A main factor that affects precipitation

A main factor that affects precipitation

A dense forest in which large amounts of rain happen year round

A grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees.

A dry, grassy, treeless plain found in Asia and eastern Europe

A region where temperatures are always cool or cold and only specialized plants can grow

The Southern Hemisphere experiences summer weather in ___________________.

The Northern Hemisphere experiences summer weather in ______________________.

Summer weather happens when Earth's axis is tilted _________________ the sun.

Winter weather happens when Earth's axis is tilted _____________________ the sun.

A major cause of ozone depletion

Stands for chlorofluorocarbons

Climates generally get __________________ as we move away from the equator.

Climates generally get _______________________ as we move closer to the equator.

Sun's rays hit _____________________ closer to the equator.

The sun's rays hit ___________________ closer to the poles.

The ____________________ climate is covered by permanent ice and snow.

Cool, and the land is fairly flat and covered mostly by swampy evergreen forest

A climate that has warm rainy summers, cool snowy winters

Indicates a cool or dry year

Indicates a warm or wet year

Climate within a small area that differs significantly from the climate of the surrounding area

A climate that gets colder as elevation increases; as elevation increases, vegetation also fades and snow and ice begin to appear.

a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants

Any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

any period of time during which glaciers covered a large part of the earth's surface

A type of biome characterized by low moisture levels and infrequent and unpredictable precipitation; daily and seasonal temperatures fluctuate widely

Gases in the earth's lower atmosphere (troposphere) that cause the greenhouse effect. Examples are carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, ozone, methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide.

An imaginary line that passes through Earth's center and the North and South poles, about which Earth rotates

Layer of permanently frozen subsoil in the tundra

The amount of Earth's atmosphere that is made up of Nitrogen

The amount of Earth's atmosphere that is made up of Oxygen

The amount of Earth's atmosphere that is made up of trace gasses and particles of liquids and solids

This form of pollution is caused by action on chemicals of sunlight

Harmful substances in the air are called _______________.

The amount of mass in a volume, or D=M/V

A common measurement for air pressure

The warmest layer of the atmosphere

The layer of the atmosphere where Earth's weather occurs

The layer of the atmosphere that contains helpful ozone--it protects us from UV rays

The condition of Earth's atmosphere at a given time

True or False: The condition the air quality in the United States has gotten worse over the last 30 years.

The part of the thermosphere in which the auroras occur

The force over a unit of area

The four main layers of atmosphere are divided according to _______________ changes.

An ingredient of coal that, when burned, contributes to the cause of acid rain

As _______________ increases, density and air pressure decrease

Particles of carbon that enter the air when wood or coal are burned are called _______________.

Fires need ________________ to burn.

The percentage of nitrogen in the atmosphere at sea level is _______________ as the percentage of nitrogen in the atmosphere at high altitude.

Water in the form of a gas

A form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of the usual two.

The layer of Earth's atmosphere which contains helpful ozone

The reflection of light in all directions

The reason the sky appears blue

The direct transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves

The direct transfer of heat from one substance to another substance that it is touching.

Process by which, in a fluid being heated, the warmer part of the mass will rise and the cooler portions will sink.

32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius

a current caused by the rising of heated fluid and sinking of cooled fluid

Instrument used to measure wind direction

An instrument used to measure wind speed

An instrument used to measure relative humidity

Winds that blow from west to east in the Northern Hemisphere

a percentage of the maximum amount of water vapor the air can hold at its current temperature

An instrument used to measure relative humidity

The temperature at which condensation begins and clouds can form

A type of cumulus cloud that is tall and gray, and associated with thunderstorms and hail

raindrops that freeze after they hit the ground or other cold surfaces

clear ice pellets precipitation, forms when rain falls through layer of freezing air

a type of energy that comes to Earth from the Sun, can damage skin and cause cancer, and is mostly absorbed by the ozone layer

A measure of the average energy of motion of the particles of a substance.

Winds are caused by differences in _______________.

clouds that form in flat layers and often cover much of the sky

wispy, feathery clouds made of ice crystals that form at high levels

Most common form of precipitation

A wind blowing toward the north is coming from the ________________ and is therefore called a ________________ wind.

The amount of water vapor in the air

Winds that blow toward the equator

Energy that is transformed as a consequence of temperature differences

212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius

Cold and humid air mass. forms over icy cold North Pacific and Atlantic oceans. brings fog, rain, and cool temperatures to the West coast

A type of air mass that is warm and humid. usually forms over the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic ocean

Cold dry air mass that usually forms over northern Canada and Alaska

Hot, dry air masses mostly in summer areas to Southwest and northern Mexico

a front where a warm air mass is caught between two colder air masses and brings cool temperatures and large amounts of rain or snow

A boundary between air masses that don't move easily, possibly causing rain for several days

a front along which a warm air mass overtakes a slowly moving mass of cooler air

forms when cold air moves under warm air which is less dense and pushes air up and produces thunderstorms heavy rain or snow

A sudden spark, or energy discharge, caused when electrical charges jump between parts of a cloud, between nearby clouds, or between a cloud and the ground

Large clouds that often produce thunderstorms are called ___________________________.

A cloud type that can produce tornadoes.

Which produces faster wind speeds? A tornado or a hurricane?

It is most likely that a _______________________ will strike the Eastern Coast of the United States in August, September, and October.

A line on a weather map that joins places that have the same air pressure

bands of high-speed winds about 10 kilometers above Earth's surface

Line drawn on a weather map that connects points having equal temperature

scientists who study the causes of weather and try to predict it

A swirling center of low air pressure

An atmospheric condition of high central pressure, with currents flowing outward

A mass of air that forms over ocean waters

A mass of air that forms over land

This is an alert issued when weather conditions are right for a tornado

an announcement that a tornado has been seen in the sky or on weather radar

Originates as a tropical disturbance

The air temperature must be below 0 degrees Celsius in order for _____________________ to fall.