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GLOSSARY

Our comprehensive earth science glossary is available to assist in your understanding of the MY NASA DATA microsets, lesson plans and computer tools. Please select the first letter of the word you wish to check for a definition and further information.

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All definitions
E
Earth's Energy Budget:
The balance between the energy coming into a system compared to the energy going out of that system.   Earth's Energy Budget(PDF) Earths Energy Budget
Image courtesy Loeb et al., 2009
E
Earth tilt:
The angle at which the Earth's rotation axis is tilted relative to the plane of its orb it around the Sun.   The Earth's Rotation (from Windows to the Universe) Earth's rotation axis is tilted
Image courtesy NASA Explorer News
E
EBAF:
The Energy Balanced and Filled (EBAF) product is a special product from the CERES Terra dataset. It provides monthly mean top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiative fluxes constrained such that the five-year average global net TOA flux is consistent with the CERES Science Team's best estimate of heat storage in the Earth-atmosphere system (a net gain of 0.85 Watts per meter squared per year). CERES EBAF is primarily intended for studies that use Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) data for climate model evaluation, estimating the Earth's annual global mean energy budget, and in studies of heat transports from the Equator to the poles.   EBAF Energy Budget
Image courtesy NASA
E
electromagnetic energy:
Type of energy distinct from chemical energy, kinetic energy, etc. Visible light and radio waves are both forms of electromagnetic energy. See also Radiation.   Imagine the Universe
E
electromagnetic radiation:
Radiation consisting of waves of energy associated with electric and magnetic fields. See electromagnetic energy.  
E
electromagnetic spectrum:
The full range of frequencies, from radio waves to gamma rays, that characterizes electromagnetic energy.   Illustration of the spectrum The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Image courtesy NASA
E
elevation:
the height of a location on Earth's surface above or below sea level, usually measured in meters or feet.  
E
El Nino:
the term used to identify the irregular development of warmer ocean surface water off the coast of Equador and Peru when the Trade Winds weaken and the usual upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water reduces.   NOAA El Nino Education Page El Nino SST Nov 1997
E
emit:
To give off or send out energy. The Earth emits longwave radiation after absorbing shortwave radiation from the Sun.   Tool to explore blackbody emission spectrum
E
ENSO:
an acronym meaning El Nino - Southern Oscillation. The Southern Oscillation is the reversal of the atmospheric circulation in the Equatorial Pacific region which causes the onset of El Nino conditions. See definition for El Nino.  
E
EOS:
acronym for Earth Observing System. A major international science program to monitor climate and environmental change.   The Earth Observing System website
E
Equator:
the line circling the Earth at 0 degrees latitude, dividing the North and South hemispheres.   Location of the Equator
Image courtesy NASA Mission to Planet Earth
E
equinox:
the condition when solar declination is 0 degrees, or when the sun is directly over the Equator. This occurs twice yearly on March 21 (vernal equinox) and September 21 (autumnal equinox).   Diagram of the seasons and equinox
Image courtesy NOAA
E
equivalent water thickness:
a measurement of change in mass on the Earth. For example, 1 cm of water thickness change means mass change equivalent to a 1 cm layer of water. The changes in mass may be due to surface and deep currents in the ocean, runoff and ground water storage on land masses, exchanges between ice sheets or glaciers and the oceans.   The GRACE mission
E
ERBE:
acronym for Earth Radiation Budget Experiment.   ERBE Website
E
ERBS:
acronym for Earth Radiation Budget Satellite. A NASA satellite carrying instruments used in the ERBE experiment to study the radiation budget and atmospheric aerosols and gases.   ERBS Web page The ERBS Spacecraft
Image courtesy NASA
E
evaporation:
the process where liquid water is converted to water vapor (gaseous state). The air above the evaporating surface must be unsaturated for evaporation to occur (relative humidity less than 100 percent).  
E
exosphere:
The outermost layer of the Earth's atmosphere.   The Layers of the Earth's Atmosphere

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