Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Ch. 15 Atmosphere
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Atmosphere | A mixture of gases that surrounds a planet or moon |
| Air pressure | The measure of the force with which air molecules push on a surface |
| Altitude | Distance from sea level |
| Troposphere | The lowest layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature decreases at a constant rate as altitude increases. |
| Stratosphere | The layer of the atmosphere that is above the troposphere and in which temperature increases as altitude increases. |
| Mesosphere | The layer of the atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere and in which temperature decreases as altitude increases. |
| Thermosphere | The uppermost layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature increases as altitude increases. |
| Ions | Electrically charged particles |
| Ionosphere | Located in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere. |
| Auroras | In polar regions, ions radiate energy as shimmering lights |
| Radiation | The transfer of energy as electromagnetic waves |
| Thermal Conduction | The transfer of energy as what travels through a material |
| Convection | The movement of matter due to differences in density; the transfer of energy due to the movement of matter |
| Convection Current | Cycle of warm air rising and cool air sinking causes a circular movement of air |
| Greenhouse Effect | The warming of the surface and lower atmosphere of Earth that occurs when water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases absorb and reradiate thermal energy |
| Global Warming | A gradual increase in average global temperature |
| Radiation Balance | The balance between incoming energy and outgoing energy |
| Wind | The movement of air caused by differences in air pressure |
| Convection Cells | |
| Pressure Belts | |
| Coriolis Effect | The apparent curving of the path of a moving object from an otherwise straight path due to Earth's rotation |
| Polar Easterlies | Prevailing winds that blow from east to west between 60 degrees and 90 degrees latitude in both hemispheres |
| Westerlies | Prevailing winds that blow from west to east between 30 degrees and 60 degrees latitude in both hemispheres |
| Trade Winds | Prevailing winds that blow northeast from 30 degrees north latitude to the equator and that blow southeast from 30 degrees south latitude to the equator |
| Global Winds | The Coriolis effect produces patterns of air circulation |
| Doldrums | The trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres meet in an area around the equator |
| Horse Latitudes | The winds at these locations are weak |
| Jet Streams | A narrow belt of strong winds that blow in the upper troposphere |
| Air pollution | The contamination of the atmosphere by the introduction of pollutants from human and natural sources |
| Primary pollutants | Pollutants that are put directly into the air by human or natural activity |
| Secondary pollutants | Pollutants that form when primary pollutants react with other primary pollutants or with naturally occurring substances, such as water vapor |
| Ozone | Secondary pollution, produced when sunlight reacts with vehicle exhaust and air |
| Acid precipitation | Rain, sleet, or snow that contains a high concentration of acids |
| Ventilation | Mixing of indoor air with outdoor air, can reduce indoor air pollution |
| Acidification | Changes the balance of a soil's chemistry in several ways |
| Acid shock | A rapid change in a body of water's acidity |
| Scrubber | A device that is used to remove some pollutants before they are released by smokestacks |
Created by:
emma.walls