Term
Global Warming
What is Global Warming? |
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Definition
| The gradual increase in the temperature of the earth's atmosphere, believed to be due to the greenhouse effect. |
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Term
Carbon Dioxide
Explain how carbon dioxide content changes the greenhouse effect in our atmosphere?
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Definition
| Carbon dioxide levels affect the atmosphere around the world such as the temperature which in short is a big part of the greenhouse affect. |
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Term
Green House Effect
Explain how and why carbon dioxide content changes the greenhouse effect in our atmosphere.
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Definition
- Changes in the greenhouse effect, which affects the amount of heat retained by Earth’s atmosphere
- Variations in reaching Earth
- Changes in the reflectivity of Earth’s atmosphere and surface
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Term
Green House Gases
What are green house gases? |
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Definition
A gas in an atmosphere that
absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. |
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Term
Mantle
What is the Mantle? |
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Definition
| The mantle is the layer located directly under the sima. It is the largest layer of the Earth, 1800 miles thick. The mantle is composed of very hot, dense rock. |
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Term
Crust
What is the earths crust? |
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Definition
| Thin outermost layer of the earth. Approximately 1% of earths volume also known as lithosphere |
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Term
Inner and Outer Core
What is the inner and outer core made out of? |
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Definition
| Solid nickle & iron. Even though the outer core is liquid, the inner core is solid because it is compressed by immense pressure. |
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Term
Asthenosphere
What is the asthenosphere? |
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Definition
| Portion of the upper layer of the mantle just below the lithosphere. |
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Term
Lithosphere
What is the Lithosphere?
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Definition
| It is the crust and upper mantle of the earth. |
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Term
Convection current
How does a convection current occur? |
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Definition
| Hot air/fluid rises while cool air/fluid sinks lower in the atmosphere most commonly found in earths crust with magma. |
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Term
Alfred Wegner
Who was Alfred Wegner? |
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Definition
He was a German polar researcher, geophysicist and meteorologist. Today he is most remembered for advancing the theory of continental drift. |
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Term
Theory of continental drift
Evidence
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Definition
| continents seemed to fit together, not at the continuously changing shoreline, but at the edge to their continental shelves. |
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Term
Convergent Plate Boundaries
What is a convergent plate boundary made up of? |
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Definition
| It is made up of two or more tectonic plates or fragments of lithosphere that move towards each other and collide. |
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Term
Divergent Plate boundaries
What are divergent plate boundaries? |
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Definition
| is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other. |
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Term
Transform Fault Plate Boundaries
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Definition
| When tectonic plates transform. |
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Term
Theory of plate tectonics
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Definition
| The lithosphere is broken up into tectonic plates. On Earth, there are seven or eight major plates. This is a scientific theory that describes the large scale motions of earths lithosphere. |
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Term
Earthquakes
Where Do Most Earthquakes Occur? |
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Definition
| Most earthquakes occur along the edge of the oceanic and continental plates. |
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Term
Elastic Rebound Theory
What is the Elastic Rebound Theory?
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Definition
| A scientific theory on how energy is spread during an earthquake. |
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Term
Earthquake Energy
How much energy does an earthquake have?
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Definition
| Earthquake Energy is measure off of a Richter Scale where 1 is the least strongest and 10 the maximum is the strongest earthquake. |
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Term
Locating an Earthquake
How do you locate an earhtquake? |
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Definition
| Scientist use S and P waves recorded by a seismograph to find and locate earthquakes and their epicenter. |
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Term
Primary Waves
When do Primary Waves Occur? |
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Definition
| P-waves are type of elastic wave, also called seismic waves, that can travel through gases as sound waves. |
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Term
Secondary waves
What are secondary waves? |
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Definition
| one of the two main types of elastic body waves, so named because they move through the body of an object, unlike surface waves. Unlike the P-wave, the S-wave cannot travel through the molten outer core of the Earth, and this causes a shadow zone for S-waves opposite to where they originate. |
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Term
Surface Waves
What are Surface Waves? |
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Definition
| Seismic waves that travel along the surface of the Earth |
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Term
Seismograms
What is a seismogram? |
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Definition
| A graph output by a seismograph. It is a record of the ground motion at a measuring station as a function of time. Seismograms typically record motions in three cartesian axes (x, y, and z), with the z axis perpendicular to the Earth's surface and the x- and y- axes parallel to the surface. |
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Term
Epicenter
Where is the epicenter located on a earthquake? |
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Definition
| It is the point on the earth's surface vertically above the focus of an earthquake. |
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Term
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Definition
| It is a central point or region, such as the point at which an earthquake starts. |
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Term
Mercalli Scale
What does the Mercalli Scale Measure? |
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Definition
| It measures a twelve-point scale for expressing the local intensity of an earthquake. |
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Term
Richter Scale
What is a Richter scale? |
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Definition
A scale that was developed to
assign a single number to quantify the energy released during an earthquake. (From 1-10)
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Term
Earthquake Hazards
What are some Earthquake Hazards? |
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Definition
| The effect of ground shaking, groundwater liquefaction, ground dispacement, flooding and rupture. |
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Term
volcanoes
What is a volcanoe? |
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Definition
| A mountain or hill, typically conical, having a crater or vent through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapor, and gas are emitted. |
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Term
Ring Of Fire
Where is the Ring of fire located? |
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Definition
| It is the zone of volcanic activity surrounding the Pacific Ocean. |
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Term
Composite
What is a composite? |
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Definition
| Something made up of several parts or elements. |
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Term
Shield
Where are shields located? |
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Definition
| They are located in a geographic area where rocks of a continent's craton are visible at the surface. A shield is often surrounded by platforms covered with sediment. |
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Term
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Definition
| A cinder cone or scoria cone is a steep conical hill of volcanic fragments that accumulate around and downwind |
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Term
Volcano Hazards
What are some volcano hazards? |
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Definition
| Some are ground shaking, hot lava, melting objects, and objects breaking. |
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Term
Troposphere
What and where is the troposphere? |
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Definition
| lowest portion of Earth's atmosphere. It contains approximately 80% of the atmosphere's mass and 99% of its water vapor and aerosols. |
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Term
Stratosphere
What is the stratosphere?
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Definition
| The layer of the earth's atmosphere above the troposphere, extending to about 50 km above the earth's surface |
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Term
Ozone layer
What is the ozone layer? |
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Definition
| the layer of the upper atmosphere where mostatmospheric ozone is concentrated from about 8 to 30 miles (12 to48 km) above the earth, with the maximum ozone concentrationoccurring at an altitude of about 12 miles (19 km). |
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Term
Mesosphere
Where is the mesosphere located? |
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Definition
| It is directly above the stratosphere and directly below the thermosphere. |
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Term
Thermosphere
What is the thermosphere? |
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Definition
| the region of the upper atmosphere in which temperature increasescontinuously with altitude, encompassing essentially all of theatmosphere above the mesosphere. |
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Term
Ionosphere
What is the Ionosphere? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| also known as the hydrologic cycle or the H2O cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth |
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Term
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Definition
| It is rain, condensation, and run off. |
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Term
Humidity
What is humidity? |
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Definition
- A quantity representing the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere or a gas.
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Term
Dew Point
How does dew point form? |
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Definition
| The dew point is the temperature below which, water vapor (at a constant pressure) will condense into liquid water. |
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Term
High Pressure
What causes high pressure? |
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Definition
| High pressure areas are usually caused by air masses being cooled, either from below (for instance, the subtropical high pressure zones that form over relatively cool ocean waters to the west of Califormia, Africa, and South America), or from above as infrared cooling of winter air masses over land exceeds the warming of those airmasses by sunlight. |
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Term
Low Pressure
What causes low pressure? |
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Definition
| Low pressure areas form when atmospheric circulations of air up and down remove a small amount of atmosphere from a region. |
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Term
Isobars
What are isobars? |
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Definition
- A line on a map connecting points having the same atmospheric pressure at a given time or on average over a given period.
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Term
Isotherms
What does an isotherm meausre? |
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Definition
| They are lines on weather maps which represent patterns of pressure and temperature, respectively. |
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Term
Four Main Air Masses
What are the four main types of air masses? |
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Definition
| Continental Air masses, maritime air masses, tropical air masses, and polar air masses |
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Term
Warm Front
When does a warm front occur? |
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Definition
| Warm fronts lie within broader troughs of low pressure than cold fronts and move more slowly than the cold fronts which usually follow because cold air is denser and less easy to remove from the Earth's surface. |
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Term
Cold Front
What is a cold front? |
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Definition
| A cold front is defined as the leading edge of a cooler mass of air, replacing (at ground level) a warmer mass of air |
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Term
Stationary Front
When does a stationary front occur? |
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Definition
| It is when the air masses have become modified to the extent that they can no longer make any progress in one direction. |
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Term
Stratus clouds
What are stratus clouds? |
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Definition
| Large dark uniform grayish clouds that often cover the entire sky. |
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Term
Cumulus clouds
How do cumulus clouds form? |
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Definition
| They form by the water that is on the ground and that goes up into the air as evaporation and the more air or water that is in the air the taller the cumulus cloud forms. |
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Term
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Definition
| Thin wispy clouds blown by high winds into long streamers. |
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Term
Climate
What does Climate measure? |
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Definition
| It measures location and temperature. |
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Term
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Definition
| State of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. |
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Term
3 main climate zones of the world
What are the 3 main climate zones of the world |
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Definition
| They are Tropical, Temperate and Polar. |
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Term
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Definition
| A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat. |
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Term
Desert Biome
What is a desert biome? |
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Definition
| It is a characterized by dry conditions and plants and animals that have adapted to those conditions; found in areas where local or global influences block rainfall. |
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Term
Forest Biome
What is a forest biome? |
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Definition
| Forest Biomes represent the largest and most ecologically complex systems. They contain a wide assortment of trees, plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, insects and micro-organisms which vary depending on the zone's climates. |
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Term
Grassland Biome
What is a grassland biome? |
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Definition
| Are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. |
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Term
Tundra Biome
What is a tundra biome? |
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Definition
| A vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen. |
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Term
Thunderstrom Ingredients
What are some thunderstorm ingredients? |
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Definition
| They are moisture, insatbility, and lift. |
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Term
Thunderstorm life stages
What are the thunderstorm life stages? |
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Definition
| Cumulus Stage, Mature Stage, Decaying Stage |
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Term
Single Cell Thunderstorm
What is a single cell thunderstorm? |
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Definition
| that is usually not very strong; when it is of substantial intensity, it only produces severe weather for short periods of time. |
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Term
Multi Cell Thunderstorm
What is a multi-cell thunderstorm? |
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Definition
A multicellular thunderstorm is a thunderstorm that is composed of multiple cells, each being at a different stage in the life cycle of a thunderstorm.
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Term
Supper Cell Thunderstorm
What is a supper cell thunderstorm?
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Definition
| A supercell is a thunderstorm that is characterized by the presence of amesocyclone: a deep, persistently rotating updraft. |
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Term
squall line
What is a squall line? |
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Definition
A Squall Line is a line of thunderstorms that can form along or ahead of a cold
front. In the early 20th century, the term was used as a synonym for cold front. |
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Term
Lightning
How fast is lightening? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending on the nature of the lightning and distance of the listener, thunder can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble. |
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Term
Tornado
How fast does a tornado move? |
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Definition
| The average tornado travels 30 mph per second. |
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Term
Fujita Scale
What is the Fujita Scale? |
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Definition
| The Fujita Scale, orFujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. |
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Term
Tornado Alley
What is a tornado alley? |
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Definition
| It is a colloquial term for the area of the United States wheretornadoes are most frequent. |
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Term
Hurricane
What is a hurricane? |
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Definition
A hurricane is an intense, rotating oceanic weather system that possesses
maximum sustained winds exceeding 119 km/hr (74 mph). |
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Term
Saffir-Simpson Scale
What is a saffir-simpson scale? |
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Definition
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Web definitions
| The intensity scale used to quantify the strength of tropical cyclones, ranging from Category 1 (maximum sustained 10-minute. |
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Term
Surface Observation symbol
What is a surface observation symbol? |
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Definition
| A symbol telling the temperature, pressure, and humidity of an are. |
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Term
Kinetic Energy
What is kinetic Energy? |
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Definition
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Term
Formula for calculating Kinetic Energy
What is the K-Energy formula? |
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Definition
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Term
Potential Energy
What is potential energy |
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Definition
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Term
Formula for calculating Potential Energy
What is the formula for P-Energy? |
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Definition
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Term
Chemical Energy
What is chemical energy? |
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Definition
| the part of the energy in a substance that can be released by a chemical reaction) |
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Term
Mechanical Energy
What is Mechanical Energy? |
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Definition
Mechanical Energy is a kind of energy created by the physical movement or
rotation, revolution. |
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Term
Nuclear Energy
What is nuclear energy? |
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Definition
| It is the atomic energy: the energy released by a nuclear reaction. |
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Term
Electrical Energy
What is Electrical Energy? |
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Definition
Electrical Energy is energy newly derived from electrical potential energy. When
loosely used to describe energy absorbed or delivered by an electrical circuit. |
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Term
Thermal Energy
What is Thermal Energy |
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Definition
| is the part of the total potential energy and kinetic energy of anobject or sample of matter that results in the system temperature. |
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Term
Energy Transformation
What is energy transformation? |
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Definition
The process of changing energy from one form to
another. |
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Term
Law of Conservation of energy
What is law of conservation of energy? |
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Definition
| It is the fundamental principle of physics that the total energy of an isolated system is constant despite internal changes. |
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Term
Fossil Fuels
Whate are Fossil Fuels? |
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Definition
Fossil Fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic
decomposition of buried dead organisms who stored solar energy in chemical
bonds. |
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Term
Coal, Oil, Natural, Gas
Are coal, oil, and natural gas renewable resources? |
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Definition
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Term
Alternative Energy
What is alternative energy? |
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Definition
| any energy source that is an alternative to fossil fuel. |
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Term
Solar Energy?
What is solar energy? |
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Definition
| Radiant energy emitted by the sun. |
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Term
Wind Energy
What is wind energy? |
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Definition
Wind Power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such
as using wind turbine to make electrical power, windmills for mechanical power. |
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Term
Geothermal Energy
What is geothermal energy? |
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Definition
| Energy derived from the heat in the interior of the earth |
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Term
Hydroelectric Energy
What is hydroelectric energy? |
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Definition
| power made by moving water. |
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Term
Biomass Energy
What is biomass energy? |
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Definition
| Biofuels are a wide range of fuels which are in some way derived from biomass. |
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Term
Tidal Energy
What is Tidal Energy? |
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Definition
power produced by the surge of ocean waters
during the rise and fall of tides |
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Term
Renewable Energy
What things are renewable enrgy? |
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Definition
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Term
Nonrenewable energy
What is nonrenewable energy? |
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Definition
| Resources that cant be made and are not unlimited. |
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Term
Electrons
What are electrons? |
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Definition
| A stable subatomic particle with a charge of negative electricity, found in all atoms and acting as the primary carrier of electricity. |
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Term
Static Electricity
What is static electricity? |
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Definition
| an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. |
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Term
Static Charge
What is static charge? |
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Definition
| s an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. |
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Term
Conductors
What is a conductor? |
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Definition
| an object or type of material which permits the flow of electric charges in one or more directions. |
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Term
Insulators
What are insulators used for? |
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Definition
| They are materials that can withstand the flow of electricalcurrent. |
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Term
Coulomb
What is a coulomb? |
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Definition
| The SI unit of electric charge, equal to the quantity of electricity conveyed in one second by a current of one ampere. |
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Term
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Definition
The SI unit of electromotive force, the difference of potential that would carry one ampere of current against one ohm resistance. |
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Term
Resistance
What is resistance? |
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Definition
| a material's opposition to the flow of electric current; measured in ohms. |
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Term
Current Electricity
What is current electricity ? |
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Definition
| It is a flow of electric charge. |
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Term
Ohms Law
What is ohms law? |
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Definition
| Ohm's law states that the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the potential difference |
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Term
Formula for calculating resistance.
What isn the formula for calculating resistance? |
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Definition
| It is current *resistance=volts |
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Term
Formula for calculating current
What is the formula? |
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Definition
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Term
Formula for calculating voltage?
What is the formula? |
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Definition
| It is current *resistance=volts |
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Term
Series Circuits
What are series circuits? |
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Definition
| a circuit having its parts connected serially. |
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Term
Parallel Circuits
What are parallel circuits? |
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Definition
It is a closed circuit in which the current divides into two or more paths before recombining to complete the circuit. |
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