Winds and Weather

9. Water in its gaseous form that is invisible and found in the atmosphere, created by evaporation or transpiration.
10. Lines that measure how far north or south a location is from the equator.
14. The process in which plants release water vapor into the air from their leaves.
16. The layer of Earth’s atmosphere above the mesosphere, where temperatures rise sharply and the auroras occur.
17. The outermost layer of Earth’s atmosphere, where air is extremely thin and merges into space.
18. A cold, dense ocean current that sinks in the North Atlantic and helps drive global ocean circulation.
19. Winds that blow steadily from east to west near the equator, caused by Earth’s rotation and uneven heating.
20. Patterns of air movement around the Earth caused by the uneven heating of Earth’s surface and the rotation of the planet.

1. Energy from heat inside the Earth that can be used to produce electricity or heat buildings.
2. The process by which water vapor changes directly into ice without becoming liquid first.
3. The layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere that contains the ozone layer and has stable air.
4. A sudden discharge of electricity in the atmosphere during a storm.
5. A space that contains very little or no matter, including air, so there is extremely low pressure.
6. The middle layer of the atmosphere, located above the stratosphere, where meteors burn up.
7. Energy produced by splitting atoms in a reactor to create heat, which is used to generate electricity.
8. A device that produces electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen, releasing only water as a byproduct.
11. A gas found in the atmosphere that traps heat and contributes to warming of Earth.
12. A warm ocean current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico along the east coast of the United States and across the Atlantic Ocean, affecting climate and weather patterns.
13. The lowest layer of the atmosphere where weather occurs and where humans live.
15. The sound caused by air rapidly expanding after being heated by lightning.