Vocabulary Glossary
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How’s The Weather?
(Environmental Factors)
 Air mass- large bodies of air that form over areas
where the temperature
does not change, such as the North Pole, the
South Pole, and the
equator. Air masses take on the
characteristics from the
Earth surface over which they form.
 Air pressure – the force of the air pushing down on
the Earth
High pressure – generally bring fair weather
Low pressure – generally bring unsettled weather
 Anemometer – An anemometer is a device for measuring
wind speed.
 Atmosphere- The atmosphere is the envelope of air
surrounding the earth.
The earth’s atmosphere is made up of mostly
gases nitrogen, oxygen, and
carbon dioxide.
 Beaufort Scale – The Beaufort Scale is a method of
estimating wind speed using common objects such as
flags, smoke, trees, etc…
 Celsius- a temperature scale that indicates the
freezing point of water at
0 C and the boiling point of water at
100C.
 Climate – Climate is the usual weather a place has all
year long. Buffalo, New
York usually has cold, snowy winters.
 Clouds- white or gray puffs in the sky. A cloud is a
collection of tiny droplets of water or particles of
ice that float in the air. When water evaporates it
turns to water vapor. The water vapor is warm, so it
rises. When this moist air meets air that is cold
enough to cool it to its dew point clouds form. The
water vapor turns into droplets and join together with
other droplets to form a cloud that is kept in the air
by wind. When it gets too heavy, precipitation
(rain,, snow, sleet or hail) occurs. There are many
different types of clouds.
Cirrus – are white, feathery, wispy clouds made up of
ice crystals. They are the highest clouds. Their
presence indicates fair weather. When they get thicker,
the weather often gets warmer.
Cumulous- are white, large and puffy clouds that are
seen on sunny days.
Cumulous clouds often have interesting
shapes.
Stratus – are low, flat layers of gray clouds that are
made of water droplets They do not look like individual
clouds, but look like a blanket covering the Earth that
does not allow the sunshine in. They may be responsible
for indicate long periods of rain or snow.
 Degrees- calibrations on a thermometer used to measure
temperature.
 Environmental Factors- An environmental factor is any
variable that affects
an organism.
 Evaporation- the changing of liquid to a gas. For
example, when water boils on
the stove, it turns to steam
(evaporates.)
 Fahrenheit- a temperature scale that indicates the
freezing point of water at
32F and the boiling point of water
at 212F
 Humidity - the amount of water vapor or moisture in
the atmosphere.
 Hydrosphere - the portion of Earth's surface that is
water, including the seas and water in the atmosphere
 Fog-a cloud that lies on the ground or is very close
to the ground.
 Front - When one air mass collides with another, the
line or boundary
(battle line) that separates them is
called a front.
Cold fronts – occurs when a cold air mass moves under a
warm air mass and punches the warm air up. The cold air
replaces the warm air at the ground level. Cold fronts
bring a sudden change in weather: heavy precipitation,
thunderstorms, or snowstorms and a drop in temperature.
After a cold front passes through, the temperature drops
and the skies clear.
Warm front – occurs when a warm air mass moves over a
retreating cold air mass. The warm air front gradually
replaces the cold air front at the ground level. Warm
fronts move slower than cold fronts so the change in the
weather is less sudden. Warm fronts bring steady light
precipitation followed by arise in temperature.
 Leeward side – The leeward side is the side of an
object opposite the direction from which the wind is
blowing.
 Lithosphere- the solid outer layer of the Earth above
the asthenosphere, consisting of the crust and upper
mantle
 Meteorologist- a person who forecast the weather
 Organism- An organism is an individual living thing, a
plant or animal.
 Precipitation- any kind of water that falls out of
clouds, rain, snow, sleet, or hail
 Prevailing wind – The prevailing wind is a wind that
blows from one direction
most of the time.
 Temperature – the hotness or coldness of a material
 Thermometer – a device used for measuring temperature
 Troposphere- the lowest part of the atmosphere.
is where almost all our
weather happens.
This
 Water cycle-the way water enters and leaves the
atmosphere 1. Water
evaporates from oceans, lakes,
puddles, moist earth, from
things, and burning fuel. This water vapor
is carried up by air 3.
Vapor condenses in the forms –
rain, snow, fog 4. Condensed
water in clouds may fall as rain,
snow, hail, or sleet. Water
returns to plants, animals,
people, soil, oceans, lakes.. 5. The
process starts over again.
 Weather- Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at
a certain time and
place. Today it is cloudy, rainy,
and cold. The four elements of
weather are : air pressure,
temperature, wind, and humidity.
 Wind-air that moves and is caused by weather systems
of different air
pressures
 Wind direction- The wind direction is the direction
from which the wind is
blowing.
 Wind Vane- The wind vane is a device for measuring the
direction from which
the wind is blowing.
 Wind velocity – The wind velocity is the speed at
which the wind is blowing.
 Windward – The windward side of an object is the side
of an object facing the
direction from which the wind is
blowing.