Vocab

3. A large tropical weather system consisting of an extremely low-pressure air mass with heavy rains and wind speeds of at least 119 km/h
5. Directional movements of ocean water; surface currents result from steady winds over the ocean surface; deep currents result from density variations due to temperature and salinity differences
8. An instrument that measures the amount of atmospheric pressure
12. An air mass with greater atmospheric pressure than the surrounding air masses; air moves away from the center of the high pressure, traveling in a clockwise direction in the northern hemisphere and a counterclockwise direction in the southern hemisphere
13. The force exerted by the atmosphere on Earth’s surface by the weight of the air above the surface

1. Global air circulation patterns within the atmosphere held to Earth by gravity and warmed as heat radiates from Earth; influenced by convection of warm, less dense air (rises and spreads out) and cold, dense air (sinks)
2. Heat transfer is caused by the rising of hotter, less dense fluids and the falling of cooler, denser fluids
4. The border between an advancing cold air mass and a retreating warm air mass
6. The layer of gas surrounding a planet that is held in place by gravity
7. Effect The apparent deflection of moving air, as seen by an observer on Earth, as a result of Earth’s rotation
9. A body of air extending over a large area (1,000 miles or more) that develops and retains specific characteristics of pressure, temperature, and humidity
10. An air mass with less atmospheric pressure than the surrounding air masses; air moves toward the area of low pressure, traveling in a counterclockwise direction in the northern hemisphere and a clockwise direction in the southern hemisphere
11. The boundary between an advancing warm air mass and a receding cooler air mass
13. A scientific tool used to measure wind speed