Energy in the Atmosphere
Heat Transfer
Winds
Water in the Atmosphere
Precipitation
100
The earth's ozone layer blocks out most of this type of radiation. That's a good thing because it is known to cause sunburns, eye damage and even skin cancer.
What is ultraviolet radiation?
100
Most of the world's population uses this temperature scale where water freezes at zero degrees and boils at one hundred.
What is Celsius?
100
All winds are caused by differences in this.
What is pressure?
100
Clouds of this type, named for a Latin word meaning "layer", tend to form a flat sheet that completely covers the sky.
What are stratus clouds?
100
Don't forget your umbrella - you might run into this most common form of precipitation.
What is rain?
200
Grass looks green because its pigments reflect green light and absorb all other colors of visible light. Objects that reflect all wavelengths of visible light, on the other hand, appear to be this color.
What is white?
200
Most of the heat in our troposphere is transfered by this process involving rising and sinking currents of air.
What is convection?
200
Due to the earth's rotation, wind curves rather than travelling in a straight line - a phenomenon better known by this name.
What is the Coriolis effect?
200
This process in which water becomes water vapor can actually keep you cool on a hot summer day (as long as it isn't too humid).
What is evaporation?
200
Sometimes raindrops will pass through a layer of colder air and freeze before hitting the ground, causing this type of wintry precipitation.
What is sleet?
300
In this process, gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor in the earth's atmosphere absorb heat radiated from the earth's surface, warming the planet.
What is the greenhouse effect?
300
The Kelvin scale, favored by scientists, begins at this theoretical temperature where all molecular motion stops.
What is absolute zero?
300
Of the three global wind belts, this easterly wind is the one found nearest the equator.
What are the trade winds?
300
Of cirrocumulus, stratocumulus and altocumulus, its the type of cloud that would be found at the highest altitude.
What are cirrocumulus clouds?
300
Some forms of precipitation (such as snow) are formed inside clouds made up of millions of these.
What are ice crystals?
400
This type of radiation, which has a wavelength slightly longer than visible light, is commonly used in heat lamps and remote controls.
What is infrared?
400
When you feel the sun's warmth on your face, you are experiencing heat being transferred directly through electromagnetic waves - a process known by this name.
What is radiation?
400
How windy is it? To find out you'll need to use one of these devices used to measure wind speed.
What is an anemometer?
400
Clouds form when water vapor cools down to this temperature where water droplets begin to condense.
What is the dew point?
400
This type of precipitation is similar to rain, but with much smaller drops, less than half a millimeter in diameter.
What is drizzle?
500
Why is the sky blue? Because our atmosphere reflects blue light in all directions - a process known by this name.
What is scattering?
500
Who needs a speedometer? One of these common household tools will tell you the average speed of a group of molecules - even if it isn't filled with liquid metal.
What is a thermometer?
500
These seasonal wind storms that take place mainly in South and Southeast Asia, bring heavy rains and flooding over a three month period due to the unequal heating of the land and ocean.
What are summer monsoons?
500
Relative humidity compares the amount of water vapor actually in the air at any given point to the maximum amount possible. To measure it, you might want one of these devices which contains two thermometers - one of which is wrapped in a piece of wet gauze.
What is a psychrometer?
500
Because of the unique way hailstones are formed one layer at a time, they are only made in these very tall clouds (sometimes called thunderclouds) which are much colder at the top than at their base.
What are cumulonimbus clouds?