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Earth Systems
Unnit 10
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Earth System | Earth Systems are a set of interactions between living and nonliving organisms on the planet. |
| geosphere | The geosphere is the earth itself: the rocks, minerals, and landforms of the surface and interior. |
| hydrosphere | A hydrosphere is the total amount of water on a planet. |
| cryosphere | The cryosphere refers to Earth's ice in all its forms. |
| Atmosphere | Atmosphere is a protective layer of gases that shelters all life on Earth, keeping temperatures within a relatively small range and blocking out harmful rays of sunlight. |
| 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 strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core. |
| 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 temerature 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 the lower atmosphere of Earth that occurs when the water vapor, carbon dioxide, and the 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 is 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 Temeratures. |
| 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 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 geographic features. |
| ocean current | A movement of ocean water that follows a regular pattern. |
| surface current | A horizontal movement of ocean water that occurs at or near the ocean. |
| deep current | A streamlike movement of ocean water far below the surface. |
| convection current | Any movement of matter that results from diffrences in density; may be vertical, circular, or cyclical. |