An object's mass divided by its volume; a measure of how many particles are packed together into a certain amount of space

The total quantity of dissolved salts in water

A system in which a fluid is warmed, loses density and is forced into a region of greater density. The cycle repeats and a pattern of motion forms

Sinking air, leads to clear skies

Rising air, leads to cloudy skies

The apparent effect of a rotating body that influences the motion of any object or fluid moving over it

The angular distance north and south of the equator

A breeze blowing toward the sea from the land, especially at night, owing to the relative warmth of the sea

A local wind system characterized by a flow from sea to land during the day

The measure of how much water vapor is in the air

When a moving air mass meets a geographical feature such as a mountain, some of the air will have no option but to rise up over it

The ratio between the reflected energy and the incident energy over a unit area

Tunnel-like passage through which air is blown at a known velocity to investigate air flow around an object

A patch of land that has been forced to become a desert because mountain ranges blocked all plant-growing, rainy weather

Describes the continuous movement of water as it makes a circuit from the oceans to the atmosphere to the Earth and on again

The process in which matter changes from a liquid to a gas

The physical or chemical breakdown of rocks and minerals into smaller pieces or aqueous solutions on Earth's surface

The process by which a gas changes into a liquid

Water that is released from clouds in the sky; includes rain, snow, sleet, hail, and freezing rain

A region in which all precipitation, surface water, and groundwater collects and drains into the same river

The process in plants by which water is taken up by the roots and released as water vapor through stomata in the leaves

The part of the water cycle that flows over land as surface water instead of being absorbed into groundwater or evaporating

A natural underground water source

The process in which water that is on the ground begins to be absorbed by the soil

Water stored below Earth's surface in soil and rock layers

Underground zone in which soil or rock is saturated with water

The removal of weathered rock material. After rocks have been broken down, the small particles are transported to other locations by wind, water, ice, and gravity

An area of land where there is water on the surface or where the soil is completely filled with water for at least part of the year

Type of satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth

The properties of the atmosphere at a given time and location, including temperature, air movement, and precipitation

The study of patterns of weather

A tool used to measure air pressure

Rate of movement of an air mass in terms of distance moved per unit of time

Used to determine relative humidity

A device used to measure temperature

Someone who studies weather

An instrument that measures wind speed

A large body of air that has the same characteristics and temperature and moisture content as the part of Earth’s surface over which it formed

In weather, the boundary between two masses of air with different properties

Occurs when lighter, warmer air advances toward colder, heavier air

Occurs when a boundary between air masses stops advancing and remain in the same place for several days, producing light wind and precipitation

Occurs when the cold air advances toward warmer air and wedges under the warm air like a plow

Involves three air masses of different temperatures