Chapter 12 flashcards
Terms
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- Weather
- the condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place
- Atmosphere
- the envelope of gasses that surrounds Earth
- Ozone
- a form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of the usual two
- Water Vapor
- water found in the form of a gas
- Pollutant
- a harmful substance in the air, water, or soil
- Photochemical Smog
- a brownish haze that is the mixture of ozone and other chemicals, formed when pollutants react with each other in the presence of sunlight.
- Acid Rain
- rain that contains more acid than normal
- Density
- the amount of mass of a substance in a given volume; mass per unit volume
- Pressure
- the force exerted on a surface divided by the total area over which the force is exerted
- Air Pressure
- the pressure caused by the weight of a Column of air pushing down on an area
- Mercury Barometer
- an instrument that measures changes in air pressure, consisting of a glass tube partially filled with mercury, with its open end resting in a dish of mercury.
- Barometer
- an instrument used to measure changes in air pressure
- Aneroid Barometer
- an instrument that measures changes in air pressure without using a liquid
- Altitude
- elevation above sea level
- Troposphere
- the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere
- Mesosphere
- the layer of Earth's atmosphere immediately above the stratosphere
- Ionosphere
- the lowest part of the thermosphere
- Stratosphere
- the second lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere
- Thermosphere
- the outer most layer of the Earth's atmosphere
- Exosphere
- the outer layer of the thermosphere
- Electromagnetic Waves
- waves that can transfer electric and magnetic energy through the vacuum of space
- Radiation
- the direct transfer of energy through space by electromagnetic waves
- Infrared Radiation
- electromagnetic waves with wave lengths that are longer than visible life but shorter than microwaves
- Ultraviolent Radiation
- electromagnetic waves with wave lengths that are shorter than visible light but longer than X-rays
- Scattering
- reflection of light in all directions
- Greenhouse effect
- the process by which heat is trapped in the atmosphere by water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and other gasses that form the "blanket" around earth; the trapping of heat by a planet's atmosphere
- Thermal Energy
- the total energy of motion in the particles of a substance
- Thermometer
- an instrument used to measure temperature, consisting of a thin glass tube with a bulb on one end that contains liquid (usually mercury or alcohol)
- Heat
- the transfer of thermal energy from one object to another because of a difference in temperature
- Conduction
- the direct transfer of thermal energy from one substance to another substance that is touching
- Convection
- the transfer of thermal energy by the movement of a fluid
- Convection Current
- the movement of a fluid, caused by differences in temperature, that transfers heat from one part of a fluid to another
- Wind
- the horizontal movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of lower pressure
- Wind Chill Factor
- a measure of cooling combining temperature and wind speed
- Sea Breeze
- the flow of cooler air from over an ocean or lake toward land
- Global Wind
- winds that blow steadily from specific directions over long distances
- Latitude
- the distance in degrees north or south of the equator
- Anemometer
- an instrument used to measure wind speed
- Local Wind
- winds that blow over short distances
- Land Breeze
- the flow of air from land to a body of water
- Coriolis Effect
- the effect of Earth's rotation on the directions of winds and currents
- Jet steam
- bands of high-speed winds about 10 kilometers above Earth's surface