• Unit Six-Properties of the Atmosphere

    What You'll Learn:

    • The compositon, structure, and properties that make up Earth's atmosphere.
    • How solar energy, which fuels weather and climate, is distributed throughout the atmosphere.
    • How water continueally moves between Earth's surface and the atmosphere in the water cycle.

    Why It's Important:

    Understanding Earth's atmosphere and its interactions with solar energy is the key to understanding weather and climate, which control so many different aspects of out lives.

    Key Vocabulary:

    conduction
    		convection
    		exosphere
    mesosphere
    		ozone
    		radiation
    stratosphere
    		thermosphere
    		troposphere
    condensation
    		dew point
    		heat
    humidity
    		lifted condensation level
    		relative humidity
    temperature
    		temperature inversion
    		coalescence
    condensation nuclei
    		evaporation
    		latent heat
    orographic lifting
    		precipitation
    		stability
    water cycle


    Key Concepts/Understandings:

    • Describe the compostion of the atmosphere.
    • Compare and contrast the various layers of the atmosphere.
    • Identify three methods of transferring energy throuout the atmosphere.
    • Describe the various properties of the atmosphere and how they interact.
    • Explain why atmospheric properties change with changes in altitude.
    • Explain how clouds are formed.
    • Identify the basic characteristics of different cloud groups.
    • Describe the water cycle.

Last Modified on February 23, 2015