Unit 3Earth’s Atmosphere

Lesson 1 The AtmosphereLesson 2 Energy TransferLesson 3 Wind in the Atmosphere

a mixture of gases that surrounds a planet, moon, or other celestial body

atmosphere

the measure of the force with which air molecules push on a

surface

air pressure

the uppermost layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature increases as altitude decreases

thermosphere

the layer of the atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere and in which temperature decreases as altitude

decreases

mesosphere

the layer of the atmosphere that is above the troposphere and in which temperature

increases as altitude increases

stratosphere

the lowest layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature decreases at a constant rate as altitude increases

troposphere

a layer (of gas) in the atmosphere at an altitude of 15 to 40 km in which ozone absorbs ultraviolet

solar radiation

ozone layer

the warming of the surface and the lower atmosphere of Earth that occurs when water vapor, carbon dioxide, and

other gases absorb and reradiate thermal energy

greenhouse effect

a measure of how hot (or how cold) something is; specifically, a measure of

the average kinetic energy of the particles in an object

temperature

the kinetic energy of a substance’s atoms

thermal energy

an increase of the size of a substance in response to the increase in the

temperature of the substance

thermal expansion

the energy transferred between objects that are at different

temperatures

heat

the transfer of energy as electromagnetic waves

radiation

the movement of matter due to the differences in density; the transfer of

energy due to the movement of matter

convection

the transfer of energy as heat through an object

conduction

the movement of air caused by differences in air pressure

wind

the curving of the path of a moving object from an otherwise straight

path due to Earth’s rotation

Coriolis effect

the movement of air over Earth’s surface in patterns that are world

wide

global wind

a narrow band of strong winds that blows in the upper atmosphere

jet stream

the movement of air over short distances; occurs in specific areas as

a result of certain geographical features

local wind