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Weather part 1 vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Air Pressure | -the measure of the force with which air molecules push on a surface |
| Altitude | -elevation ( height) above sea level |
| Troposphere | -lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere; 0-17 km above Earth's surface, site of weather, organism, contains most atmospheric water vapor |
| Stratosphere | -2nd layer of atmosphere ; extends from 10 to 30 miles up; location of ozone layer; absorbs 95% of ultraviolet radiation; temp increases with altitude increase |
| Thermosphere | -the fourth layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature increases as altitude increases |
| Exosphere | -the outer layer of the Thermosphere, extending outward into space |
| Atmospheric Gases | -nitrogen makes up 78% 21% oxygen, and remaining 1% is carbon dioxide, water vapor and other gasses |
| Nitrogen | -most abundant gas in the atmosphere(78%) |
| Oxygen | -gas that makes up 21% of the air in Earth's atmosphere - it passes in through the bloodstream at the lungs and travels to all body cells |
| Carbon Dioxide | -a greenhouse gas: a gas that absorbs and radiates heat |
| Trace Gases | -gasses such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide |
| Water Vapor | - water in the form of gas |
| Fossil Fuels | - a natural substance formed from the buried remains of ancient organisms that can be used as a source of energy |
| Greenhouse Gases | - gasses in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat near the surface |
| Water cycle | - the continuious process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back |
| Evaporation | -the change of a substance from a liquid to a gas |
| Condensation | - the change from a gas to liquid |
| Precipitation | - any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface ( rain, snow, hail, sleet, or mist |
| Transpertation | - evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant |
| Crystallization | -the process by which a substance becomes a solid, sort of like freezing |
| Surface Runoff | - water that flows over land until it reaches lakes, rivers, or other areas |
| Groundwater Flow | - water that is flowing beneath Earth's surface |
| Dew | - water that hes condensed on a cool surface overnight from water vapor in the air |
| Frost | - ice formed when water vapor changes directly into ice crystals |
| Ozone | - part of Earth's upper atmosphere; it protects people by absorbing harmful rays from the sun |
| Greenhouse Effect | - a warming of Earth's surface and the air above it. It is caused by gases in the air trap energy from the sun |
| Mesophere | -middle of the atmosphere; 51-85 km above Earth's surface; coldest layer, this is where meteors burn up |