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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 permanfrost. |
| atmosphere | A mixture of gasses that surrounds a planet, moon, or other celestial body. |
| biosphere | The par of Earth where life exists; including 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, 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. |
| 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 he 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 gasses absorb and reradiate energy |
| temperature | A measure of 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. |
| 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 use to the movement of matter. |
| conduction | The transfer of energy as heat through a material. |
| thermal expansion | An crease in the size of a substance in response an increase in the temperature of the substance. |
| wind | The movement of air caused by differences in air pressure. |
| Coriolis effect | The curving of the path of a moving object from a otherwise straight path due to Earth's rotation. |
| global wind | The movement of air over Earths's surface in patterns that are worldwide. |
| jet stream | A narrow band of strong winds that blow I the upper troposphere |
| local wind | the movement of air over short distances; occurs in specific areas as a result of certain areas as a result of certain geographic features. |
| ocean current | A movement of ocean water that follows regular pattern. |
| surface current | A horizontal movement of ocean water that is caused by wind and tat occurs at or near the ocean's surface |
| deep current | A streamlike movement of ocean water far below the surface. |
| convention 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. |