Investigating God's World Chapter 8
thunderhead
Another name for a cumulonimbus cloud; also called thundercloud
precipitation
Any form of water that falls from the clouds
source region
a large region of land or ocean with nearly the same temperature across its entire surface
air mass
a single, large unit of air with uniform temperature and humidity characteristics
hail
a small piece of ice is tossed up and down inside a cloud, forming several layers of ice, until it is heavy and falls to earth
nimbus
a term used to describe a cloud from which rain is falling
step leader
a thin channel of charged air that descends from a cloud toward the ground through which lightning can travel
100%
air is saturated when the humidity of the air reaches
rain
an ice crystal in a cloud becomes too heavy, fall, melts, and lands on the earth as a liquid
tilt
different seasons are caused by _________ of the earth's axis.
sleet
falling ice crystals melt into raindrops, then refreeze and land on earth as tiny pieces of ice
wet snow
falling ice crystals melt slightly, stick, and freeze together into snowflakes
freezing rain
falling ice crystals melt, hit the earth as liquid rain, but freezes as soon as they land
greenhouse effect
function of the atmosphere in preventing the earth's heat from escaping to space
warning
if a tornado has been spotted, meteorologist issue a tornado
stratus
layers of flat clouds, sheets of clouds that often produce rain
sheet lightning
lightning bolts that do not come in contact with the ground but remain within the clouds
cumulus
puffy, bulgy clouds
condensation
released water vapor leaves the air and changes back into liquid water
meteorologist
scientist who study weather
ground
the air we live in receives most of its warmth from
sun
the basic cause of all weather
front
the boundary between two air passes
anvil
the broad, flat top of cumulonimbus cloud
eye
the calm region of very low air pressure in the center of a tornado
1,000 mph
the earth's surface spins at
axis
the imaginary line running through the earth from the North pole to South Pole
dew point
the lowest possible temperature at which air is able to hold all of its water vapor
thunder
the rapid expansion of super-heated air causes shock waves that we hear as
squall lines
the row of thunderheads that builds up in the front of advancing cold air
air pressure
the total weight of air on some particular place on earth.
tornado
the type of storm that packs the most destructive power into the smallest space
lighter
warm air is ________ than cool air
frost
water vapor that condenses and forms frozen water on the ground
dew
water vapor that condenses to form liquid water on the ground
lightning
when opposite electrical charges build up in very tall clouds ______________ is produced
temperature
winds are produced by _______ differences on the earth
cirrus
wispy, curly clouds very high in the atmosphere, made of very small ice crystals
radiation fog, sea fog, steam fog
Three types of fog
fog
A cloud at ground level
saturated
Something like gas or liquid that has observed all of the certain substance that it can possible hold
polar easterlies, prevailing westerly's, Northeast trade winds, Southeast trade winds
The major wind systems found on earth
relative humidity
The measurement of the amount of water vapor in the air compared to the temperature
dew point
The temperature at which cooling air becomes saturated
tropopause
The temperature of the air at the troposphere's topmost boundary
water, rising air, dust
Three ingredients in the cloud recipe
sleet, freezing rain, hail
Three kinds of icy precipitaion
solar heating, mountains, fronts
Three things that cause air to rise upward
