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Earth Systems
Unit 10
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Earth System | All of the nonliving things, living things, and processes that make up the planet Earth, including the solid Earth, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere. |
| Geosphere | The mostly solid, rocky part of Earth; extends from the center of the core to the surface of 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 surround a planet, moon, or other celestial body. |
| Biosphere | The part of Earth where life exists; 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 layer of 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 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 substance's 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. |
| Conduction | 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 the path of a moving object from an otherwise straight path due to Earth;s rotation. |
| Global Winds | 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; occur in specific areas as a result of certain geographical features. |
| Ocean Current | A movement of ocean water that follows a regular pattern. |
| Surface Current | A horizontal movement of ocean water that is caused by wind and that occurs at or near the ocean's surface. |
| Deep Current | A stream like movement of ocean water far below the surface. |
| Convection Current | Any movement of matter that resulted from differences in density; may be vertical, circular, or cyclical. |
| Upwelling | The movement of deep, cold, and nutrient-rich water to the surface. |