Climate
the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time
Troposphere
the lowest atmospheric layer
Stratosphere
the atmospheric layer between the troposphere and the mesosphere
Albedo
the ratio of reflected to incident light
Saturation point
the stage at which a substance will receive no more of another substance in solution or in a vapor
Adiabatic cooling
the process by which the temperature of an air mass decreases as the air mass rises and expands
Adiabatic heating
the process in which the temperature of a gas rises when the gas is compressed, if no heat is lost
Latent heat release
The release of energy when water vapor in the atmosphere condenses into liquid water.
Hadley cells
Belts of circulating air in the atmosphere.
ITCZ
Intertropical Convergence zone. Belt of low pressure around the equator. formed by the vertical ascent of warm, moist air from the latitudes north and south of the equator. Lots of precipitation.
Polar cells
where polar air sinks and flows away from the poles downward meeting the ferrel cells at 60 degrees latitude
Coriolis effect
The way Earth's rotation makes winds in the Northern Hemisphere curve to the right and winds in the Southern Hemisphere curve to the left.
Gyres
huge circular moving current systems dominate the surfaces of the oceans.
Upwelling
the rising of cold water from deeper layers to replace warmer surface water that has been moved away
ENSO
El Nino Southern Oscillation, trade winds weaken & warm surface water moves toward South America. Diminished fisheries off South America, drought in western Pacific, increased precipitation in southwestern North America, fewer Atlantic hurricanes.
Rain Shadow
an area that has little precipitation because some barrier causes the winds to lose their moisture before reaching it
Biomes
Large geographic areas with similar climates and ecosystems
Permafrost
ground that is permanently frozen
littoral zone
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
Phytoplankton
photosynthetic or plant constituent of plankton
Profundal zone
zone in a freshwater habitat that is below the limits of effective light penetration
Benthic zone
bottom of an aquatic ecosystem; consists of sand and sediment and supports its own community of organisms
Coral bleaching
Occurs when a coral becomes stressed and expels most of its colorful algae, leaving an underlying ghostly white skeleton of calcium carbonat
Photic zone
regions of a body of water where light penetrates, enabling photosynthesis
Aphotic zone
permanently dark layer of the oceans below the photic zone
Chemosynthesis
synthesis of carbohydrate from carbon dioxide and water