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earth system
| 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, icecaps, ice sheets,and frozen ground permafrost. |
| atmosphere | A mixture of gases that surrounds a plant, 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 atomosphere, 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. |
| 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 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." |
| 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 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." |