| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Aerosols | Tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere |
| Air | A mixture of many discrete gases, of which nitrogen and oxygen are most abundant |
| Albedo | The reflectivity of a substance, usually expressed as a percentage |
| Autumnal Equinox | The equinox that occurs on Sept. 21-22 in the northern hemispere |
| Circle of Illumination | The circle that separates daylight from darkness |
| Climate | A description of aggregate weather conditions |
| Conduction | The transfer of heat through matter by molecular activity |
| Convection | The transfer of heat by the movement of a mass or substance. |
| Diffused Light | Solar energy scattered and reflected in the atmosphere |
| Element | The quantities or properties of the atmosphere used to expressthe nature of weather and climate - air temp, humidity, type & amount of cloudiness, type & amount of precipitation |
| Environmental Lapse Rate | The rate of temperature decrease with increasing height in the troposphere |
| Greenhouse Effect | The transmission of solar radiation, coupled with the select absorption of terrestrial radiation, mainly by water vapor and carbon dioxide |
| Heat | The kinetic energy of random molecular motion |
| Inclination of the Axis | The tilt of the Earth's axis that causes seasons |
| Infrared | Radiation that we can't see but can detect as heat |
| Isotherms | Lines connecting points of equal temperature |
| Mesosphere | The layer of the atmosphere immediately above the stratosphere that's characterized by decreasing temperatures with height |
| Ozone | A molecule of oxygen containing 3 oxygen atoms |
| Radiation | The transfer of heat energy through space by electromagnetic waves |
| Reflection | When light bounces off a surface at the same angle at which it encounters it and with the same intensity |
| Revolution | The motion of the Earth orbiting around the Sun |
| Rotation | The spinning of the Earth around its axis |
| Scattering | The redirecting of light by small particles and gas molecules in the atmosphere |
| Spring Equinox | The equinox that occurs on March 21-22 in the northern hemisphere |
| Stratosphere | The layer of the atmosphere immediately above the troposphere, that's characterized by increasing temperatures with height |
| Summer Solstice | The solstice that occurs on June 21-22 in the northern hemisphere |
| Temperature | A measure of the average kinetic energy of individual atoms or molecules in a substance |
| Thermosphere | The layer of the atmosphere immediately above the mesosphere, that's characterized by an increasing temperature with height |
| Tropic of Cancer | The parallel of latitude, 23.5 degrees north of the equator |
| Tropic of Capricorn | The parallel of latitude, 23.5 degrees south of the equator |
| Troposphere | The lowest layer of the atmosphere, where weather occurs, characterized by a decreasing temperature with height |
| Ultraviolet | Radiation that we can't see, but causes sunburns |
| Weather | The state of the atmosphere at any given time |
| Winter Solstice | The solstice that occurs on December 21-22 in the northern hemisphere |
| Tambora | Volcano located in Indonasia that erupted in 1815 and caused the Year without a Summer in New England during 1816 |
| 3 most common greenhouse gasses | methane, Water Vapor and Carbon Dioxide |
| Tunguska | Located in Siberia, site where a asteroid struck in 1908 with the power of 1000 atmonic bombs |
| Nebula | large cloud of gas and dust in space ; beginning stage of a star |
| Planetary Embryo | object of great size that during the creation of a planet has cleared most of its orbit |
| Planetesimal | the tiny building blocks of the planets that formed as dust particles stuck together and grew in size |
| Planetary Accretion | The gradual growth of a planet by collision and sticking |
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