Study Guide

Quick meanings for every word. Pair Tier 3 words with pictures to support newcomers.

Beginner ELL Core Idea

Heat moves air and water.
Heat moves from warm to cool.
Wind moves because air heats and cools.
Water moves because of heat and density.

Word	Meaning
Climate	Climate is the usual weather in a place. It happens over a long time.
Precipitation	Precipitation is water that falls from clouds. Rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
Temperature	Temperature tells how hot or cold something is.
Wind	Wind is moving air.
Wind Chill Factor	Wind chill tells how cold it feels. Wind makes air feel colder.
Anemometer	An anemometer measures wind speed.
Buoy	A buoy floats on water. Buoys collect ocean data.
Climograph	A climograph shows temperature and rain. It uses a graph.
Composition	Composition means what something is made of.
Coriolis Effect	The Coriolis Effect makes wind curve. Earth’s rotation causes this.
Current	A current is moving water in the ocean.
Density	Density means how packed something is. More packed = higher density.
El Niño	El Niño is warm ocean water in the Pacific. It changes weather patterns.
Global Winds	Global winds move air around Earth.
Gulf Stream	The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current. It moves heat.
Gyre	A gyre is a large circular movement of ocean water. Ocean water moves in a circle.
Jet Stream	The jet stream is fast wind high in the sky.
Land Breeze	Land breeze blows from land to sea. It happens at night.
Latitude	Latitude tells how far north or south a place is.
Local Winds	Local winds happen in small areas. They change during the day.
Pressure	Pressure is the force of air pushing. High pressure pushes harder.
Sea Breeze	Sea breeze blows from sea to land. It happens during the day.
Thermal Energy	Thermal energy is heat energy. Heat moves from warm to cool.
Topography	Topography is the shape of the land. Mountains and valleys change wind.
Salinity	Salinity is how much salt is in water.
Upwelling	Upwelling is deep cold water moving up. It brings nutrients.