sience
Explain that earth's thermal energy is distributed by convection, conduction, and radiation.
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Observations over time and advances in technology have shown that the atmosphere is made of several distinct layers. The layers are classified by differences in temperature, air pressure , and density. The lowest layer, extending just seven miles from Earth's surface, contains all the weather you experience and the air you breathe.
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Maritime Polar (mP) The maritime polar air mass forms over cold oceans and is very humid. In the winter, it produces warmer weather. In the summer, it brings cooler weather.
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Maritime Tropical (mT) The maritime tropical air mass forms over water and is more humid. When it reaches land, it brings rainy or muggy weather.
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Because they are dry, and dry air is denser, continental polar and Arctic air masses have the greatest air pressure.
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When you watch a weather forecast, you will hear forecasters refer to air masses by the force of their air pressure on Earth's surface. A dense continental air mass is called a "high." These are high-pressure areas of dry air. Less dense maritime air masses are called "lows." These are low-pressure areas of humid air. When a weather forecaster announces a low heading your way, you should get ready for some wet weather. That "low" on the weather map refers to a low-pressure air mass that has a lot of humidity.
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Scientists used balloons to find out about the atmosphere. Sometimes they rode along with the balloon, but above 33,000 feet, thin air made it impossible to breathe.
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Describe the major components that make up the earth's atmosphere.
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The bottom layers contain more gas molecules than the top. The layer closest to Earth, the troposphere Opens in modal popup window, is more dense than any other layer. The very thin air of the exosphere Opens in modal popup windowis the least dense. The exosphere is the last layer of the atmosphere. Gases in the exosphere can escape Earth's atmosphere and go into space.
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Explain how heat energy is transferred from warmer to cooler places.
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How do the layers of the atmosphere differ in density?
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Describe the interaction of altitude, air density, air pressure, and temperature in the atmosphere.
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Identify the layers of the atmosphere.
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Conduction: From the Ground Up Conduction is one way heat is transferred from Earth's surface to the air. In nature, heat always moves from a warmer object to a cooler object, such as from a warm finger to a cold mood ring. If you sit on a cold, metal chair, it will gradually warm up with your body heat. The same thing happens to air. When air molecules touch the warm ground or water on Earth's surface, heat is conducted from the ground or water to the air molecules, heating them up.
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How does air pressure differ in different layers of the atmosphere?
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Heat makes particles move faster and rise. Cold makes the particles move slower and sink.
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The particles rise over the heat element, travel across the surface of the tank until they are cooled by the cold element, and then they sink and return to the heat element.
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Heat is distributed through convection. The particles rise when they are heated, sink when they are cooled and move left or right when they hit the top or bottom of the tank. The overall pattern is a cycle.
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The atmosphere is the blanket of gases surrounding Earth. It'slayers are classified by temperature, air pressure and density.Temperature fluctuates from one layer to another. The result of the weight of air in the atmosphere pressing down on Earth is air pressure. It is greatest in the troposphere. density is the amount of matter in a given volume. The least dense layer is the exosphere. ozone is a form of oxygen; it screensout harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. A layer of ozone is found in the stratosphere. A hole in this layer has been caused by the use of chlorofluorocarbons. These are compounds of carbon, fluorine, chlorine, and hydrogen.
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What data did Dr. Köppen use to distinguish one climate zone from another?
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What do climatologists study?
A climatologist studies weather patterns over a period of time. Their work is similar to that of meteorologists but focuses on a much longer timescale, studying trends over months, years or even centuries.
You are a climatologist with the NOAA. A business person and ski enthusiast wants to develop a ski resort area in the mountains in a snow climate. She asks on which side of the mountain she should buy land for this purpose. What do you tell her and why?
A ski resort is best located on the windward side of the mountain because it will receive more snow. As the air is forced to rise up the mountain, it cools and releases moisture. By the time the wind reaches the leeward side, it is dry and cool.
Both stationary fronts and occluded fronts can stay around for a while. What's the difference between these two types of fronts?
A stationary front occurs when a cold air mass and a warm air mass meet but are at a standstill. The boundary between the two fronts moves very slowly. In an occluded front, a warm air mass is wedged between two cold air masses, and there are clear divisions between cold air, cool air, and warm air.
What does ozone do to protect the earth?
A very important gas called ozone can be found in the stratosphere. Ozone Opens in modal popup windowabsorbs rays of damaging ultraviolet (UV) light coming from the sun. In large doses, ultraviolet rays can harm skin, causing sunburns, aging, and skin cancer. UV light can also damage eyes. Recent data shows that some destruction of the ozone layer has been caused by manmade chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons Opens in modal popup window, or CFCs. With less ozone in the stratosphere, more harmful UV rays can reach Earth's surface.
Is most sunlight reflected, absorbed, or radiated back into space?
About 28 percent is reflected or scattered by the atmosphere. Gases and clouds in the atmosphere absorb about 24 percent of incoming solar radiation. The rest travels all the way through the atmosphere to Earth's surface. Some of that radiation is reflected by Earth's surface, but most is absorbed by it.
What kinds of activities occur in the atmosphere?
Activity in the Atmosphere At any given time of day or night, there is activity in the atmosphere. In the troposphere where weather occurs, it may be clear skies in one part of the world, while in another place, a plane is navigating through turbulence caused by wind or clouds. Weather balloons may be recording data in the stratosphere, while meteorites above burn up from friction in the mesosphere . In the thermosphere, charged particles trapped in Earth's magnetosphere produce spectacular aurora , known as the northern lights in the northern hemisphere. Satellites or even a space shuttle are in orbit. But most important is the constant protection provided by the atmosphere for life on Earth.
Notice how a convection current forms breezes that reverse direction at night. What is the reason for this?
After the sun goes down, both the land and the sea cool off. However, the land cools more quickly than the sea. The air over the land cools more than the air over the water. This cooler, denser air moves from the land to the sea and flows under the rising warmer air above the sea. Thus, a convection current moves from land to sea. The direction of the breeze is the reverse of what it is during the day.
How does the earth's rotation affect global wind patterns?
Air that starts off at the equator is moving 1,670 km/hr in the direction of Earth's rotation. As it moves toward the poles, it is still moving 1,670 km/hr, but the ground below it is moving slower. As a result, the air that gets ahead of the planet veers to the east. Air at the poles has the opposite problem. It is barely moving at all in the direction of Earth's rotation. As it moves closer to the equator, the ground below is moving faster. The air falls behind Earth and veers to the west. The Coriolis effect is one factor used in predicting weather patterns Opens in modal popup window
What causes wind?
An area of high pressure pushes toward an area of low pressure.
In what way do ocean currents affect climate?
Areas near ocean currents are always warmer than others at the same latitude. yes. Areas may be cooler or warmer than others at similar latitudes depending on the ocean current that passes by. Areas near ocean currents are always colder than others at the same latitudes.
What Is Convection? What is one example of convection that can be found in a kitchen?
As heat is transferred from water molecule to water molecule, the warmest water moves to the top, creating a "rolling boil."
How is climate related to latitude?
Climate and latitude are closely related. Remember that because of Earth's shape, radiation from the sun heats its surface unevenly. Locations closest to Earth's "bulge" at the equator generally have a warmer climate than places at higher latitudes.
What is climate?
Climate is the average weather in a place over many years. While the weather can change in just a few hours, climate takes hundreds, thousands, even millions of days
Average Precipitation
Climatologists determine monthly precipitation by adding the total daily precipitation for a month. Annual precipitation is the sum of all 12 monthly precipitation totals. Annual precipitation rates can be collected for several years, added together, and divided by the number of years to obtain the average annual precipitation rate used for determining climate zones.
What is the movement of air during the day where land and water meet?
Cooler air over land moves toward the water, where it is warmed by radiation. Direction cannot be predicted; it must be observed. yes. Cooler sea air moves toward land, where conduction from the land warms it.
How is average precipitation determined?
Daily precipitation is added up for a month to give monthly precipitation. Annual precipitation is the sum of all 12 monthly precipitation totals. Annual precipitation rates can be collected for several years, added together, and divided by the number of years to obtain an average annual precipitation rate.
Describe the characteristics of warm air masses.
Depending on where they form, air masses can be warm, cool, dry, or wet. Cold air masses—also called polar air masses—develop near the poles. Warm air masses—also called tropical air masses—develop near the equator. Dry air masses form over land. Moist air masses form over water.
What is used to classify the layers of the atmosphere?
Differences among temperature, air pressure, and density
Average Temperature
Each day has a high and low temperature. Climatologists calculate the average high and low for a date over many years. The average daily temperature is the average of these high and low temperatures for that date. Long-term weather patterns can be calculated using average monthly or yearly temperatures. Climate information like that used for this map uses average temperature over many years. Average Precipitation
Less dense gas particles escape from here to outer space
Exosphere
Convection is heat transferred when two items touch.
False
extremes
For example, within an area that has a particular set of climate conditions, what if there is a pattern of years of more precipitation than usual? Or even less precipitation than usual? Or perhaps there are occasionally above normal or below normal temperatures.
How does friction slow air down?
Friction Opens in modal popup window is a force that slows down motion between two objects that are touching each other. In this case, the two objects touching each other are the air mass and the ground. Friction between air molecules and the surface slows air down.
What is the atmosphere made of? Be specific.
Gas! There are molecules of over eight different kinds of gases in the atmosphere with nitrogen being the most abundant. Also in the atmosphere are water vapor and small liquid and solid particles.
What are the four main factors influence the temperature and precipitation of an area?
Geographic location Closeness to bodies of water Ocean currents Altitude, or height above sea level
Summarize the main points about conduction.
Heat is conducted from the sand and sea to the air. As the girls huddle, heat is conducted among them, too.
weather
If a warm, moist air mass moves over your house, there is a good chance of seeing rainy weather outside your window. However, if an air mass stays in one place for a while, it can pick up traits from an earlier air mass.
Air Pressure
Imagine a stack of books. The bottom book experiences the most pressure from the books on top, and the topmost books experience the least amount of pressure. This is similar to the pressure in the atmosphere, where the bottom layers undergo the highest amount of air pressure from the layers on top, and the top layers experience less air pressure. Notice how air pressure decreases sharply in the troposphere and then stays very low throughout the rest of the atmosphere's layers.
Rocks are located in layers, and so is the atmosphere. Compare pressure changes occurring in rock layers with those occurring in the layers of the atmosphere.
In rock layers, the pressure increases as you move from Earth's surface down to its center. In the layers of the atmosphere, air pressure is greatest at the surface and decreases as you travel up through each layer and into outer space. In both cases, layers on top create pressure on those below them.
How does a lava lamp work?
In the 1960s before the mood ring, lava lights were popular novelty items. A lava light was made of a light bulb, glass bottle containing oil, colored wax, and a wire coil. At room temperature, wax is denser than oil, and so when the light was off, the wax sat at the bottom of the glass bottle. See what happens when it is turned on. When the wax heats up, it melts, and its molecules spread out. It expands, becoming less dense than the oil. Hot portions of the wax rise to the top of the bottle, and denser oil moves to the bottom in its place. When the wax cools at the top of the bottle, it becomes denser and sinks back to the bottom. In lava lights, heat is transferred by convection. Convection Opens in modal popup windowis the transfer of heat by actual movement of warmed matter, such as when the wax rose to the top. Heat moved with the wax.
Friction causes meteorites to burn up
Mesosphere
How does a mood ring work?
Mood rings were an extremely popular fad in the 1970s. They could supposedly "read" emotions by changing color based on how the wearer was feeling. The way a mood ring really works involves the transfer of heat . The direct transfer of heat from the ring finger to the molecules of the ring is an example of conduction. Conduction s the transfer of heat between two objects that are touching. Heat conduction powers mood rings. Blue supposedly meant a calm and happy mood, green a normal mood, and gray and black supposedly meant the wearer was nervous or stressed.
In which layer is most of Earth's weather found and what is the location of this layer?
Most of Earth's weather is found in the troposphere, a layer that begins at Earth's surface and extends about 7 miles or 11.3 km upward.
What method of classifying global climate zones is used by climatologists today?
Nine Regions Three Zones: Polar, Temperate, Tropical YES. Köppen System
How do you think these breezes affect climate?
Ocean winds can carry a great deal of moisture with them and can bring rain and fog over inland areas. The climate of the Pacific Northwest in the United States is greatly affected by ocean winds that bring moisture to the region's huge forests of Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, and redwood.
Which statement correctly compares weather and climate?
One is a day-to-day pattern; the other is more than one day. YES. Weather is the day-to-day pattern of conditions for a short time; climate is cumulative information over a long period of time. Weather is forecast, climate is the result of research.
Under the Köppen system of classification, which climate applies to areas that have severe winters?
Polar Highland YES. Snow Climate
Convection is a type of heat transfer that only occurs in fluids, such as in liquids or gases. Why do you think this is so?
Solids do not have currents that would allow matter to flow. Liquid and gaseous matter can flow.
How does a space heater use radiation?
Space heaters keep people warm by transferring heat by radiation. Inside space heaters is a heating element that, when plugged in, reaches a high temperature. Energy is emitted from the heater, and it travels through space until it hits a surface that absorbs it, such as a person. Then some of the energy is absorbed as heat and some of it is reflected. Both conduction and convection need matter to transfer heat. Radiation is a kind of heat transfer that does not need any matter between the heat source and the heated object. Radiation can travel through the vacuum of space.
Weather balloons record data
Stratosphere
Describe temperate climates.
Temperate climates are generally defined as environments with moderate rainfall spread across the year or portion of the year with sporadic drought, mild to warm summers and cool to cold winters (Simmons, 2015).
Name and locate on a world map the three main climate zones and explain variation in climate in terms of intensity of solar energy, wind, landforms, and ocean currents.
The Earth has three main climate zones: tropical, temperate, and polar. The climate region near the equator with warm air masses is known as tropical. In the tropical zone, the average temperature in the coldest month is 18 °C.
What are the three climate zones?
The Earth has three main climate zones: tropical, temperate, and polar. The climate region near the equator with warm air masses is known as tropical. In the tropical zone, the average temperature in the coldest month is 18 °C.
Regions near the equator receive solar energy at a more direct angle and for more hours each day on average. Why is this?
The Sun: An Uneven Heat Source If every part of Earth's surface received the same amount of radiation from the sun, weather would not be nearly as interesting as it is. Regions near the equator receive about twice as much solar energy than regions near the poles. The reason for this is that Earth is a sphere, not a flat plane. Recall that all of Earth's weather occurs in the troposphere. For the most part, the air in the troposphere is heated from below by Earth's surface rather than from above by the sun. This is one reason the temperature in the troposphere drops in higher altitudes—it is farther and farther away from the ground.
During the day, the air above the land heats more quickly, becoming warmer than air above the sea. What is the direction of the breeze during the day?
The breeze moves from above the sea towards the land.
How does the air pressure gradient work?
The change in air pressure between two air masses is called the air pressure gradient Opens in modal popup window . When two masses are far apart, the change in air pressure occurs over a wide area. Air moves slowly from high to low pressure.
Compare and contrast the wind speeds in Talkeetna, Alaska, and Chicago, Illinois.
The city of Chicago, Illinois, is nicknamed the "Windy City." However, the windiest city in the United States is actually Mount Washington, New Hampshire. Its average wind speed is over 56 km/hr (35 mph). Mount Washington is also the place of the highest land-recorded wind speed in the world—371 km/hr (231 mph)! One of the least windy U.S. cities is Talkeetna, Alaska. Its average wind speed is only 8 km/hr (5 mph). At first glance, this might not make sense. But take a look at the U.S. Map, and you'll see that Alaska is much farther north than New Hampshire, and it is also much colder.
The air is less dense at higher altitudes. How does this affect climate?
The climate is the same as the surrounding locations at lower elevations. The climate tends to be warmer due to the intensity of sun's radiant energy at higher elevations. yes. The climate tends to be cooler than the surrounding areas at lower elevations.
cumulative
The detective said it was not just one thing that made the person look guilty; it was the cumulative evidence.The detective said it was not just one thing that made the person look guilty; it was the cumulative evidence.
How can we protect the ozone layer?
The good news about the destruction of the ozone layer is that now scientists know the cause. They used the scientific data they gathered to convince governments around the world to eliminate their use of CFCs Opens in modal popup window. Through this action, the ozone layer will heal.
Describe polar climates.
The polar climate regions are characterized by a lack of warm summers. Every month in a polar climate has an average temperature of less than 10 °C (50 °F). ... A polar climate consists of cool summers and very cold winters, which results in treeless tundra, glaciers, or a permanent or semi-permanent layer of ice.
exosphere
The top layer of the Earth's atmosphere. Beyond the exosphere is true outer space.
Explain the influence of latitude on climate conditions and patterns.
There is a relationship between latitude and temperature around the world, as temperatures are typically warmer approaching the Equator and cooler approaching the Poles. There are variations, though, as other factors such as elevation, ocean currents, and precipitation affect climate patterns.
Charged particles trapped in magnetosphere produce aurora
Thermosphere
How do prevailing winds affect climate?
They cool the further they get from their origin, bringing cool, dry air to the west coast of the United States. They are warmed by the sun's energy at the equator and carry warm, moist air to the Pacific coast of the United States. yes. They are warmed by the sun's energy at the equator and carry warm, moist air to the Atlantic coast of the United States.
An air mass exists in the north central United States. What type of air mass is this and what are its main characteristics?
This is a continental polar air mass. It develops over land and brings cold, dry air to the region.
An air mass exists off the Pacific coast of California. What type of air mass is this and what are its main characteristics?
This is a maritime tropical air mass. It forms over water and is a warm, humid air mass. When it reaches land, it brings rainy or muggy weather.
How do you interpret air masses on a weather map?
This map displays the high temperatures in the continental United States on April 1, 2006. What differences in temperature do you notice? If you could color this map using the color key to the left, how would the map look? Which areas would be blue? Which areas would be orange?
Describe tropical climates.
Tropical climates are characterized by monthly average temperatures of 18 °C (64.4 °F) or higher year-round and feature hot temperatures. ... There are normally only two seasons in tropical climates, a wet (rainy) season and a dry season. The annual temperature range in tropical climates is normally very small.
Most weather occurs here
Troposphere
On Earth, heat moves through the troposphere in the same way that wax moves through a lava lamp.
True
Using the Köppen system, how is the climate of Antarctica classified?
Type E: Polar
Pribilof Islands
Use a digital map online to locate the Pribilof Islands. Label the islands on your map and identify them as a polar climate.
Contrast weather and climate.
Weather refers to short term atmospheric conditions while climate is the weather of a specific region averaged over a long period of time. Climate change refers to long-term changes.
Compare and contrast weather vs. climate.
Weather reflects short-term conditions of the atmosphere while climate is the average daily weather for an extended period of time at a certain location. ... Weather can change from minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and season-to-season. Climate, is the average of weather over time and space.
How does temperature change throughout each layer?
While density and air pressure both decrease with altitude, temperature fluctuates or rises and falls In the troposphere, temperature falls at higher altitudes where fewer molecules are available to transfer heat. Gases in the stratosphere absorb radiation from the sun, so temperatures rise. Temperatures drop in the mesosphere, the coldest atmospheric layer. Temperatures rise in the thermosphere due to absorption of energy from the sun. However, with so much space between so few molecules, it does not feel warm.
Why are coastal areas generally windy?
Why are coastal areas generally windy? Land warms up and cools down faster than water, radiating and conducting some of its energy faster than water does.
How do mountains affect wind speed?
With an elevation of 1917 meters (6,288 ft), Mount Washington is the tallest mountain in the northeast United States. On top of Mount Washington, there are few other landforms that would create friction and slow down wind.
Under the Köppen system of classification, which climate applies to areas where the rate of evaporation is greater than the rate of precipitation?
YES. Dry/Tropical Deserts Warm Temperate Mild Mid-latitude
What happens when the light from the sun hits the earth?
You feel heat from the sun even though you are not touching it. Sunlight, a form of energy, travels through space without the aid of fluids or solids until it hits a surface that absorbs it, such as Earth. Some of the energy is absorbed by the earth as heat and some of it is reflected. The energy radiated to Earth from the sun is known as electromagnetic radiation and includes visible light, infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays, and radio waves. Your eyes can see the visible light portion of the sun's radiation, and your body can feel the sun's invisible infrared radiation as heat.
What is the atmosphere?
a blanket of gases that surrounds earth and certain other planets
atmosphere
a blanket of gases that surrounds earth and certain other planets
What is an air mass?
a body of air covering a relatively wide area, with about the same properties through any horizontal section
air mass
a body of air covering a relatively wide area, with about the same properties through any horizontal section
ozone
a form of oxygen which, in a layer in the stratosphere, screens out harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun
stationary front
a front between warm and cold air masses that is moving very slowly or not at all
occluded front
a front that forms when warm air is wedged upward between two cold fronts
What evidence is there that convection occurs in Earth's troposphere?
a gentle breeze
stratosphere
a layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere where temperature rises slightly with altitude
mesosphere
a layer of the atmosphere between the stratosphere and thermosphere, which lies between 50 and 80 kilometers (30 to 50 miles) above the surface of the earth
What is the composition of Earth's atmosphere?
a mixture of gases with the most abundant being nitrogen
air
a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and small amounts of other gases that surrounds the earth and forms its atmosphere
climatologist
a scientist who studies long-term weather patterns
warm front
a transition zone between a mass of warm air and the colder air it is replacing
front
a zone of transition between two different kinds of air masses
chlorofluorocarbon
any of several compounds of carbon, fluorine, chlorine, and hydrogen: used as refrigerants, foam-blowing agents, solvents, and in aerosol cans until scientists became concerned about depletion of the atmospheric ozone layer
climate zone
area on earth that has similar temperature, rainfall, snowfall, and sunshine
conduction
conduction deafness
Which type of heat transfer occurs only in fluids?
convection
Which atmospheric layer is the least dense?
exosphere
Describe the characteristics of cold air masses.
fg
Notice where different air masses are separated. An air mass is a large section of air that has an even temperature, humidity, and pressure. Air masses carry their own weather
k
isobar
line on a weather map that connects areas of equal air pressure
Once wind starts to blow, it is affected by the earth's rotation. How does this happen?
on the widest part of the planet—the equator—would travel a wider circle than someone standing on one of the poles. They both complete one rotation. This means the equator must rotate faster than the poles to complete a wider circle in the same amount of time.
electromagnetic radiation
radiation consisting of electromagnetic waves, including radio waves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, and gamma rays
infrared
radiation that lies outside the visible spectrum of light at its red end and has a wavelength between about 700 nanometers and 1 millimeter
Continental Tropical (cT) The continental tropical air mass occurs in warm and dry climates. It gets its name from being located over the continent rather than over water.
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aurora
streamers or bands of light sometimes visible in the night sky in northern or southern regions of the earth; scientists think an aurora is caused by charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's magnetic field and stimulate molecules in the atmosphere
troposphere
the atmospheric layer closest to the surface of the earth, which extends from the ground to between about 9 and 18 kilometers (6 and 11 miles) above the surface
What is the definition of an atmosphere?
the blanket of gases that surrounds Earth and some other planets
density
the concentration of matter in an object or part of an object
Describe the Coriolis effect.
the curved movement of air or water caused by the rotation of the earth
weather
the day-to-day conditions of an area, including the temperature, wind direction and speed, air pressure, relative humidity, and precipitation
altitude
the height of an object above the surface of the earth
climate
the long-term pattern of weather over time for a particular area, including temperature and precipitation
radiation
the process in which energy is emitted by one body, transmitted through an intervening medium or space, and absorbed by another body
ionosphere
the region of the earth's atmosphere between the stratosphere and the exosphere
air pressure
the result of the weight of air in the atmosphere pressing down on earth
thermosphere
the topmost layer of the earth's atmosphere that begins about 80 kilometers (50 miles) above the earth's surface and extends into space
conduction
the transfer of heat between two adjoining objects, caused by a temperature difference between the objects
convection
the transfer of heat by the circulation or movement of the heated parts of a liquid or gas
Define climate.
the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.
cold front
the zone separating two air masses, of which the cooler, denser mass is advancing and replacing the warmer
fluctuate
to shift back and forth
In which atmospheric layer does most of Earth's weather occur?
troposphere
Which common weather feature could be caused by movement of air?
wind
Why are climate and latitude so closely related?
yes. Radiant energy from the sun heats locations closest to the equator the most. Lines of latitude are based on climate zones. Higher latitudes have fewer buildings and a greater ability to absorb radiant energy.
