Chapter 1 THE AIR AROUND US The invisible, odorless, and tasteless mixture of gases that surrounds Earth. NITOGEN: A colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that makes up about four fifths of the air. OXYGEN: A colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that makes up about one fifth of the air. CARBON DIOXIDE: A colorless, odorless gas. WATER VAPOR: Water that is in the form of a gas.
ATMOSPHERE: TROPOSPHERE: WEATHER: GREENHOUSE EFFECT: WIND: The blanket of air that surrounds Earth, reaching to about 700km above the surface. TROPOSPHERE: The layer of the atmosphere closest to the surface of the Earth. WEATHER: The condition of the atmosphere at a certain place and time. GREENHOUSE EFFECT: The process by which heat from the Sun builds up near Earth’s surface and its trapped by the atmosphere. WIND: The movement of air over Earth’s surface.