Nature

Animals and plants are both categories, or kingdoms, of living organisms. Typically, these organism groups are considered to be quite different from each other. Plants are generally fixed to the...

People have used the wind as an energy source in many aspects of daily living. It has pushed sailboats across the sea for centuries and has powered windmills which in turn pump water or grind...

Waterspouts are often thought of as tornadoes over water, but that is only a partial explanation of what waterspouts are. They do sometimes form from tornadoes that move out over water from land....

Weather professionals measure the moisture content of the air in several different ways. Additionally, the interaction of other elements of a particular locale's environment has an impact on...

Air moves from place to place in a wind. When the air from one weather system moves in to replace the air in another weather system, the wind brings in the air's temperature. If the two weather...

Water soaks into the ground, which is called infiltration. Underneath the surface of the Earth, the water is naturally filtered as it moves through soil and rock, which is called groundwater flow....

If you are like most people, checking the weather is a daily routine. Will you have clear skies for your garden party? Could your tomato plants freeze tonight? Should you wear shorts or a sweater?...

Climate describes the overall tendencies over a long period of time with respect to the "average" weather in a given location. Weather, on the other hand, is what's happening around you. When it...

Pollution affects the natural balance of the world's ecosystems, which threatens the life cycles of a plethora of plant and animal species found within such ecosystems as coral reefs, wetlands,...

Cold air sinks below warm air because it has a greater density. This principal is at the heart of thunderstorm and tornado formation. Ahead of thunderstorms, air movement increases in speed to...

Air moves in invisible currents through the lower portion of the atmosphere, known as the troposphere. The temperatures of large masses of air contribute to weather events such as thunderstorms. A...

As climate change becomes more of a reality worldwide, it is beneficial to understand the differences between weather and climate and what each affects. People's everyday lives are affected by the...

Plants produce their own food through a process known as photosynthesis. However, it doesn't mean plants don't have certain requirements of their environment in order to successfully grow and...

Clouds are made of water, lifted from the earth's surface, that has encountered the colder air aloft in the atmosphere. The wind currents at various elevations in the lowest part of the...

Wind is simply the movement of the air that surrounds us. Air is classified as a fluid, and it flows as such. When it moves in any way, we call this movement wind. The faster the movement, the...

i am going to give you tips on ho the help the earth. unplug unused electronics because the helps save electricity. save water by useing undrinked drinking water to water your plants.plant more...

Pollution in the air can be caused by substances that are both man-made and natural compounds. Find out how air pollution can be caused by volcanic eruptions with help from the chair of a...

To understand why warm air expands and becomes cooler as it rises, it is necessary to understand some of the properties of air. Scientists call this study of air temperature and altitude the study...

Smooth, stable and stagnant air is a relatively rare phenomenon in the Earth's atmosphere. Some areas of air, which may be as large as several hundred miles or as small as a single county, are...

A mirage is a real optical phenomenon, that occurs when light rays are refracted, or bent, to produce an image of another object (fairly commonly, the sky). Mirages are not hallucinations, or at...

When a moist air mass is moved into an area by a horizontal wind, it is called moisture advection. As moist air moves into an air that is already inhabited by a dry air mass, the two react to one...

Barometric pressure, also known as atmospheric pressure, is a term used to describe the measure of the amount of atmospheric weight pressing down upon a certain point on the Earth's surface....

Tornadoes form when a column of spinning air gathers around a low pressure point in a thundercloud and becomes powerful enough to stretch from the cloud to the ground. The pressure points in...

The atmosphere has mass, and therefore produces pressure upon the surface of the Earth. The measurement of atmospheric pressure is accomplished by means of a device called a barometer. Barometric...

Barometric pressure, also known as atmospheric pressure, is a term used for the measurement of the weight of the mass of air above a particular spot. The air in the atmosphere presses down upon...

Thermals are localized rising air currents that are just a few degrees warmer than the surrounding air. They are invisible plumes of air that have varying shapes and sizes, seen only if dust,...

Wind shear is a sudden change in the movement of air in direction, speed, or both. Under certain circumstances, an aircraft encountering wind shear can be in danger of crashing, particularly...

Weather comes in many different varieties, from frozen precipitation to thunderstorms. Depending on where you live in the United States, you may have the chance to experience many different and...

From the Finnish word for treeless plain, tundra describes some of the harshest climates on earth. Arid and freezing with poor soil and short summers, life barely thrives in these unforgiving...

Understanding what affects wind speed involves looking at several factors and how they relate to one another. This being true, the primary determinant of wind velocity is the magnitude of air...

The pressure gradient is the change in barometric pressure over a distance. Big changes within shorter distances equals high wind speeds, while environments that exhibit less change in pressure...

The importance of air currents is difficult to over-state, as they are a primary driving force of weather and climate. Global air patterns are relatively consistent and changes in these patterns...

What causes huge areas to become extremely cold overnight? Why are these low temperatures concentrated in one area a few days then drift south or east to cool another area? The answers to these...

The higher the temperature of the air, the faster it rises and loses density, decreasing the barometric pressure. The cooler it is, the denser the air becomes. This causes the barometric pressure...

A barometer measures the pressure of air as it pushes against an object. The measurement used is a millibar (MB), or inches of mercury. Air pressure is affected by various weather events and...

Hurricanes---one of the most destructive forces in nature---have rather innocuous beginnings as thunderstorms in the waters of the South Pacific, Caribbean or off the coast of Africa. As these...

According to Fema.gov, air direction is what defines a tornado. In fact, the updraft of air that is located in the center of a tornado is its most distinguishing feature. The air flow inside of a...

Tornadoes are created in large thunderstorms--unstable and volatile conditions at the border of a moving front. Most tornadoes occur in the United States as fronts move eastward from the Rocky...

Heat travels through the air through a process called convection. To understand this, it is important to understand a few things about energy. An object can have potential energy or kinetic...

Spring is here! The flowers are blooming, the sun is shining and birds are chirping...so what are you doing indoors? There are plenty of ways to enjoy spring inexpensively, so get out of bed and...

Spring; wonderful Spring! What better time of year is there than Spring? Spring life popping up all around; winter's grip relaxing its hold; longer, warmer days; and all the wonderful things of...

The air on the Earth's surface is in constant motion due to a phenomenon called air currents. Air currents constantly shift the air around us across the globe. These currents affect air quality...

Barometers serve to gauge the air pressure in the surrounding atmosphere. Amateur meteorologists use them to perform basic analyses of the nearby weather, and people of all sorts use them to...

Wind is powerful and amazing. Just watch what happens to objects in a tornado. The definition of wind is a movement of air. Wind can either destroy or wind can be used for good purposes. If you've...

The definition of climate is the long term weather patterns of a specific area, usually measured for 30 years. The average temperature and the average precipitation are taken into effect when...

Rain is a form of precipitation in which water falls back to earth as a liquid. Precipitation that occurs in a solid form is snow or hail. There is always some water in the air, but the amount of...

Wind is a powerful force of nature that has many benefits but also a potentially destructive side. Wind can erode the land, create waves and provide power. Wind can also be found in storms such as...

Sound is energy, like light or electricity. But sound energy exists as vibrations that are not as easily detectable. These vibrations, when they collect together, are known as sound waves. These...

A barometer measures air pressure by exposing a component---mercury, metal plates or coils---to air. That component pushes against a vacuum and registers a number on a scale that has been printed...

We live on the surface of a planet that is protected by a blanket of atmosphere. Our atmosphere protects us against all sorts of space debris, but it also poses some risks: weather events that are...