Environmental Science Ch. 17-21

Front 1

outgasing

Back 1

the release of volatiles from Earth's mantle to the surface in volcanic eruptions

Front 2

photosynthesis

Back 2

the process by which chlorophyll-bearing plant cells convert carbon dioxide and water to organic sugars, using sunlight as an energy souce, oxygen is released in the process

Front 3

troposhere

Back 3

The layer of air that lies closest to Earth's surface and extends upward to about 17 kilometers.

Front 4

tropopause

Back 4

The top of the troposphere; the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere.

Front 5

stratosphere

Back 5

The layer of air above the tropopause, extended upward about 55 kilometers.

Front 6

atmospheric pressure or barometric pressure

Back 6

The pressure of the atmosphere at any given location and time.

Front 7

barometer

Back 7

a device used to measure bormetric pressure

Front 8

bar

Back 8

unit of measurement for atmospheric pressure. one bar is equal to sea-level atmospheric pressure

Front 9

stratopause

Back 9

The celing of the stratosphere; the boundary between the stratosphere and hte mesopshere.

Front 10

mesosphere

Back 10

The layer of air that lies above teh stratopause, extending upward from about 55 kilometers to about 80 kilometeres above Earth's surface.

Front 11

mesopause

Back 11

The ceiling of the mesosphere; the boundary between the mesosphere and the thermosphere.

Front 12

thermosphere

Back 12

An extremely high and diffuse region of the atmospheere lying above the mesospehre, from about 80 kilometers upward.

Front 13

acid rain

Back 13

Become acidic after reacting with pollutants

Front 14

aerosol

Back 14

particle or particulate that is suspended in teh air

Front 15

fly ash

Back 15

non-combustible minerals that escape into the atmosphere when coal burns, eventually settling as gritty dust.

Front 16

CFCs

Back 16

organic compounds containing chlorine and fluorine, which rise into the upper atmosphere to destroy the ozone layer.

Front 17

halons

Back 17

compounds containing bromine and chlorine which rise tot he uppoer atmosphere to destroy the ozone layer.

Front 18

ozone hole

Back 18

an usually low ozone concentration in the stratosphere.

Front 19

albedo

Back 19

The reflectivity of a surface, a surface that reflects more light has a higher albedo.

Front 20

greenhouse effect

Back 20

An increase in teh temperature of the planet's surface caused when infrared-absorbing gasesi n the atmosphere trap energy from the Sun.

Front 21

temperature

Back 21

A measure of heat in a substance, proportional to the average speed of atoms and molecules in a sample.

Front 22

heat

Back 22

A measure of the total energy in a sample.

Front 23

conduction

Back 23

The transport of heat by direct collision among atoms or molecules.

Front 24

latent heat

Back 24

stored heat, the energy released or absorbed when a substance changes from one state to another, by melting, freezing, vaporization, condensation, or sublimation.

Front 25

specific heat

Back 25

The amount of energy required to reaise the temp. of 1g of a substance 1 deg. C.

Front 26

isotherms

Back 26

Lines on a map indicate same temp.

Front 27

humidity

Back 27

The amount of water vapor in the air.

Front 28

absolute humidity

Back 28

The mass of water vapor in a given volume of air, expressed in grams per cubic meter.

Front 29

relative humidity

Back 29

The ratio of the amount of water vapor in a given volume of air divided by the maximum amount of water vapor that can be held by that air at the given temp. expressed as a percentage.

Front 30

saturation

Back 30

The amount of water vapor that the air can hold.

Front 31

adiabatic temp. changes

Back 31

Temperature changes caused by compression or expansion of gas, that occur wihtout gain or loss of heat.

Front 32

orographic lifting

Back 32

air flows over a mountain

Front 33

frontal wedging

Back 33

air masses collide, weather front

Front 34

cirrus

Back 34

wispy, high altitude clouds composed of ice crystals

Front 35

stratus

Back 35

blanket, dark skies

Front 36

cumulus

Back 36

fluffy, fat bottoms and billowy tops

Front 37

cumulonimbus

Back 37

high, form in columns, thunderstorms, sometimes hail

Front 38

nimbostratus

Back 38

rain or snow

Front 39

wind

Back 39

Horizontal airflow caused by pressure differences resulting from unequal heating of earth's atmosphere. Winds near earth's surface always flow from a region of high pressure toward a low pressure region.

Front 40

pressure gradient

Back 40

A measure of the change in air pressure over distance, used to determine wind speed.

Front 41

isobars

Back 41

Lines on a weather map connecting points of equal air pressure.

Front 42

cyclone

Back 42

A lower-pressure region with its accompanying system of inwardly directed rotating winds.

Front 43

anticyclone

Back 43

A high-pressure region with its accompanying system of outwardly directed rotating winds that develop where descending air spreads over Earth's surface.

Front 44

cold front

Back 44

A front that forms when moving cold air collides with stationary or slower-moving warm air. The dense cold air distorts intoa blunt wedge and pushes under the warmer air, creating a narrow band of violent weather.

Front 45

front

Back 45

boundary between a warmer air mass and a cold one

Front 46

warm front

Back 46

warm air collides with a stationary or slower-moving cold air mass. The moving warm air rises over the denser cold air, cools adiabatically and the cooling generates clouds and precipitation.

Front 47

cold front

Back 47

A front that forms when moving cold air collides with stationary or slower-moving warm air. The dense cold air distorts intoa blunt wedge and pushes under the warmer air, creating a narrow band of violent weather.

Front 48

El Nino

Back 48

An episodic weather pattern occuring every 3 to 7 years in which the trade winds slacken the the Pacific Ocean and warm water accumulates off the coast of South America and causes unual rains and heavy snowfall in the Andes.

Front 49

doldrums

Back 49

A vast low-pressure region of Earth near the equator with hot, humid air and where local squalls and rainstorms are common but steady winds are rare.