Absolute Humidity -
A type of humidity that considers
Air -
This is considered the mixture of gases that make up
Climate -
The historical record and
Continents -
A large land mass rising abruptly from the deep ocean floor, including marginal regions that are shallowly submerged. Continents constitute about one-third of the earth's surface.
Equator -
The geographic circle at 0 degrees latitude on the earth's surface. It is equal distance from the North and South Poles and divides the Northern Hemisphere from the Southern.
Latitude -
The location north or south in reference to the equator, which is designated at zero (0) degrees. Parallel lines that circle the globe both north and south of the equator. The poles are at 90° North and South latitude.
Moisture -
Refers to the water vapor content in the
Precipitation -
Any and all forms of water, liquid or solid,
Oceans -
The intercommunicating body of salt water occupying the depressions of the earth's surface, or one of its major primary subdivisions, bounded by the continents, or the equator, and other imaginary lines. A sea is subdivision of an ocean. The Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, and the Indian are all examples of oceans.
Rotation -
The spinning of a body, such as the earth, about its axis.
Salinity -
A measure of the quantity of dissolved salts in sea water. The total amount of dissolved solids in sea water in parts per thousand by weight.
Salt Water -
The water of the ocean, distinguished from fresh water by its appreciable salinity.
Seasons -
A division of the year according to some regularly
Water Cycle -
The vertical and horizontal transport of water
Weather -
The state of the
atmosphere
at a
Wind -
Air that flows in relation to the earth's surface, generally the mass of water vapor present per unit volume of space. Also considered as the density of the water vapor. It is usually expressed in grams per cubic meter.
the earth's atmosphere. The principal gases that compose dry air are Nitrogen (N2) at 78.09%, Oxygen (O2) at 20.946%, Argon (A) at 0.93%, and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) at 0.033%
Atmosphere -
The gaseous or air portion of the physical environment that encircles a planet. In the case of the earth, it is held more or less near the surface by the earth's gravitational attraction. The different sections of the atmosphere include the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, ionosphere, and the exosphere.
description of average daily and in
seasonal weather events that help describe a region. Statistics are generally drawn over several
decades. The word is derived from the Greek klima,
meaning inclination, and reflects the importance early
scholars attributed to the sun's influence.
atmosphere, or the total water, liquid, solid or vapor, in a given volume of air.
that falls from clouds and reaches the ground. This includes drizzle, freezing drizzle, freezing rain, hail,
ice crystals, ice pellets, rain, snow, snow pellets, and snow grains.
The amount of fall is usually expressed in inches of liquid water
depth of the substance that has fallen at a given point over a
specified time period.
recurring phenomena, usually astronomical or climatic. For example, in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is said to begin on the winter solstice and end on the vernal equinox when spring begins, covering the months of December, January, and February. In the tropics, there is the dry and the rainy season, depending on the amount of precipitation.
in all its states between the earth, the atmosphere, and the seas.
specific time and with respect to its effect on life and human activities.
horizontally. There are four areas of wind that are measured: direction, speed, character (gusts and squalls), and shifts. Surface winds are measured by wind vanes and anemometers, while upper level winds are detected through pilot balloons, rawin, or aircraft reports.
