Earth Science Vocabulary
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weather – the condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place
atmosphere - the layer of gases surrounding the Earth
composition - the product of mixing or combining various elements or ingredients. The
composition of our atmosphere is made up of nitrogen, oxygen and other gases.
water vapor – water in the form of a gas
mass – the amount of matter in an object
density- the mass of a substance contained in a unit of volume
volume – the amount of space an object takes up
pressure – the force exerted on a surface divided by the total area over which the force is
exerted
air pressure – the pressure caused by the weight of a column of air pushing down on an area
barometer – an instrument used to measure changes in air pressure
altitude – elevation above sea level
troposphere – the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere where weather occurs
stratosphere – the second lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere
mesosphere – the layer of Earth’s atmosphere immediately above the stratosphere; the layer in
which most meteoroids burn up
thermosphere – the outermost layer of Earth’s atmosphere
ionosphere – the lower part of the thermosphere, where electrically charged particles called ions
are found
exosphere – the outer layer of the thermosphere, extending outward into space
pollution – the contamination of Earth’s land, water or air
pollutants – harmful substances in the air, water or soil
particle pollution – tiny particles of dust, dirt, smoke and liquid droplets in the air
ozone layer- the layer of the atmosphere that contains a higher concentration of ozone that the
rest of the atmosphere. Ozone in the form of smog in the troposphere is a pollutant (bad!) Ozone
in the stratosphere protects us from ultra violet radiation (good!)
photochemical smog – a brownish haze that is a mixture of ozone and other chemicals, formed
when pollutants react with each other in the presence of sunlight
acid rain – rain that contains more acid than normal
electromagnetic waves – waves that can transfer electric and magnetic energy through the
vacuum of space
temperature – a measure of how hot or cold an object is compared to a reference point
thermal energy – the total energy of motion in the particles of a substance
thermometer – an instrument used to measure temperature, consisting of a thin glass tube with
a bulb on one end that contains a liquid (usually mercury or alcohol)
heat – the transfer of thermal energy from one object to another because of a difference in
temperature
conduction – the direct transfer of thermal energy from one substance to another substance that
it is touching
convection – the transfer of thermal energy by the movement of a fluid
convection currents – the circulation of a fluid as it alternately heats up and cools down; in
weather, upward movement of warm air and the downward movement of cool air.
radiation – the direct transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves.
wind – the horizontal movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
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anemometer – an instrument used to measure wind speed
wind vane – an instrument used to measure wind direction
wind-chill factor – a measure of cooling combining temperature and wind speed
local winds – winds that blow over a short distance
sea breeze – the flow of cooler air from over an ocean or lake toward land
land breeze – the flow of air from land to a body of water
global winds – winds that blow steadily from specific directions over long distances
Coriolis effect – the change that Earth’s rotation causes in the motion of objects and that
explains how winds curve
latitude – the distance in degrees north or south of the equator
jet streams- bands of high-speed winds about 10 km above Earth’s surface
water cycle – the continual movement of water among Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and land
surface through evaporation, condensation and precipitation.
evaporation – the process by which water molecules in liquid water escape into the air as water
vapor.
condensation – the process by which molecules of water vapor in the air become liquid water
precipitation – any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth’s surface
transpiration – the process by which water is lost through a plant’s leaves
humidity – the amount of water vapor in a given volume of air
relative humidity – the percentage of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount
of water vapor that air can contain at a particular temperature
psychrometer – an instrument used to measure relative humidity, consisting of a wet-bulb
thermometer and a dry-bulb thermometer.
cirrus clouds – wispy, feathery clouds made mostly of ice crystals that form at high altitudes.
cumulus clouds – fluffy, white clouds, usually with flat bottoms, that look like rounded piles of
cotton.
stratus clouds – clouds that form in flat layers and often cover much of the sky. “strato” means
“spread out”
nimbus – this suffix means “rain” A cumulonimbus cloud is a towering cloud with a flat top that
produces thunderstorms
rain gauge – an instrument used to measure precipitation
air mass – a huge body of air that has similar temperature, humidity and air pressure throughout
front – the boundary where unlike air masses meet
occluded – cut off, as in a front where a warm air mass is caught between two cooler air masses
cyclone – a swirling center of low air pressure
anticyclone – a high-pressure center of dry air
meteorologist – scientist who studies the causes of weather and try to predict it
weather balloon – carry instruments high into the troposphere and lower stratosphere to
measure temperature, air pressure and humidity
weather satellite – orbit in the exosphere where cameras make images of Earth’s surface,
clouds, storms and snow cover
automated weather stations – surface locations gather data on temperature, air pressure,
relative humidity, rainfall and wind speed and direction.
weather map – a “snapshot” of conditions at a particular time over a large area
Doppler radar – tracks intensities, speed and direction of precipitation via radio waves