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The Atmosphere
Chapter 1 Weather and Climate
Key Term | Definition |
---|---|
weather | The condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place. |
atmosphere | The layer of gases that surrounds Earth. |
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. |
pollutant | Harmful substances in the air, water or soil. |
photochemical smog | A brownish haze that is a mixture of oxone and other chemicals, formed when nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and other pollutants react with each other in the presence of sunlight. |
acid rain | Rain that contains more acid than normal. |
density | the amount of mass of a substance to a given volume. |
pressure | The force pushing on an area or surface. |
air pressure | A force that is the result of the weight of a column of air pushing down on an area. |
barometer | An instrument used to measure changes in air pressure. |
mercury barometer | An instrument that measures changes in air pressure, consisting of a glass tube partially filled with mercury, with its open end resting in a dish of mercury. Air pressure pushing on the mercury in the dish forces the mercury in the tube higher. |
aneroid barometer | An instrument that measures changes in air pressure without using a liquid. Changes in the shape of an airtight metal box cause a needle on the barometer dial to move. |
altitude | Elevation above sea level. |
troposphere | The lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, where weather occurs. |
stratosphere | The second-lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere; the ozone layer is located in the upper stratosphere. |
mesosphere | The middle layer of Earth's atmosphere; the layer in which most meteroroids burn up. |
thermosphere | The outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere - the ionosphere and the exosphere make up the thermosphere. |
ionosphere | The lower part of the thermosphere, where electrically charged particles called ions are found. |
aurora borealis | A colorful, glowing display in the sky caused when particles from the sun strike oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the ionosphere; also called the Northern Lights. |
exosphere | The outer layer of the thermosphere, extending outward into space. |
Lewis structure | An electron dot diagram where valence electrons are represented as dots. |
electrons | A tiny, negatively charged particle that moves around the nucleus of an atom. |
protons | A small, positively charged particle in the nucleus of the atom. |
neutrons | A small particle in the nucleus of the atom, with no electrical charge. |
valence electrons | One of the electrons farthest away from the nucleus of the atom; these electrons are involved in a chemical reaction. |