Science Vocabulary

Unit D  Chapter 10

(22 words)

air pressure – the force put on a given area by the weight of the air above it

atmosphere – the blanket of gases that surrounds Earth

barometer – a device for measuring air pressure

cirrus cloud – a high-altitude cloud with a featherlike shape, made of ice crystals

condensation – the changing of a gas into a liquid

convection cell – a circular pattern of air rising, air sinking, and wind

Coriolis effect – the curving of the path of a moving object caused by Earth’s rotation

cumulus cloud – a puffy cloud that appears to rise up from a flat bottom

evaporation – the slow changing of a liquid into a gas

fog – a cloud at ground level

humidity – the amount of water vapor in the air

insolation – the amount of the Sun’s energy that reaches Earth at a given time and place

isobar - a line on a weather map connecting places with equal air pressure

land breeze - wind that blows from land to sea

precipitation – any form of water particles that falls from the atmosphere and reaches the ground

relative humidity – a comparison between how much water vapor is in the air and how much the air could hold at a given temperature if it were full, or saturated

sea breeze – wind that blows from sea to land

stratus cloud – a cloud that forms in a blanket like layer

troposphere – the layer of the atmosphere closest to Earth’s surface

water vapor  - water in the form of a gas

weather – what the lower atmosphere is like at any given place and time

wind – air that moves horizontally