Vocabulary
What is light you can see?
visible light
What is to return light, heat, sound, and so on, after it strikes a surface?
reflect
The greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can be compare to the glass in a ____?
greenhouse
What type of radiation does the atmosphere absorb?
ultraviolet light and infrared radiation
What is the transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves?
radiation
What provides the Earth's its heat?
Sun
What is necessary for conduction to occur?
Objects must be touching each other.
What are the three types of thermal energy transfer?
radiation, conduction, and convection
What describes whether circulating air motions will be strong or weak?
stability
What is an increase in the average temperature of Earth's surface?
global warming
What are the gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap IR (infrared) energy?
water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane
How long does it take for the Sun's energy to travel to Earth?
8 minutes
What is the transfer of thermal energy by collisions between particles of matter?
conduction
What type of light do oxygen, ozone, and water vapor absorb?
ultraviolet light
What is a gas in the atmosphere that absorbs Earth's outgoing infrared radiation?
greenhouse gas
What type of heat is exchanged when water changes from one phase to another?
latent heat
What is the transfer of thermal energy by the movement of particles within matter?
convection
What substance can exist as a solid, liquid, and a gas?
water
What is the natural process that occurs when certain gases in the atmosphere absorb and reradiate thermal energy from the Sun?
greenhouse effect
A person's feet becomes hot when he/she walks on sand that has been warmed by the Sun. What type of heat transfer is occurring?
conduction