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Structure and Composition of Earth's Atmosphere (Discovery Techbook 2.1)

Terms in this set (37)

elevation
The vertical distance between sea level and a point on Earth's surface (such as a mountain peak)
altitude
The vertical distance between sea level and a point not on Earth's surface, such as an airplane or a satellite.
Mt. Everest
At an elevation of 29,035 feet, the highest mountain on Earth is
Mauna Kea
Measured from base to peak, the tallest mountain on Earth (nearly 33,500 feet according to the USGS) is
Olympus Mons
Located on Mars, the tallest mountain and volcano in this solar system is
nitrogen
What element makes up the majority (>78%) of the Earth's atmosphere?
oxygen
What element makes up almost 21% of the Earth's atmosphere?
atmosphere
The layers of gas that surround a planet is known as an
density
An object's mass divided by its volume; a measure of how many particles are packed together into a certain amount of space.
pressure
The force per unit area exerted on an object.
temperature
__________ - is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a system.
humidity
The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere at a given location.
carbon dioxide (CO2)
A waste product made by cells of the body; a gas in the air made of one carbon and two oxygen atoms.
solid, liquid, gas, plasma
What are the four basic states of matter?
solid
The state of matter that has a defined shape and volume with molecules that are closely packed and vibrate in place.
liquid
A state of matter with a defined volume but no defined shape and whose molecules move about freely within the substance.
gas
A state of matter without any defined volume or shape in which atoms or molecules move about freely.
plasma
A gas-like state of matter in which most of the particles are charged ions.
ion
An electrically-charged particle (positive or negative) formed by the addition or removal of one or more electrons.
air pressure
The force per unit area exerted on an object by the air; in a sense, how much force the weight of all the air above you is pressing down with.
humid
Air that is more __________ is less dense than dry air because water molecules are lighter than oxygen and nitrogen molecules.
less dense
Air that is warmer is __________ than cool air because molecules are farther apart in warmer air.
denser
Air near the ground is generally __________ than air higher in the atmosphere because there is more air pressing down from above, squeezing the molecules together.
weather
The __________ is the condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place.
elevation
It is harder to breathe at high __________ because the density of the air is lower.
density
It is harder to breathe at high elevation because the __________ of the air is lower.
temperature
The __________ of the atmosphere varies with altitude, but in not in a consistent way.
troposphere
The lowest level of the atmosphere is the
decreases
As altitude increases, the temperature generally __________ in the troposphere.
stratosphere
The layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere is the
ozone layer
The __________ is important for life on Earth because it absorbs ultraviolet radiation that is dangerous to living things.
oxygen
Ozone is a molecule consisting of three __________ atoms.
mesosphere
The layer of the Earth's atmosphere above the stratosphere is the
Sun
Most of the energy on Earth's surface comes from the
greenhouse gases
Gases that absorb some of the heat radiated by the Earth and then reradiate it back toward Earth's surface, making Earth warmer. These gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.
greenhouse gases
The temperature of Earth is in part determined by the concentration of __________ in its atmosphere. If their concentration changes, so does the heat balance of our planet.
climate
The __________ is the long-term (centuries/millennia) condition of the atmosphere.
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