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2 - GEOGRAPHY 2 > 1 - SPHERES OF THE EARTH > Flashcards

1 - SPHERES OF THE EARTH Flashcards

1
Q

The 4 Spheres of the Earth

A

“lithosphere” (land)
“hydrosphere” (water)
“biosphere” (living things)
“atmosphere” (air)

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2
Q

the whole mass of air surrounding the earth.

a mass of gases surrounding a heavenly body (as a planet).

the air in a particular place. the stuffy atmosphere of this room.

A

Atmosphere

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3
Q

Earth’s atmosphere stretches from the surface of the planet up to as far as _______ above. After that, the atmosphere blends into space.

A

10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles)

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4
Q

Not all scientists agree where the actual upper boundary of the atmosphere is, but they can agree that the bulk of the atmosphere is located close to Earth’s surface—up to a distance of around ________.

A

eight to 15 kilometers (five to nine miles)

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5
Q

The majority of Earth’s atmosphere is _____

A

nitrogen

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6
Q

Percentage of nitrogen in the atmosphere

A

78%

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7
Q

Percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere

A

21%

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8
Q

Percentage of argon in the atmosphere

A

0.9%

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9
Q

Percentage of other gases in the atmosphere

A

0.1

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10
Q

Five Layers of the Earth’s Atmosphere

A

Exosphere
Thermosphere
Mesosphere
Stratosphere
Troposphere

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11
Q

Hot Air Balloon
Passenger Plane
Commercial Jet

A

Troposphere

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12
Q

Radiosonde
Weather Balloon
Spy Plane

A

Stratosphere

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13
Q

Meteors
Meteorological Rocket

A

Mesosphere

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14
Q

Aurora Borealis

A

Thermosphere

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15
Q

Spaceship
Satellite

A

Exosphere

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16
Q

The layer closest to Earth’s surface, reaching from about seven and 15 kilometers (five to 10 miles) from the surface.

A

Troposphere

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17
Q

The troposphere is thickest at the ______, and much thinner at the North and South Poles.

A

equator

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18
Q

The majority of the mass of the entire atmosphere is contained in the ______—between approximately 75 and 80 percent.

A

troposphere

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19
Q

Most of the water vapor in the atmosphere, along with dust and ash particles, are found in the troposphere—explaining why most of Earth’s _____ are located in this layer.

A

clouds

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20
Q

Temperatures in the ________ decrease with altitude.

A

troposphere

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21
Q

The second layer of the earth’s atmosphere

A

stratosphere

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22
Q

the top of the troposphere

A

tropopause

23
Q

Temperatures in the _______ increase with altitude

A

stratosphere

24
Q

Stratosphere reaches from the top of the troposphere, which is called the tropopause, to an altitude of approximately _______

A

50 kilometers (30 miles).

25
Q

A high concentration of ozone, a molecule composed of three atoms of oxygen, makes up theozone layerof the ______

A

stratosphere

26
Q

This ozone absorbs some of the incoming solar radiation, shielding life on Earth from potentially harmful _______, and is responsible for the temperature increase in altitude.

A

ultraviolet (UV) light

27
Q

The top of the stratosphere

A

stratopause

28
Q

Above the stratopause is the_______, which reaches as far as about 85 kilometers (53 miles) above Earth’s surface.

A

mesosphere

29
Q

Temperatures decrease in the _______ with altitude

A

mesosphere

30
Q

the coldest temperatures in the atmosphere are near the top of the ______—about -90°C (-130°F).

A

mesosphere

31
Q

The atmosphere is thin here, but still thick enough so that meteors will burn up as they pass through the mesosphere—creating what we see as ______

A

“shooting stars.”

32
Q

The upper boundary of the mesosphere is called the ______

A

mesopause.

33
Q

The_______is located above the mesopause and reaches out to around 600 kilometers (372 miles).

A

thermosphere

34
Q

Not much is known about the _______ except that temperatures increase with altitude.

A

thermosphere

35
Q

________ makes the upper regions of the thermosphere very hot, reaching temperatures as high as 2,000°C (3,600°F).

A

Solar radiation

36
Q

The uppermost layer, that blends with what is considered to be outer space

A

exosphere

37
Q

The pull of Earth’s gravity is so small in the exosphere that molecules of gas escape into _______

A

outer space.

38
Q

the total amount of water on a planet.

A

hydrosphere

39
Q

The hydrosphere includes water that is on the

A

surface of the planet
underground
air

40
Q

Forms of hydrosphere

A

liquid
vapor
ice

41
Q

liquid water exists on the surface in the form of

A

oceans
lakes
rivers

42
Q

liquid water below ground

A

groundwater
wells
aquifers

43
Q

Water vapor is most visible as

A

clouds
fogs

44
Q

The frozen part of Earth’s hydrosphere is made of

A

ice
glaciers
ice caps
icebergs

45
Q

The names of the frozen part of the hydrosphere

A

cryosphere

46
Q

The ocean is a huge body of saltwater that covers about ______ of Earth’s surface.

A

71%

47
Q

The planet has one global ocean, though oceanographers and the countries of the world have traditionally divided it into four distinct regions:

A

Pacific
Atlantic
Indian
Arctic

48
Q

In 2021, National Geographic officially recognized this fifth ocean.

A

Southern Ocean

49
Q

Two of the deepest parts of the ocean.

A

Philippine Trench
Mariana Trench

50
Q

This Ocean is relatively shallow because large parts of itsseafloorare made up of continental shelves—parts of the continents that extend far out into the ocean. The average depth of the entire ocean is 3,720 meters (12,200 feet).

A

Atlantic

51
Q

is a body of water that is surrounded by land.

A

Lake

52
Q

Other lakes are so big that they are called seas. The ______, in Europeand Asia, is the world’s largest lake, withan area of more than 370,000 squarekilometers (143,000 square miles).

A

Caspian Sea

53
Q

Lakes also vary greatly in depth. The world’s deepest lake is _____, in Russia. Its bottom is nearly 2 kilometers (more than 1 mile) below the surface in places.

A

Lake Baikal

2 - GEOGRAPHY 2 (7 decks)

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