Environment

Allie Furlo APES CH. 7 Weather- a set of physical conditions of the lower atmosphere such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, cloud cover, and other factors in a given area over a period of hours or days. Climate- an area?s general pattern of atmospheric conditions over periods of at least three decades and up to thousands of years. Weather averaged over a long period of time. Three major factors determine how air circulates in the lower atmosphere: Uneven heating of the earth?s surface by the sun. The air is more heated at the equator where the sun?s rays strike more directly than at the poles where it strikes at an angle and spreads over a greater area. Solar radiation in tropical areas greatly increases evaporation, which increases precipitation.

APES CH.1 NOTES Environment- our living and nonliving surroundings, with which we interact in a complex web of relationships that connect us to one another and the world we live in. Environmental Science- the study of how humans interact with the living and nonliving parts of their environment. It includes ideas from the natural sciences, social sciences, political science, and humanities. The 3 goals of environmental science are to learn how nature works, understand how we interact with the environment, and to find ways to deal with environmental problems and live more sustainably.