| 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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| validation: |
| the act of verifying the value of data, usually by comparing the data with other data sources. For satellite data, often ground or aircraft based measurements at a particular time and location will be compared to determine how well the data correlates.
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| variable: |
| A quantity that changes over time; or, a quantity which can be assigned different values.
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| variance: |
| The difference between what is expected and what actually occurs. In statistics, the variance is defined as the square of the standard deviation.
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| velocity: |
| Speed of an object in a certain direction.
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| vertical resolution: |
| for three-dimensional data, that is, a data set with an element of height such as atmospheric data, indicates the vertical distance between data point measurements or increments.
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| volatile organic compounds: |
| Chemical compounds that contain hydrogen (H), and carbon (C), and evaporate easily. Commonly called VOC.
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| volcanic aerosols: |
| Aerosols released during volcanic eruptions, notably ash, soot, and sulfur dioxide. These aerosols reflect sunlight, reducing the amount of energy reaching the lower atmosphere and the Earth's surface, and thus have a cooling effect.
Introduction to Volcanic Aerosols
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| volcano: |
| A vent in the Earth's crust through which molten lava and gases are released.
Volcano World
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Image courtesy USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory |
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