Vocab chapter 5

Troposphere

• The division between the troposphere and the stratosphere 12-20km above earth’s surface.

• The layer of the atmosphere between 20-50km above earth’s surface

• The sinking of surface water that is denser than underlying water layers.

Stratosphere

• Ozone in the atmosphere that deflects ultraviolet radiation, which is harmful to life.

• The layer of the atmosphere between 20-50km above Earth’s surface.

• A large nearby circular system of wind driven surface currents that center around latitude 30 In both hemispheres.

Mesosphere

• Microscopic particles in the atmosphere.

• The layer of the atmosphere between 55-90km above earth’s surface.

• High tide currents above earth’s surface that are between 100-160km above earth’s surface.

Thermosphere

• The outer layer of the atmosphere, that extends from 90-500km above Earth’s surface

• The sinking of surface water that is denser than underlying water layers.

• A microscopic particles in the atmosphere.

• A layer of frozen polar soil

Ozone

• The winds that blow from west to east at middle latitudes.

• A large, nearly circular system of wind driven surface currents that center around latitude 30 in both hemispheres.

• Ozone in the atmosphere that deflects ultraviolet radiation, which is harmful to life.

Greenhouse Gases

• Gases that block transmission of heat back to space and insulate Earth.

• The sinking of surface water that is denser than underlying water layers.

• Consistent variation in temperature over a long period of time.

Isotopes

• Different atomic forms of an element.

• Microscopic particles in the atmosphere.

• The process by which colder water rich in nutrients rises from a lower to a higher depth. It includes coastal and equatorial upwelling.

Aerosols

• The winds that blow from west to east at middle latitudes.

• Microscopic particles in the atmosphere.

• Waters that flood coastal areas as cyclonic storms make landfall.

Coriolis Effect

• Consistent variation in temperature over a long period of time.

• A layer of frozen polar soil.

• The tendency of objects moving large distances on Earth’s surface to bend to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in southern.

Trade Winds

• Steady winds that blow from east to west toward the Equator, replacing the hot air that rises at the equator.

• The winds that blow from west to east at middle latitudes.

• The process by which colder water rich in nutrients rises from a lower to a higher depth.