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59 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Atmosphere |
the layer of gases that surround Earth |
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Biosphere |
a relatively thin layer of Earth that has conditions suitable for supporting life as we know it |
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Hydrosphere |
all the water on Earth, whether present as liquid, water vapour, or ice |
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Lithosphere |
solid portion of Earth, composed of rocks, minerals, and elements |
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Thermosphere |
furthest atmospheric layer from Earth's surface |
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Stratosphere |
atmospheric layer above the troposphere, from 10 km to 50 km above the earth's surface |
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Climate |
average weather conditions that occur in a region over a long period of time, usually a minimum of 30 years |
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Weather |
conditions of temperature, air pressure, cloud cover, precipitation (rain or snow), and humidity that occur at a particular place at a particular time |
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Altitude |
the distance above Earth's surface, measured from sea level (the surface of the Earth's oceans) |
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Troposphere |
layer of atmospheric gases at 0 km to 10 km from the Earth's surface |
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Mesosphere |
the third atmospheric layer above the Earth's surface |
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Inversion |
a reversal of the normal decrease of air temperature with altitude, or of water temperature with depth. a layer near to the ground of cold air gets trapped under a layer of warm air |
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Ozone |
a molecule made up of three atoms of oxygen |
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Ozone Layer |
a layer in the stratosphere containing high levels of ozone gas |
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Climate Change |
change that occurs in the climate of a region over time, usually a minimum of 30 years |
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Adaptation |
any change in the structure or function of an organism that makes it more suited to its environment |
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Scientific Evidence |
evidence collected in a matter that, as much as possible, ensures it is unbiased and reflects general situations, rather than particular events; is usually collected by trained scientists and checked by other scientists |
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Net Radiation Budget |
the difference between the amount of incoming radiation and outgoing radiation from the Earth's surface and atmosphere |
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Solar Energy Output |
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 |
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Net Radiant Energy |
the balance between incoming and outgoing energy at the top of the atmosphere |
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EMR Spectrum |
a division of the classes of waves based upon a range of wavelengths |
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Greenhouse Gases |
gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect |
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Angle of Inclination |
the degree by which Earth's poles are tilted from the perpendicular of the plane of its orbit, or 23.5 degrees |
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Latitude |
imaginary lines that run parallel to Earth's equator; the equator has a latitude of 0 degrees, and the poles have a latitude of 90 degrees N and 90 degrees S |
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Insolation |
the amount of solar energy received by a region of Earth's surface |
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Albedo |
percent of incoming solar radiation that a surface reflects |
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Angle of Incidence |
the angle between a ray falling on a surface and the line of the perpendicular to that surface |
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Atmospheric Pressure |
the pressure exerted by the mass of air above any point on Earth's surface |
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Conduction |
the transfer of thermal energy by direct contact between the particles of a substance, without moving the particles to a new location |
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Coriolis Effect |
the deflection of any object from a straight line path, caused by the rotation of Earth |
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Current |
flow from one place to another in one direction |
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Jet Stream |
a band of fast-moving air in the stratosphere |
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Convection |
the transfer of thermal energy by the movement of particles from one location to another |
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Radiation |
emission of energy as particles or waves |
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Heat of Fusion |
the amount of energy absorbed when 1 mol of a substance changes from solid phase to liquid phase, without a change in temperature |
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Heat of Vaporization |
the amount of energy released when 1 mol of a substance changes from vapour phase to gas phase, without a change in temperature |
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Heat of Condensation |
the amount of energy released when 1 mol of a substance changes from the vapour phase to the liquid phase, without a change in temperature |
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Heat of Solidification |
the amount of energy released when 1 mol of a substance in the liquid phase changes to the solid phase , without a change in temperature |
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Hydrologic Cycle (Water Cycle) |
the process by which water molecules move from Earth's surface into the atmosphere and then back again |
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Phase |
the state of a substance (solid, liquid, or vapour) |
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Quantity of Thermal Energy |
the amount of thermal energy absorbed or released when the temperature of a substance changes by a certain number of degrees; given by the equation Q = mc△t |
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Specific Heat Capacity |
amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 g of a substance by 1 degree celsius |
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Tundra |
coldest biome; ice and snow mainly. Average temperature: -15 to 5 degrees celsius. Average precipitation per year: 20cm. Low insolation and high albedo. |
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Rain Forest |
warmest biome; warm and wet conditions especially rain. Average temperature: 25 to 30 degrees celsius. Average precipitation per year: more than 200cm. High insolation and low albedo. |
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Grassland |
grassyregions with few or no trees due to harsh conditions. richand thick soils due to material given by organisms.Precipitation: 25 -57 cm/year. Average temperature: 4 to 18 degrees celsius |
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Deciduous Forest |
distinguishedby trees that lose their leaves each fall. Bylosing leaves each fall, trees are protected from freezing and need little water during winter season. Precipitation/ year: 75-150 cm. Average temperature: 14 to27 degrees celsius. |
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Taiga |
also called boreal forest, and found south of the tundra between 50° and 60° N. Circumpolar and second in size, to the marine biome. |
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Desert |
receivehigh levels of insolation, and so are quite hot during the day. deserts are quite cold at night because they lackwater and plants, so there is not enough material with heat capacity toretain thermal energy. Precipitations: lessthan 25 cm/year |
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Biome |
a large geographical region with a particular range of temperature and precipitation levels, and the plants and animals that are adapted to those climate conditions |
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Closed System |
any system that exchanges energy with its surroundings but does not exchange matter |
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Open System |
a system that exchanges both matter and energy with its surroundings |
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Prairie |
a subtype of grassland biome found in regions such as North America; prairies have cooler average temperatures than the other subtype of grassland biome, savanna |
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Climatograph |
a summary of the average temperature and precipitation for each month of the year for a given location |
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Carbon Sink |
any process that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, such as photosynthesis |
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Carbon Source |
any process that releases carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, such as burning of fossil fuels |
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Fossil Fuel |
carbon-based fuels formed from the remains of living organisms |
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Extrapolation |
the process of estimating the value of a measurement beyond the known values of a set of data |
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Enhanced Greenhouse Effect |
the change in Earth's net radiation budget, caused by the increase in human-generated greenhouse gases |