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Earth's Spheres OW
Term | Definition |
---|---|
atmosphere | the layer of gases that surround the Earth |
geosphere | the solid portion of the Earth that includes the crust, mantle, outer and inner core |
hydrosphere | all the waters on earth’s surface, such as lakes and seas, and sometimes water over earth’s surface including clouds |
biosphere | the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of earth that are occupied by living organisms |
greenhouse gases | is a gas in the atmosphere that absorbs and emits thermal energy; greenhouse gases include: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide. |
nitrogen | most abundant permanent gas in the atmosphere (78% of atmosphere consists of nitrogen) |
oxygen | second most abundant permanent gas in the atmosphere (21% of atmosphere consists of oxygen) |
carbon dioxide | variable gas found in the atmosphere |
troposphere | the lowest layer of the atmosphere closest to Earth; most of Earth’s air is found here and this is where weather occurs |
stratosphere | the layer above the troposphere; the ozone layer is found in this layer |
mesosphere | located above the stratosphere; this is the layer in which meteors burn up to create shooting stars and it is also the coldest layer |
thermosphere | located above the mesosphere; not much is known about this layer, but there is not much air in this layer |
exosphere | the outermost layer, furthest from Earth’s surface; relatively thick layer but contains very little air. It is the transitional layer between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. |