1. Earth’s Energy Vocabulary

2. 1. Relative Humidity: The % of water vapor the air is holding compared to how much it can hold.Relative Humidity 2. Water Vapor: Water that is held in the air in a gaseous state.Water Vapor 3. Dew Point: The temperature that water in the air condenses and becomes liquid.Dew Point

3. 4. Solar Radiation: Energy that is put off by the sun in the form of the Electromagnetic Spectrum.Solar Radiation Electromagnetic Spectrum 5. Radioactive Decay: The elements in Earth’s core are decaying and thus release heat.Radioactive Decay

4. 6. Greenhouse Effect: Certain gasses like CO 2 trap heat. This is why Venus is hotter than Mercury.Greenhouse Effect

5. 7. Fossil Fuel: Gasoline, Oil, & Natural Gas. We burn these for energy. They come from prehistoric organisms. (Animals & Plants)Fossil Fuel

6. 8. Convection: The transfer of heat by the fluid movement of air or water.Convection 9. Radiation: The transfer of heat by waves.Radiation 10. Conduction: The transfer of heat by direct contact.Conduction

7. 11. Atmospheric Absorption: Smaller molecules (oxygen & Nitrogen) absorb short wavelengths of solar radiation. Larger molecules (water vapor & carbon dioxide) absorb longer wavelengths.Atmospheric Absorption

8. 12. Photosynthesis: Plants convert CO 2 + H 2 O into Oxygen. 6CO 2 + 6 H 2 O = C 6 H 12 O 6 (Sugar) + 6O 2 (Oxygen)Photosynthesis

9. 13. Weather: The condition of the atmosphere at the present time. 14. Climate: The 30 year average of weather for a specific place on Earth.

10. 15. ENSO (El’ Nino Southern Oscillation): El Niño is a disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific having important consequences for weather around the globe.ENSO

11. 16. Ozone: A gas made of 3 oxygen atoms. In the Stratosphere, it absorbs Ultraviolet Radiation. In the Troposphere, it is pollution. O 3 = Ozone

12. 17. Temperature Inversion: The air near the ground is usually warmer. If the air above us warms(inversion), it can trap pollutants and cause bad air days.Temperature Inversion