in the air in the form of gas.
What is water vapor?
100
Starts as ice crystals, melts as it falls to Earth’s surface, then freezes upon hitting Earth’s surface.
What is freezing rain?
100
A boundary between two air masses.
What is a front?
100
The second layer of the atmosphere away from Earth's surface; starts at about 8 miles from Earth's surface.
What is the stratosphere?
100
This instrument measures temperature.
What is a thermometer?
200
The layer of gases that surrounds Earth.
What is the atmosphere?
200
Starts as ice crystals and falls to the ground in the same form.
What is snow?
200
When warm air moves in over an area of land, rising over the cold air and pushing it away.
What is a warm front?
200
The farthest layer of the atmosphere from Earth's surface; reflects radio waves back to Earth.
What is the thermosphere?
200
This instrument measures rainfall.
What is a rain gauge?
300
A large body of air with similar properties throughout.
What is an air mass?
300
Starts as ice crystals, melts between the clouds and Earth, and hits Earth’s warm surface as a liquid.
What is rain?
300
At night, when cool air from the land moves out to sea, pushing the warm air up and circulating it back to the land.
What is a land breeze?
300
The closest layer of the atmosphere to Earth's surface; where humans live and landforms are found.
What is the troposphere?
300
This instrument measures air pressure.
What is a barometer?
400
A band of very fast wind formed by the different temperatures between convection currents.
What is a jet stream?
400
Water droplets are repeatedly pushed up into the clouds, where they freeze, and eventually fall when they become too heavy.
What is hail?
400
When cool air moves in over an area of land, forcing the warm air up and over the cool air.
What is a cold front?
400
The outer half of the farthest layer away from Earth's surface.
What is the exosphere?
400
This instrument measures wind speed.
What is an anemometer?
500
Gases and liquids that rise and sink in a circular path around Earth.
What are convection currents?
500
Starts as ice crystals, melts upon leaving the clouds, then freezes before hitting Earth’s surface.
What is sleet?
500
During the day, when cool air from the sea moves onto the land, pushing the warm air up and circulating it back to the sea.
What is a sea breeze?
500
The third layer of the atmosphere from Earth's surface; where meteorites burn up before reaching Earth's surface.
What is the mesosphere?
500
This instrument measures humidity.
What is a hygrometer?
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