Climate Flashcards
Atmosphere
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the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet.
Radiation
/the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high-energy particles that cause ionization.
Convection Current
/Convection is the heat transfer due to bulk movement of molecules within fluids such as gases and liquids, including molten rock. Convection takes place through advection, diffusion or both.
Greenhouse Effect
/The greenhouse effect is the process by which radiation from a planet’s atmosphere warms the planet’s surface to a temperature above what it would be without its atmosphere
Global Warming
/Global warming, also referred to as climate change, is the observed century-scale rise in the average temperature of the Earth’s climate system and its related effects. Multiple lines of scientific evidence show that the climate system is warming.
Acid Precipitation
/Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of hydrogen ions. It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals and infrastructure.
Ozone Layer
/The ozone layer or ozone shield is a region of Earth’s stratosphere that absorbs most of the Sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation. It contains high concentrations of ozone (O3) in relation to other parts of the atmosphere, although still small in relation to other gases in the stratosphere.
Weather
/the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc.
Climate
/the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period
Latitude
/In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the north–south position of a point on the Earth’s surface. Latitude is an angle which ranges from 0° at the Equator to 90° at the poles.
Prevailing Winds
/a wind from the direction that is predominant at a particular place or season.
Mountains
/A mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area, usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. Mountains are formed through tectonic forces or volcanism
Ocean Currents
/An ocean current is a seasonal directed movement of seawater generated by forces acting upon this mean flow, such as breaking waves, wind, the Coriolis effect, cabbeling, temperature and salinity differences, while tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon.
Biome
/A biome is a community of plants and animals that have common characteristics for the environment they exist in. They can be found over a range of continents.
Ice Age
/An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the temperature of Earth’s surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers
Solar Cycle
/The solar cycle or solar magnetic activity cycle is the nearly periodic 11-year change in the Sun’s activity (including changes in the levels of solar radiation and ejection of solar material) and appearance (changes in the number and size of sunspots, flares, and other manifestations).
Asteroid Impact
/he extinction of the dinosaurs in the Cretaceous-Tertiary event 65m years ago is famously believed to have been caused by a massive asteroid impact. A geological layer dating from the time of the event was found in 1980 to be high in iridium, which is rare in the Earth’s crust but common in asteroids.
Volcanic Eruption
/ the sudden occurrence of a violent discharge of steam and volcanic material. Synonyms: eruption Types: Plinian eruption. a volcanic eruption in which a stream of gas and ash is violently ejected to a height of several miles. Type of: discharge.
Plate Tectonics
/a theory explaining the structure of the earth’s crust and many associated phenomena as resulting from the interaction of rigid lithospheric plates that move slowly over the underlying mantle.
Glacial Melting
/A large mass of ice formed over many years that does not melt during the summer. Glaciers move slowly over an area of land such as a mountain valley. Note: Glaciers exist in high mountains throughout the temperate zones and cover most of Antarctica.
