Atmospheric Vocabulary

gases that absorb infrared radiation, becoming heated as a consequence (ex. water vapor)

• air pollutant

• inversion

• greenhouse gases

• primary air pollutants

lowest layer of the atmosphere

• troposphere

• stratosphere

• exosphere

• ozone layer

a periodic motion that repeats itself in a regular cycle

• inversion

• catalyst

• oscillate

• proxies

any gas or particle in the atmosphere that can cause harm or damage to organisms and to the environment

• contaminant

• pollutant

• air pollutant

• greenhouse gases

where air at ground level is trapped by warmer air above

• sequestered

• oscillate

• inversion

• proxies

uses a scale to indicate the air quality and its associated high risks to people

• secondary air pollutants

• proxies

• contaminant

• air quality health index

second atmosphere layer from the Earth’s crust, includes the ozone layer

• troposphere

• stratosphere

• exosphere

• ozone layer

substances released directly into the atmosphere in amounts that pose a threat to health.

• contaminants

• primary air pollutants

• secondary air pollutants

• proxies

a permanently frozen layer below the Earths surface. consisting of soil, gravel, etc. usually bound together by ice

• anthropogenic

• oscillate

• permafrost

• catalyst

the result of interactions between primary air pollutants and other primary air pollutants and other gases and particles that are naturally present in the atmosphere

• contaminant

• primary air pollutants

• secondary air pollutants

• greenhouse gases