Earth's Spheres Quiz Review Guide (Sam Binder)

Atmosphere

The mixture of gases surrounding the Earth or other celestial body, held in place by gravity.

Troposphere

The lowest and densest region of the Earth's atmosphere, extending from the Earth's surface to the tropopause.

Stratosphere

The region of the Earth's atmosphere extending from the tropopause to about 50 km (31 mi) above the Earth's surface.

Mesosphere

The region of the Earth's atmosphere lying above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere, from a height of about 50 km (31 mi) to about 80 km (50 mi) above the Earth's surface.

Thermosphere

The region of the Earth's upper atmosphere lying above the mesosphere and extending from a height of approximately 80 km (50 mi) to between 550 and 700 km (341 and 434 mi) above the Earth's surface.

Exosphere

The outermost region of the Earth's atmosphere, beginning at an altitude of approximately 550 km to 700 km (341 to 434 mi) and merging with the interplanetary medium at around 10,000 km (6,200 mi).

Hydrosphere

All of the Earth's water, including surface water (water in oceans, lakes, and rivers), groundwater (water in soil and beneath the Earth's surface), snowcover, ice, and water in the atmosphere, including water vapor.

Geosphere

The outer part of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle. It is about 55 km (34 mi) thick beneath the oceans and up to about 200 km (124 mi) thick beneath the continents.

Biosphere

The parts of the land, sea, and atmosphere in which organisms are able to live.

Climate Change

a long-term change in the earth's climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature

Greenhouse Effect

The retention of part of the Sun's energy in the Earth's atmosphere in the form of heat as a result of the presence of greenhouse gases.

Carbon Footprint

the amount of carbon dioxide or other carbon compounds emitted into the atmosphere by the activities of an individual, company, country, etc.

Patterns

a repeated form or design especially that is used to decorate something.

Rotation

The motion of the Earth around an internal axis that causes day and night.

Revolution

The motion of an object around a point, especially around another object or a center of mass, causes seasons.

Axis

An imaginary line around which an object rotates.

Orbit

The path followed by a celestial body or artificial satellite as it revolves around another body due to the force of gravity.

Polaris

A bright star at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper in the constellation Ursa Minor. It is the North Star.

Middle Latitudes

Examples of Middle Latitudes are mediterranean, desert, humid subtropical, oceanic, humid continental and subarctic.

Seasons

The four natural divisions of the year—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—in temperate zones.

Equator

An imaginary line forming a great circle around the Earth's surface, equidistant from the poles and in a plane perpendicular to the Earth's axis of rotation.

Indirect light

lighting in which most of the light is not cast directly from the fixture or source to the illuminated area.

Direct light

lighting in which most of the light is cast directly from the fixture or source to the illumined area.

Equinox

Either of the two points on the celestial sphere where the ecliptic (the apparent path of the Sun) crosses the celestial equator.

Solstice

Either of the two points on the celestial sphere where the ecliptic (the apparent path of the Sun) reaches its greatest distance north or south of the celestial equator.