| Term | Definition |
| weather | the condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place |
| atmosphere | the layer of gases that surrounds the planet |
| ozone | a form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of the usual two |
| water vapor | water in the form of a gas |
| density | the amount of mass in a given volume of air |
| pressure | the force pushing on an area or surface |
| air pressure | the result of the weight of a column of air pushing down on an area |
| barometer | an instrument that is used to measure changes in air pressure |
| mercury barometer | consists of a glass tube open at the bottom end and partially filled with mercury used to measure changes in air pressure |
| aneroid barometer | an airtight metal chamber that is used to measure changes in air pressure |
| altitude | elevation...the distance above sea level |
| troposphere | lowest layer of Earth's amosphere...the layer we live in |
| stratosphere | extends from the top of hte troposphere to about 50 kilometers above Earth's surface |
| mesosphere | located above the stratosphere, it is the middle layer of the atmosphere, begins at 50 km above Earth's surface and ends at 80 km |
| thermosphere | the outermost layer of hte atmosphere, extends 80 km above Earth's surface outward into space |
| ionosphere | lower layer of the thermosphere, begins 80 km above Earth's surface and ends at 550 km |
| aurora borealis | the Northern Lights that occur inthe ionosphere caused by particles from the sun that enter near the North Pole |
| exosphere | the outer layer of hte thermosphere that extends from 550 km out for thousands of kilometers |