Climate

Question 1

Atmosphere

Answer 1

a mixture of gases that surrounds a planet or moon

Question 2

Radiation

Answer 2

the transfer of energy as electromagnetic waves

Question 3

Convection Current

Answer 3

Convection currents within the earth move layers of magma, and convection in the ocean creates currents

Question 4

Greenhouse Effect

Answer 4

the Earth’s atmosphere becomes thick with gases and substances which trap the sun’s radiation, making the Earth warmer. An example of the greenhouse effect is global warming

Question 5

Global Warming

Answer 5

an increase in the earth’s average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect

Question 6

Acid Precipitation

Answer 6

Any form of precipitation, including rain, snow, hail, fog, or dew, that is high in acid pollutants, especially sulfuric and nitric acid

Question 7

Ozone Layer

Answer 7

A band of ozone in the upper atmosphere. Ozone is a molecule made of three atoms of oxygen instead of the usual two. Note: The ozone layer absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun and is thus very important to the health of human beings and other life forms on Earth

Question 8

Weather

Answer 8

day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity

Question 9

Climate

Answer 9

the term for the averaging of atmospheric conditions over longer periods of time

Question 10

Latitude

Answer 10

is the measurement of a part of the Earth in relation to the north or south of the Earth’s equator

Question 11

Prevailing Winds

Answer 11

A wind that blows predominantly from a single general direction. The trade winds of the tropics, which blow from the east throughout the year, are prevailing winds

Question 12

Mountains

Answer 12

a natural elevation of the earth’s surface rising more or less abruptly to a summit, and attaining an altitude greater than that of a hill, usually greater than 2000 feet

Question 13

Ocean Currents

Answer 13

any more or less permanent or continuous, directed movement of ocean water that flows in one of the Earth’s oceans. The currents are generated from the forces acting upon the water like the earth’s rotation, the wind, the temperature and salinity differences and the gravitation of the moon

Question 14

Biome

Answer 14

A large community of plants and animals that occupies a distinct region

Question 15

Ice Age

Answer 15

Any of several cold periods during which glaciers covered much of the Earth

Question 16

Solar Cycle

Answer 16

the variation of sunspots, prominences, flares, and other solar activity through an 11-year cycle

Question 17

Asteroid Impact

Answer 17

a large, irregularly shaped object in space that orbits our Sun

Question 18

Volcanic Eruption

Answer 18

discharge - the sudden giving off of energy

Question 19

Plate Tectonics

Answer 19

divided into a small number of plates which float on and travel independently over the mantle and much of the earth’s seismic activity occurs at the boundaries of these plates

Question 20

Glacial Melting

Answer 20

A large mass of ice formed over many years that does not melt during the summer