Science Exam Review
Terms
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- coastal bight
- the topography/contour of the coastline
- humidity
- the amount of water vapor in the air
- lunar day
- the amount of time it takes for the moon to rotate on its axis from the perspective of the Earth (or anywhere not on the moon). 24 hr. 50 min.
- prevailing westerlies
- 30°-60°N and 30°-60°S winds that blow toward poles and are turned by the Coriolis effect
- plunging breakers
- waves which occur on a beach with a moderately steep slope, curl over and form tunnel until they break
- wind-chill factor
- the increase cooling that wind can cause
- capillary waves
- the first small waves in the ocean formed by friction between the air and water
- polar easterlies
- cold air at poles sinks and goes back to lower latitudes--these shift west because of Coriolis effect
- greenhouse effect
- the increase in temperature cause by the accumulation of gases in the Earth's atmosphere
- temperature
- average amount of energy of motion in each particle of a substance
- global warming
- an increase in temperature in the Earth's atmosphere
- horse latitudes
- 30°N and 30°S latitudes that have little wind because air stops moving towards poles and sinks
- thermohaline circulation
- circulation of deep ocean water driven by differences in temperature and salinity (density)
- current
- stream of water that carries water from one place to another ocean
- polar front
- where prevailing westerlies and polar easterlies mix at 60°N and 60°S
- high/low tide
- time of highest and lowest water levels on the coastline. 12 hr. 35 min. for both 1 high and 1 low tide
- oscillate
- to move back and forth, to "wiggle"
- electromagnetic waves
- a form of energy that can move through the vacuum of space
- meso
- middle
- wavelength
- λ, distance measured between two points equal in the wave cycle (crest to crest)
- spilling breakers
- waves which occur on a beach with a gentle slope, break far from shore, surf gently rolls over the front of the wave
- conduction
- direct transfer of heat from one substance to another that is touching
- global winds
- winds that blow from specific directions over long distances
- sea breeze
- local wind that blows from an ocean or lake (spring/summer)
- climate
- the year-round average of atmospheric condition in a given area
- forced waves/sea
- waves located in the area of generation and still under the force of that generation
- Ekman spiral transport
- results from Coriolis effect--surface ocean water moves into a spiral through the surface layers resulting in a net transpot of water to the right of the wind in the northern hemisphere, and to the left of the wind in the southern hemisphere
- alto
- high
- gravity
- force of attracting between all things dependent on the mass of the objects and the distance between them
- greenhouse gas
- gas in the atmosphere that traps solar energy inside the Earth's atmosphere
- climate change
- a long-term change in weather patterns in a given area
- celerity
- wind speed
- condensation
- process by which molecules of water vapor in the air become liquid water
- cirrus
- curl of hair
- surface layer
- top part of ocean
- deep ocean
- third part of ocean
- exo
- outer
- sublimation
- the process by which a substance changes directly from a solid to a gas (ex. dry ice)
- Coriolis effect
- apparent deflection of motion in a moving frame of reference
- sling psychrometer
- a device that uses wet bulb and dry bulb thermometers to measure relative humidity
- deep water
- water in which the wave orbits do not interact with the bottom
- shallow water wave
- a wave that occurs in an area where the depth of the water is equal to 1/20 or less of the wavelength
- local winds
- winds that blow over short distances
- monsoon
- sea and land breezes over a large region that change with season
- continental climates
- more extreme climates in areas not near ocean/large body of water
- rotate
- to turn on an axis
- microclimate
- a small area with climate conditions that differ from those around it
- jet streams
- bands of high-speed winds at about 10km above the earth's surface that blow from west to east at 200-400 km/hr.
- anemometer
- device used to measure wind speed
- carbon off-set
- a financial instrument representing a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
- transition zone
- second/middle layer/zone of ocean
- radiation
- direct transfer of heat by electromagnetic waves
- trough
- bottom of wave
- convection currents
- upward movement of warm air and downward movement of cool air
- land breeze
- flow of air from land to a body of water (fall/winter)
- ultraviolet radiation
- invisible energy with wavelengths shorter than violet light
- heat
- transfer of thermal energy from a hotter object to a cooler one
- cap and trade
- an administrative approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentive
- temperate zone
- between tropical and polar zones
- eclipse
- sun, moon, and earth are on same line
- infrared radiation
- another way to say 'heat'
- salinity
- the amount of salt in a certain amount of water, usually measured in ppt (parts per thousand)
- weather
- conditions of the Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place
- strato
- spread out/layer
- atom
- smallest unit of a chemical element that can exist by itself
- fetch
- describes the distance that wind can blow over the ocean
- polar molecule
- a molecule that is both positively and negatively charged
- wind
- the horizontal movement of air from a high to low pressure
- atmosphere
- thin layer of gas that surrounds the planet
- prevailing winds
- directional winds that usually blow in a region
- latitude
- distance from the equator, measured in degrees
- wave period
- T, the time is takes for a wave to repeat (this remains constant after a wave is formed)
- wave trains
- groups of similar waves traveling together
- water cycle
- movement of water between the atmosphere and the Earth's surface
- polar zone
- area around 66.5-90°N and 66.5-90°S
- tropical zone
- area near the equator, between 23.5°N and 23.5°S
- relative humidity
- percentage of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor that the air can hold at a particular temperature
- cumulus
- heap
- pycnocline
- area of water in the ocean where density changes rapidly
- tide
- the daily rise and fall of the water level on the coastline
- halocline
- area of water in the ocean where salinity changes rapidly
- evaporation
- the process by which water molecules in liquid water escape into the air as water vapor
- blue moon
- the name given to the second full moon of the month (if there is one)
- convection
- transfer of heat by the movement of fluid
- seasonal winds
- winds that change depending on season
- carbon footprint
- the measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide
- thermo
- prefix meaning 'heat'
- scattering
- process by which dust particles and gases in the atmosphere reflect light in all directions
- revolve
- to orbit around a central point
- water molecule
- 2 hydrogen atoms(+), 1 oxygen atom(-)
- marine climates
- mild climates in areas near ocean/large body of water
- doldrums
- regions near the equator with little or no wind (because the air is always heated by the sun)
- crest/peak
- top of wave
- ozone
- form of oxygen that has three atoms in each molecule instead of two (O3)
- trade winds
- steady easterly winds--high pressure cause by horse latitudes causes surface winds to blow toward the equator and away from it. these winds turned by Coriolis effect.--30°N to the equator, 30°S to the equator
- dew point
- temperature at which condensation begins
- visible light
- all colors of the rainbow
- wave
- movement of energy through a medium
- albedo
- measure of reflectiveness of a surface (reflected light/incident light)
- surging breakers
- waves which occur on a beach with a steep slope, do not break, roll onto beach, destructive nature
- thermocline
- area of water in the ocean where temperature changes rapidly
- ice age
- a period of time during which glaciers cover a large portion of the Earth's surface
- thermal energy
- total energy of motion in the particles of a substance
- tropo
- turning/changing