Atmospheric Movement

Global air circulation within the atmosphere held to Earth by gravity and warmed as heat radiated from Earth; influenced by convection of warm, less dense air (rises and spreads out) and cold, dense air (sinks)

Climate

Average weather patterns for a particular region

Convection

Heat transfer caused by the rising of hotter, less dense fluids and the falling of cooler, denser fluids.

Convection Current

A circular movement of fluids caused by the rising of hotter, less dense fluid and the falling of cooler, denser fluid.

Coriolis Effect

The apparent deflection of moving air, as seen by an observer on Earth, as a result of Earth's rotation.

Density

The amount of matter in a given space or volume

Global

Relating to the whole world

Ocean Currents

Directional movements of ocean water; surface currents result from steady winds over the ocean surface; deep currents result from density variations due to temperature and salinity differences.

Rotation

The spinning of Earth on its axis that causes day and night to occur

Salinity

Saltiness of dissolved salt content of a body of water

Temperature

Average kinetic energy of all the particles in a material; measured by a thermometer in degrees (usually degrees Celsius or degrees Fahrenheit)