Environment

Front 1

Atmosphere

Back 1

The gaseous envelope surrounding the earth; the air.

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Biosphere

Back 2

The part of the earth's crust, waters, and atmosphere that supports life.

Front 3

Hydrosphere

Back 3

The water on or surrounding the surface of the globe, including the water of the oceans and the water in the atmosphere.

Front 4

Lithosphere

Back 4

The solid portion of the earth.

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Thermosphere

Back 5

The region of the upper atmosphere in which temperature increases continuously with altitude, encompassing essentially all of the atmosphere above the mesosphere.

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Stratosphere

Back 6

the region of the upper atmosphere extending upward from the tropopause to about 30 miles (50 km) above the earth, characterized by little vertical change in temperature.

Front 7

Climate

Back 7

The composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region,as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine,cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over a series of years.

Front 8

Weather

Back 8

The state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature,cloudiness, moisture, pressure, etc.

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Altitude

Back 9

Extent or distance upward; height.

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Troposphere

Back 10

The lowest layer of the atmosphere, 6 miles (10 km) high in some areas and as much as 12 miles (20 km) high in others, within which there is a steady drop in temperature with increasing altitude and within which nearly all cloud formations occur and weather conditions manifest themselves.

Front 11

Mesosphere

Back 11

The region between the stratosphere and the thermosphere,extending from about 20–50 miles (32–80 km) above the surface ofthe earth.

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Inversion

Back 12

A deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude. It almost always refers to a "temperature inversion", i.e. an increase in temperature with height, or to the layer ("inversion layer") within which such an increase occurs.

Front 13

Ozone

Back 13

A colorless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odor and powerful oxidizing properties, formed from oxygen by electrical discharges or ultraviolet light. It differs from normal oxygen (O2) in having three atoms in its molecule (O3).

Front 14

Ozone Layer

Back 14

The layer of the upper atmosphere where most atmospheric ozone is concentrated, from about 8 to 30 miles (12 to48 km) above the earth, with the maximum ozone concentration occurring at an altitude of about 12 miles (19 km).

Front 15

Climate Change

Back 15

A long-term change in the earth's climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature. Minimum of 30 years for change to occur.

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Adaptation

Back 16

The state of being adapted; adjustment.

Front 17

Scientific Evidence

Back 17

Scientific evidence is evidence which serves to either support or counter a scientific theory or hypothesis.

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Net Radiation Budget

Back 18

The balance between incoming and outgoing energy at the top of the atmosphere. It is the total energy that is available to influence the climate.

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Solar Energy Output

Back 19

Energy radiated from the sun in the form of electromagnetic waves, including visible and ultraviolet light and infrared radiation.

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Terrestrial Energy Output

Back 20

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Net Radiant Energy

Back 21

The energy of electromagnetic and gravitational radiation.

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EMR Spectrum

Back 22

The electromagnetic spectrum, starting from the waves with the longest wavelengths (and least energy), consists of radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, x-rays, and gamma radiation.

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Greenhouse gas

Back 23

A greenhouse gas is any gaseous compound in the atmosphere that is capable of absorbing infrared radiation, thereby trapping and holding heat in the atmosphere. By increasing the heat in the atmosphere, greenhouse gases are responsible for the greenhouse effect, which ultimately leads to global warming.

Front 24

Angle of Inclination

Back 24

This titled position of the earths axis is known as inclination of the earths axis.

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Latitude

Back 25

The angular distance of a place north or south of the earth's equator, or of a celestial object north or south of the celestial equator, usually expressed in degrees and minutes.

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Insolation

Back 26

The amount of solar radiation reaching a given area.

Front 27

Albedo

Back 27

The proportion of the incident light or radiation that is reflected by the surface of a planet.

Front 28

Angle of Incidence

Back 28

The angle that an incident line or ray makes with a perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence.

Front 29

Atmospheric Pressure

Back 29

The pressure exerted by the weight of the atmosphere.

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Conduction

Back 30

The process by which heat or electricity is directly transmitted through a substance.

Front 31

Coriolis Effect

Back 31

An effect whereby a mass moving in a rotating system experiences a force (the Coriolis force ) acting perpendicular to the direction of motion and to the axis of rotation.

Front 32

Current

Back 32

A body of water or air moving in a definite direction, especially through a surrounding body of water or air in which there is less movement

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Jet Stream

Back 33

A narrow, variable band of very strong, predominantly westerly air currents encircling the globe several miles above the earth. There are typically two or three jet streams in each of the northern and southern hemispheres

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Convection

Back 34

The movement caused within a fluid by the tendency of hotter and therefore less dense material to rise, and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat.

Front 35

Radiation

Back 35

Energy that comes from a source and travels through some material or through space. Light, heat and sound are types of radiation.

Front 36

Heat of Fusion

Back 36

The heat absorbed by a unit mass of a given solid at its melting point that completely converts the solid to a liquid at the same temperature

Front 37

Heat of Vaporization

Back 37

Heat absorbed when a liquid vaporizes; specifically : the quantity of heatrequired at a specified temperature to convert unit mass of liquid into vapor.

Front 38

Heat of Condensation

Back 38

Heat evolved when a vapor changes to a liquid; specifically : the quantity of heat that is evolved when unit mass of a vapor is changed at a specified temperature to a liquid and that equals the heat of vaporization.

Front 39

Heat of Solidification

Back 39

Heat liberated by a unit mass of liquid at its freezing point when it solidifies. heat of transformation, latent heat - heat absorbed or radiated during a change of phase at a constant temperature and pressure.

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Hydrologic Cycle

Back 40

The sequence of conditions through which water passes from vapor in the atmosphere through precipitation upon land or water surfaces and ultimately back into the atmosphere as a result of evaporation and transpiration.

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Phase

Back 41

A physically distinctive form of matter, such as a solid, liquid, gas or plasma.

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Quantity of Thermal Energy

Back 42

How much heat is in something.

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Specific Heat Capacity

Back 43

The heat required to raise the temperature of the unit mass of a given substance by a given amount.

Front 44

Tundra

Back 44

A vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen.

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Rain Forest

Back 45

A luxuriant, dense forest rich in biodiversity, found typically in tropical areas with consistently heavy rainfall.

Front 46

Grassland

Back 46

A large open area of country covered with grass, especially one used for grazing.

Front 47

Deciduous Forest

Back 47

Forests that are dominated by trees that lose their leaves each year. These types of forest are found in areas with warm, moist summers and fairly mild winters.

Front 48

Taiga

Back 48

The sometimes swampy coniferous forest of high northern latitudes, especially that between the tundra and steppes of Siberia and North America.

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Desert

Back 49

A dry, barren area of land, especially one covered with sand, that is characteristically desolate, waterless, and without vegetation.

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Biome

Back 50

A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g., forest or tundra.

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Closed System

Back 51

A physical systemthat doesn't exchange any matter with its surroundings, and isn't subject to any force whose source is external to the system.

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Open System

Back 52

A material system in which mass or energy can be lost to or gained from the environment.

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Prairie

Back 53

A large open area of grassland, especially in the Mississippi River valley.

Front 54

Climatograph

Back 54

A graphical representation of basic climatic parameters, that is monthly average temperature and precipitation, at a certain location. It is used for a quick-view of the climate of a location.

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Carbon Sink

Back 55

A forest, ocean, or other natural environment viewed in terms of its ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

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Carbon Source

Back 56

Any carbon containing molecule (carbohydrate, amino acid, fatty acid, CO2) used by an organism for the synthesis of its organic molecules.

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Fossil Fuel

Back 57

A natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

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Extrapolation

Back 58

Educated guess or a hypothesis.

Front 59

Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

Back 59

Impact on the climate from the additional heat retained due to the increased amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that humans have released into the earths atmosphere.