Atmosphere Vocabulary

7th Grade Earth Science

Directions• Make 3 columns in your science

notebook• Title the columns WORD, DEFINITION,

& SENTENCE• Write the word in the heading• Write the sentence in the 3rd column• Write the definition in the 2nd column

Atmosphere• Meteors often burn up in Earth’s

atmosphere.

Atmosphere• The mixture of gases that surrounds

the Earth. • The outermost layer of Earth.

Weather• Today’s weather report states that it

will be sunny.

Weather• the condition

of the Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place.

Ozone• Scientists are worried that the

Earth’s ozone layer is being depleted.

Ozone• A form of

oxygen that has 3 oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of 2.

Water Vapor• The water vapor in the air is very

heavy today.

Water Vapor• the invisible gaseous form of

water

Pollutants• Cars put a lot of pollutants into the

air.

Pollutants• harmful substances in the air,

water, and soil

Photochemical Smog• The photochemical smog is really

bad in Los Angeles.

Photochemical Smog• a brownish haze that is a mixture of ozone

& other chemicals, formed when the chemicals interact with sunlight.

Temperature Inversion• Las Vegas often has a temperature

inversion due to it’s topography.

Temperature Inversion• weather condition

where a layer of warm air prevents the rising air from escaping which traps the polluted air near the Earth’s surface.

Acid Rain• Acid rain is responsible for

the damage to marble statues.

Acid Rain• rain that is more

acidic than normal caused by the release of molecules of sulfur dioxide & nitrogen oxide in the air.

Pressure• The pressure of air in a balloon

makes it expand.

Pressure• the amount of force pushing on a

surface or area.

Air Pressure• The air pressure is what helps

planes to fly.

Air Pressure• a force that is

the result of the weight of a column of air pushing down on an area.

Altitude• The city of Denver is at a high

altitude.

Altitude• elevation above sea level

Barometer• A meteorologist uses a barometer to

check for thunderstorms.

Barometer• an instrument

used to measure changes in air pressure.