SCIENCE

• Earth system


  Large system broken into smaller subsystems including the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere

  
• Water movement


  1. Moves within the hydrosphere and into other Earth systems

  2. Changes state between liquid, solid, and gas

  
• Water is not just a liquid, it can also be a solid (ice) or a gas (water vapor)
• As water flows or changes state, it moves thermal energy among Earth's systems

  
• Evaporation


  The process by which a liquid, such as water, changes into a gas
• Condensation


  The process by which a gas changes to a liquid
• Crystallization


  The process by which a liquid turns into a crystalline solid
• Sources of water vapor in the water cycle

  • Evaporation
  • Transpiration
  • Cellular Respiration

  
• Precipitation


  Moisture that falls from clouds to Earth's surface

  
• The amount of water on Earth does not change, it is stable
• Changes in Earth's global temperature can affect how water is cycled

  
• Aquifer


  Areas of permeable sediment or rock that hold significant amounts of water
• Groundwater flow


  Moves from higher areas to lower areas, eventually reaching the ocean
• Radiation


  The transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves
• Radiation is the only way thermal energy can travel from the Sun to Earth
• Latitude


  The distance in degrees north or south of the equator
• The equator is the largest circle, areas in low latitudes near the equator are referred to as the tropics
• Sunlight strikes Earth's surface at the tropics at a high angle, nearly 90 degrees, resulting in more sunlight per unit of surface area
• Conduction


  The transfer of thermal energy between materials by the collisions of particles
• Conduction occurs in the bottom part of the atmosphere where it comes in contact with Earth
• Albedo


  Describes how much solar radiation is reflected off of a surface
• Dark colors absorb more solar radiation than light colors, causing their temperature to rise
• Snow- and ice-covered fields reflect the most sunlight of all
• The temperature of the atmosphere is greatly affected by the albedo of the hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere
• Meteorologists


  Scientists who study and predict weather

  
• Weather


  The atmospheric conditions, along with short-term changes, of a certain place at a certain time

  
• Air masses


  • Large bodies of air with distinct temperature and moisture characteristics
  • Form when a large, high-pressure system stays over an area for several days
  • The air circulating in the high-pressure system comes in contact with Earth and takes on the temperature and moisture characteristics of the surface below it
  • Can extend for a thousand kilometers or more

  
• Cool air molecules


  Are closer together than warm air molecules

  
• Cool air masses


  Have high pressure, or more weight, than warm air masses

  
• Warm air masses


  Have low pressure, or less weight
• What happens when air masses meet

  1. Wind carries an air mass away from the area where it formed

  2. The air mass will eventually bump into another air mass

  3. A weather front is the boundary between two air masses

  
• Climate


  The long-term average weather conditions that occur in a particular region

  
• Weather forecasts


  • Short term forecasts are the most detailed but still only able to be predicted probabilistically
  • Long term forecasts are more difficult to make because weather conditions are constantly changing

  
• Climate


  The long-term average weather conditions that occur in a particular region

  
• Climate


  • Depends on average temperature
  • Depends on precipitation
  • Depends on how these variables change throughout the year
• Regions with rain forests and deserts differ due to precipitation
• Climate


  • Depends on average temperature
  • Depends on precipitation
  • Depends on how these variables change throughout the year
• Rain forest


  • High annual rainfall
  • No freezing temperatures
  • Rich collection of plant and animal life
• Regions with rain forests and deserts differ due to precipitation
• Desert


  • Dry lands that cover many parts of Earth's land