 |
[ + NASA Homepage ] [ + NASA GSFC Homepage ] |
|
 |
||
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Water and Its Patterns on Earth's Surface The Phases of Water branch focuses on phase changes of sea water:
"Hands
on" activities related to this concept
map:
Questions or comments? Contact Annette deCharon, Senior Science Educator and Aquarius EPO Manager |
Glossary Words
atom: A chemical unit, composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons, that cannot further break down by chemical means.
compound: A pure substance composed of more than one element.
freezing point: Temperature at which a liquid of specified composition solidifies under a specified pressure.
heat capacity: The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius without change of phase.
heat of vaporization: The thermal energy absorbed by a liquid at its boiling point as it changes to a gas.
iceberg: A floating body of ice broken off a glacier. About 10 percent of its mass lies above the water surface.
latent heat of fusion: The amount of thermal energy associated with vaporizing a liquid or a solid, or condensing a vapor.
molecule: A pure substance which results when two or more atoms of a single element share electrons, for example O2. It can also more loosely refer to a compound, which is a combination of two or more atoms of two or more different elements, for example H2O.
practical salinity unit (PSU): Used to describe the concentration of dissolved salts in water, the UNESCO Practical Salinity Scale of 1978 (PSS78) defines salinity in terms of a conductivity ratio, so it is dimensionless. Salinity was formerly expressed in terms of parts per thousand (ppt) or by weight (parts per thousand or 0/00). That is, a salinity of 35 ppt meant 35 pounds of salt per 1,000 pounds of seawater. Open ocean salinities are generally in the range between 32 and 37.
salinity: A measure of the quantity of dissolved solids in ocean water. In general, salinity reflects the total amount of dissolved solids in ocean water in parts per thousand by weight after all carbonate has been converted to oxide, the bromide and iodide to chloride, and all the organic matter oxidized.
sea ice: Ice that is formed by the freezing of sea water.
states of matter: A classification of substance according to its structural characteristics. Four states of matter are generally recognized: solid, liquid, gas and plasma.
anode: A positively charged electrode.
Home | Links | Newsroom | Site Map|
Overview | Science | Technology & Operations | Gallery | Education
|
|
|
