D1 Climate Flashcards
What is climate?
Climate is the average weather conditions that occur in a region over a long period of time, usually a minimum of 30 years.
What is weather?
Weather refers to the condition of temperature, air pressure, cloud cover and precipitation that occur at a particular place at a particular time.
What is the atmosphere?
The layer of gases that surround Earth
What is atmospheric dust?
Tiny, solid particles suspended in the atmosphere
What is biosphere?
Biosphere: a relatively thin layer of Earth that has conditions suitable for life
What is the hydrosphere?
hydrosphere: the water on Earth, whether present as liquid, water vapour, or ice
What is inversion?
inversion: a reversal of normal temperature patterns seen in the troposphere In an inversion, there is an increase of temperature with height through a layer of air.
What is the lithosphere?
Lithosphere: the solid outer portion of Earth, composed of rocks, minerals, and elements
What is the mesosphere?
mesosphere: the atmospheric layer above the stratosphere, from 50 km to 80 km above Earth’s surface
What is ozone?
ozone: a molecule composed of three atoms of oxygen
What is the ozone layer?
ozone layer: a layer in the stratosphere containing high levels of ozone gas
What is ozone gas?
ozone gas - absorbs large amounts of energy from the sun rays, which causes the temperature in the stratosphere to increase with altitude - protects living organisms from damaging high energy radiation
What is ozone gas?
ozone gas - absorbs large amounts of energy from the sun rays, which causes the temperature in the stratosphere to increase with altitude - protects living organisms from damaging high energy radiation
What is the stratosphere?
Stratosphere: the atmospheric layer above the troposphere, from 10 km to 50 km above Earth’s surface
What is the thermosphere?
thermosphere: the highest atmospheric layer, from 80 km to 300 km above Earth’s surface
What is the troposphere?
troposphere: the atmospheric layer from 0 km to 10 km above Earth’s surface
What is adaptation?
Adaptation: any change in the structure or function of an organism that makes it more suited to its environment; the structure or function itself resulting from adaptation.
What is anecdotal evidence?
Anecdotal evidence: evidence that relies on reports from people about particular events and their interpretation of these events
What is climate change?
Climate Change: a change that occurs in the climate of a region over a long period of time
What is scientific evidence?
Scientific Evidence: evidence collected in a manner that ensures it is unbiased and reflects general situations rather than particular events. Scientific evidence is usually collected by trained scientists and checked by other trained scientists.
What is scientific evidence?
Scientific Evidence: evidence collected in a manner that ensures it is unbiased and reflects general situations rather than particular events. Scientific evidence is usually collected by trained scientists and checked by other trained scientists.
