Vocabulary
Atmosphere
Envelope of gases surrounding the Earth
Earth Systems
Includes the lithosphere (Earth's surface), atmosphere, hydrosphere (areas of Earth covered in water), and biosphere (all life on Earth and regions of Earth where life is supported)
Industrialization
A period of change that shifts a society from relying on agriculture to relying on the manufacturing of goods.
Natural Process refers to
processes that exist or are produced by nature (not humans)
Precipitation
Water that falls from the sky, including rain, snow, sleet, hail
Weather
The short term conditions experienced in a region, including, temperature, wind speed and direction, amount of sunlight, precipitation, humidity, and cloud cover.
Pollution
The presence or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.
Changes in orbit
Earth's orbit around the sun is not a perfect circle. It is actually closer to the Sun at certain times of the year.
Humidity
The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere
Climate
The long-term weather patterns of a region over a period of at least 30 years
Urban settings
Urban areas (cities, towns) tend to have higher temperatures and increased rainwater flowing along the surface.
The Sun's energy out put is not always the same, it goes through periods of more energy out put and less energy output.
Latitude
The angular distance of a place from the equator
Proximity to water
Water absorbs heat from the sun and is able to retain this heat. It is then released back into the atmosphere, warming the areas around it. Areas near large bodies of water have more moderate climates (less extreme weather), and experience more precipitation.
Rural Setting
Rural areas (country side) ten to have lower temperatures
Meteors
Small pieces of rock or metal that come from space. When these pieces enter the Earth's atmosphere. If a meteor is big enough and does not burn up completely, the left over piece that hits the ground is called a meteorite. The impact and once the dust settles the impact can cause a rise in global temperatures.
Habitable
Suitable or good enough to live in
Elevation
Temperatures are cooler as you move higher into the atmosphere. Areas that are higher up have cooler climates
Deforestation
forests all over the globe are, naturally, so-called ‘carbon sinks’, or areas of natural environment such as oceans that can take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into oxygen that we and other animals can safely breathe. By cutting down huge areas of forest, therefore, without replacing the trees that we remove, we are causing an inadvertent change in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which can have a huge impact on the rest of the world.
Volcanic eruptions
A major volcanic eruption will cause large amounts of ash, gases and other particles to be released into the atmosphere. Some of these gases, such as CO2, are greenhouse gases and cause temperatures to rise.