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Earth's systems

unit 10

TermDefinition
Earth system All of the non-living things, and processes that make up planet Earth, including the solid Earth, the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and the biosphere.
geosphere The mostly solid, rocky part of Earth; extends from the center of the core to the surface to the crust.
hydrosphere The portion of Earth that is water.
cryosphere One of the earth's spheres where water is in solid form, including snow cover, floating ice, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, and frozen ground permafrost.
Atmosphere A mixture of gases that surrounds a planet, moon, or other celestial body.
biosphere The part of Earth where life exist; includes all of the living organisms on Earth.
energy budget The net flow of energy into and out of a system.
air pressure The measure of the force with which air molecules push on a surface.
thermosphere The uppermost layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature increases as altitude increases.
mesosphere The strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core. The layer of the atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere and in which temperature decreases as altitude increases.
stratosphere The layer of the atmosphere that lies between the troposphere and the mesosphere and in which temperature increases as altitude increases; contains the ozone layer.
troposphere The lowest layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature drops at a constant rate as altitude increases; the part of the atmosphere where weather conditions exist.
ozone layer The layer of the atmosphere at at an altitude of 15 to 40 km in which ozone absorbs ultraviolet solar radiation.
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 energy.
temperature A measure of how hot or cold something is; specifically, a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in an object.
thermal energy The total kinetic energy of a substances atoms.
thermal expansion An increase in the size of a substance in response to an increase in the temperature of the substance.
heat The energy transferred between objects that are at different temperatures.
radiation The transfer of energy as electromagnetic waves.
convection The movement of matter due to differences in density; the transfer of energy due to the movement of matter.
condution The transfer of energy as heat through a material.
wind The movement of air caused by differences in air pressure.
Coriolis effect The curving of a path of a moving object from a otherwise straight path due to Earth's rotation.
global wind The movement of air over Earth's surface in patterns that are worldwide.
jet stream A narrow band of strong winds that blow in the upper troposphere.
local wind The movement of air over short distances; occurs in specific areas as a result of certain geographical features.
ocean current A movement of ocean water that follows a regular pattern.
deep current A streamlike movement of ocean water far below the surface.
convection current Any movement of matter that results from differences in density; may be vertical, circular, or cyclical.
upwelling The movement of deep, cold, and nutrient-rich water to the surface.
 

 



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