Key words for Atmospheric Hazards units

1. Atmosphere – the layer of gases surrounding the earth or other planets

2. Circulation – movement to and fro around something (e.g. the earth).
3. Hazard – any source of potential damage, harm or adverse health effects on
something or someone.
4. Hadley Cell – Begins at the equator where the ground is intensely heated by the sun.
This causes the air to rise which creates a low-pressure zone on the Earth's surface.
5. Low pressure – an area where air is rising
6. High pressure – an area where air is falling (descending).
7. Hemisphere – half of a planet; on earth we refer to the Northern and Southern
hemispheres.
8. Coriolis Effect - term to describe the force experienced on earth due to its rotation,
the rotation deflects the direction of the wind to the right in the northern
hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere.
9. Differential Heating – the fact that the sun’s rays do not heat the surface of the Earth
evenly.
10.Trade winds – surface winds where the wind blows across the earth from high
pressure to low pressure.