Unit 4: Atmosphere & Hydrosphere Vocabulary
Part 1: Atmosphere:
1.
atmosphere: thin layer of gases surrounding Earth;
gases decrease at higher altitudes
2. Exosphere: outermost layer of atmosphere; above thermosphere; satellites orbit here
3. Thermosphere: region above mesosphere and up to exosphere; lower portion has the ionosphere
4. ionosphere: region within the mesosphere and thermosphere containing ions; auroras are here
5. mesosphere: middle layer of atmosphere;
6. liquid: matter with a definite volume but with no definite shape
7.
ozone layer: area of the stratosphere with a high concentration of ozone; protects
us from
harmful UV radiation
8. stratosphere: atmospheric layer directly above the troposphere; has
the ozone layer
9. troposphere: atmospheric layer closest to Earth’s surface; airplanes
fly here
10. water vapor: gaseous form of water
11.
air pressure: force that a column of air exerts on anything below it.
PART 2: ENERGY IN ATMOSPHERE:
12. conduction: transfer of thermal energy by collisions between particles of matter( solids/liquids)
13. convection: transfer of thermal energy by the movement of matter from one place to another( gases
and liquids ); represented by arrows to show up and down movement
14. radiation: transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves( no matter is needed )
15. reflect: to return light, heat, and sound after striking a surface
16. stability: describes whether circulating air motions will be strong or weak in the atmosphere
17. temperature inversion: layer of cooler air is trapped by a layer of warmer air above it
18.
Sun’s energy: 50 % absorbed, and 50 % reflected back to clouds and
atmosphere; most of Sun’s energy transferred to Earth is in form of radiation.
19.
Earth’s Orginal Atmosphere: mostly water vapor
20.
Energy transmitted from Earth to atmosphere: is mostly in form of infrared
radiation
21.
Greenhouse Gases: carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor- trap the UV
light radiation
PART 3 : AIR MASSES
22. wind: movement of air from high pressure to low-pressure areas
23.
global air masses( wind belts ) - 6 global belts- polar easterlies( N
and S); westerlies ( N and S) and the tradewinds ( N and S) ; 3 main
global winds: westerlies, easterlies and tradewinds.
24. jet stream: narrow band of high winds
25. land breeze: wind that blows from the land to the sea
26. polar easterlies: cold winds that blow from the east to the west near the North and South Poles
27. sea breeze: wind that blows from the sea to the land
28. trade winds: steady winds that flow toward the equator from east to west
29. westerlies: steady winds that flow from west to east
30.
Pressure Belts: 7 of them; affecting the winds due to high and low pressure.
31.
Direction of air masses: to the right ( clockwise ) in N hemisphere, and to the
left ( counter clockwise ) in S. Hemisphere.
32.
Low pressure: warm air that rises from Earth’s surface
33.
High pressure : cool air that sinks to Earth’s surface , replacing the warm air.
34.
Coriolis effect: the tilt of the Earth and its rotation, cause the winds in the
northern hemisphere to shift toward the right, and to the left in the S. hemisphere.
This creates distinct air patterns and weather.
35. acid precipitation: results from sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides combining with moisture in the
atmosphere
36. air pollution: contamination of air by harmful substances
37. particulate matter: mixture of dust, acids, and other chemicals that can be harmful to health
38. photochemical smog: interaction between sunlight and chemicals in the air
Instructions:
1. Simply read over the entire list of definitions. Circle or highlight words within the definition
that you do not understand. Prepare to discuss them in class (Due: 5/16).
2. On a separate sheet of paper, create visual definitions for each of the following words Use
the textbook and internet to copy your diagrams (Due: 5/17):
o
rain shadow
o land breeze
o low pressure system
o sea breeze
o high pressure system
o
o front
o Convection
o wind
o revolution
temperature inversion
3. Using a Venn diagram, compare and contrast weather and climate
4. Only study the following words for a vocabulary quiz on 5/24. Do not study the entire list of
words:
o radiation
o
o greenhouse gas
o humidity
o drought
o stability
o surface report
o reflect
o upper-air report
o front
o trade winds
o jet stream
o
o water cycle
blizzard
dominate