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14 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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what is the biosphere?
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The biosphere is the global ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships, including their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.
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what is the lithosphere?
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The solid outer layer of the Earth; includes both the land area and the land beneath the oceans and other water bodies.
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what is the hydrosphere?
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The part of the Earth composed of water including clouds, oceans, seas, ice caps, glaciers, lakes, rivers, underground water supplies, and atmospheric water vapor.
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what is the atmosphere?
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The atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and other gases (1%) that surrounds Earth. High above the planet, the atmosphere becomes thinner until it gradually reaches space. It is divided into five layers. Most of the weather and clouds are found in the first layer.
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what is weather?
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Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place. Most weather takes place in the troposphere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere.
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what is the hydrological cycle?
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The hydrological cycle describes the constant movement of water above, on, and below the Earth's surface.
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what is an open system?
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An open system is when essential chemicals and anergy are circulated and recycled between parts of the system by a complex network of pathways and loops, commonly known as cycles.
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what is a closed cycle?
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closed system is when the amount of matter is finite and fixed, and changes made in one part of the system will eventually affect other parts of the system.
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what is a thermosphere?
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The thermosphere is the fourth layer of the Earth's atmosphere and is located above the mesosphere. The air is really thin in the thermosphere. A small change in energy can cause a large change in temperature. That's why the temperature is very sensitive to solar activity. When the sun is active, the thermosphere can heat up to 1,500°C or higher!
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what is the mesosphere
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The mesosphere is the third layer in the atmosphere, the air is relatively mixed together and the temperature decreases with altitude. The atmosphere reaches its coldest temperature of around -90°C in the mesosphere. This is also the layer in which a lot of meteors burn up while entering the Earth's atmosphere.
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what is the Stratosphere?
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The stratosphere is a layer of Earth's atmosphere. The stratosphere is the second layer, as one moves upward from Earth's surface, of the atmosphere. The stratosphere is above the troposphere and below the mesosphere.
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what is the troposphere?
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The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere. The troposphere extends from Earth's surface up to a height of 7 to 20 km above sea level. Most of the mass (about 75-80%) of the atmosphere is in the troposphere, and almost all weather occurs within this layer. Air is warmest at the bottom of the troposphere near ground level.
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what is Atmospheric pressure?
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Atmospheric pressure is not constant. It is affected by altitude and temperature. It is also affected by whether or not a low pressure system is coming through; or that there is a high pressure system nearby.
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what is climate?
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It is the average weather pattern in a place over more than thirty years, including the variations in seasons.
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