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The Atmosphere
Notes for last physical science test
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the atmosphere primarily composed of? | Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, Carbon Dioxide, with traces of neon, helium methane, hydrogen, etc. |
| What are other variables in the atmosphere? | water vapor, H20 (up to 4%), CO, NH3, and solid particles: dust, pollen, etc. |
| The primary components of the atmosphere are ____ and ______. | dry air and constant |
| Nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide are involved in what? | life processes, makes life forms possible on Earth |
| What are plants composed of? | take N2 ----> release N to the Earth by organic decay and use CO2, H2O, and energy from the sun ----> O2 + carbohydrates (photosynthesis) |
| What do animals use in the atmosphere? | O2 -----> make CO2 |
| What are the important points about the composition of the atmosphere? | (1)it evolved to present conditions over billions of years. (2) our atmosphere is different than any other planet or moon. (3) atmosphere is held in place by Earth's gravity. |
| Where is the atmosphere held in place by Earth gravity strongest? | this attraction is strongest at the surface so density is greater near the surface and decrease with altitude. |
| What are the four regions of the atmosphere? | troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. |
| Which region has life and weather? | troposphere |
| How are the regions designated? | temperature |
| What are the 2 layers of the atmosphere? | Ozone layer and ion layer |
| What forms the ozone? | at the highest altitudes in the (stratosphere) UV radiation from the sun provides energy to form the ozone |
| What is the heat Rxn equation? | O2 + UV energy ----> O3 (ozone) when it goes the other way the energy is released as heat. |
| Energy being released as heat is the reason for what? | temperature increase in this region. |
| What is the ozone layer? | absorbs the UV radiation and protects life below. |
| What is the ion layer? | (around 80km, 100km, and >200km) made up of energetic particles/rays (gamma rays, x-rays, beta, etc.) react with gases and form ions |
| What is an example of the ion layer? | N2 + energy ----> N2 + e- |
| The electronically charged ions/electrons get trapped by what? | Earth's magnetic field and form layers |
| What does it create? | creates the Northern and Southern Lights |
| The sun is what? | source of almost all energy |
| What is solar radiation? | travels through soace at the speed of light |
| What portion of solar radiation reaches earth? | Insulation- incoming solar radiation |
| On a global average what percent of energy reaches the Earth's surface? | 50% |
| In the atmosphere 50% of energy is what 3 things? | reflected: by clouds or ground, scattered: by the atmopshere and absorbed: by the atmosphere |
| The 50% that reaches the surface is later what by the atmosphere? | re-radiated |
| Overall energy in and out is what? | incoming=outcoming energy |
| What is the 50% of energy that reaches the surface? | mostly re-radiated primarily as thermal energy |
| What happens to the other energy? | energy absorbed/released by H2O (latent heat) and conduction which is the main reason temperatures are highest at the surface |
| What are some environmental affects that change the atmosphere? | pollution: gases/particles result from human activities |
| What is the equation for pressure changes? | force/area |
| What are the 2 different environmental affects? | temperature and precipitation |
| What is wind measured by? | speed and directon |
| What is humidity? | moisture content in the air |
| What is absolute? | amount of H2O/volume |
| What is relative humidity? | absolute percent of moisture content/maximum moisture that's possible at a given temperature |
| 100% relative humididty means what? | the air is saturated |
| warm air can hold ____ moisuter than cold air | more |
| relative humidity is inversely proportional to what? | temperature |
| As temperature increases relative humidity decreases. As temperature decreases relative humidity______. | increases |
| What happens to relative humidity in the evening everyday? | temperature decreases so relative humidity increases until it reaches 100% then begins to condense if temperature drops further. |
| Temperature for 100% relative humidity is called what? | dew point |
| What happens with relative humidity everyday in the morning? | temperature increases so relative humidity decreases and the air can hold more moisture and dew/frost evaporates |
| What is wind? | horizontal movement of air along the Earth's surface |
| What global forces cause air movement? | pressure gradiant forces (due to uneven heating) and coriolis forces (Earth's rotation) |
| What is the local force of air movement? | frictional forces |
| What are pressure differences due to? | temperature differences caused by uneven heating |
| Air always moves how? | from high pressure to low pressure |
| Warm air rises and then what? | temperature increases then it expands and rises creates low pressure |
| Cold air falls are creates what pressure? | high |
| What is convection cells called? | Hadley cell |
| What are coriolis forces? | due to rotation and the fact that the Earth's surface is moving fastest at the equator |
| what are the results of coriolis forces? | winds are deflected either E or W |
| What happens in the Northern Hemesphere? | air is deflected to right and air high to low creates counter clockwise rotation, oppoistion in Southern Hemesphere wind is named by the direction it comes from |
| Seasonal changes cause what? | the entire pattern to shift N or S |
| What are jet streams? | there are 4. and they cause shifts. is a narrow band of fast moving high altitude, air. |
| What does the Northern-sub polar jet stream do? | mostly affects U.S. in winter travels W to E |
| What is weather? | the current atmosphere conditions in lower troposphere |
| What is climate? | long-time average weather conditions for a region |
| What are regions? | classified by temperature and precipitation data collected for approx. 30 years |
| What is condensation? | phase change |
| What are Bergon's Process of 3 requirements for precipitation. | 1. air cooled beyond saturation 2. condensation nuclei (tiny particles not protons and neutrons) have to be present usually in the form of ice crystals present at the tops of clouds 3. mixing processes within clouds, usually updrafts and down. |
| What is air mass? | a large body of air that has approx the same temperature and humidity throughout |
| What is source region? | an air mass takes on the characteristics of a region where it remains for sometime |
| What is an example of source region? | tropical air mass from the Gulf warm and moist |
| What is warm air mass? | the air mass temperature is greater than the surface temperature |
| What is cold air mass? | air colder than surface |
| What is a front? | boundry between 2 air masses |
| What is a warm front? | 1. warm air moving into cold air 2. warm air flows up and over the cold for a long distance, pushing the cold air into a wedge |
| What are characteristics of a warm front? | warmer temperatures, low pressure, clouds and persistant light rain, gray skies and not severe storms |
| What is a cold front? | cold air moves into warmer air, warm air is pushed up rapidly in a narrow zone. |
| Characteristics of a cold front is what? | colder temperatures, low pressure a narrow band of strong (sometimes severe storms, cumulonimbus clouds |
| What is the most composition of the Earth? | Oxygen, Silicon and Iron |
| What are the parts of the Earth? | inner core: solid, mostly FE and some N highest density outer core: liquid, mostly Fe and some N mantel: hot soft rock solid, close to its melting point crust: thin rocky mostly O and Si |
| At a closer up look at the Earth what 2 layers are there? | lithosphere: this layer makes up the tectonic plates athenosphere: hot, soft, solid rock |
| Who proposed the theory of continental drift? | Alfred Wegner |
| What did Wegner propose? | a giant continent called Pangaea broke apart 200 million years ago and the pieces drifted and eventually became current continents |
| What did Wegner include? | fossil evidence, rock records, and glacial evidence |
| Was Wegner's proposed mechanism (drifting) wrong? | Yes, but the modern theory of plate tectonics is based on his work |
| What was discovered in 1960s? | discovered tha the sea floor was spreading at mid-ocean ridges |
| What supported the 1960s theory? | 1. age of rocks 2. magnetic field 3. about 20 plates 4. at plate boundaries, plates are either moving apart, moving together or sideways |
| Highest pressure hurricans and lowest pressure = what? | hurricanes |
| What are divergent boundaries? | spreading centers, example: midatlantic ridge, the characteristics are a band of shallow earthquakes, new rock and ridge |
| what are convergent boundaries? | subduction shown, ocean/continent go under or over. characteristics: a wider band of shallow to medium to deep of earthquakes |
| What are types of convergent boundaries? | volcanoes, trenches, and example is the pacific ring |
| What are transform boundaries? | Ex: San Andreas Fault, Characteristics: Earthquakes all types |
| What are the focus of Earthquakes? | location of an Earthquake |
| What is the epicenter of an Earthquake? | surface right above the focus |
| How do we measure Earth quakes? | Richter scale |
| What are minerals? | naturally occuring inorganic solids that have a definite chemical composition and crystal structure, pure substances |
| How many minerals are there? | 2000 minerals in the Earth's crust |
| About 10 make up what percent of the crust? | 90% |
| How do we classify minerals? | physical/chemical properties |
| What are gems? | minerals, physically beautiful |
| What are rocks? | naturally occuring solids that are made up of 1 or more minerals that are not chemically combined |
| Rocks are mixtures of what? | minerals |
| What are the 3 major categories of rocks? | Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic |
| what are igneous rocks? | formed by cooling and solidification of molton rock (lava), volcanic activity, EX: Granite |
| What are sedimentary rocks? | formed at Earth's surface by compaction and cemenation of layers of sediment. EX: sandstone |
| What are metamorphic rocks? | rocks that have undergone a change through heat and pressure deep under Earth's surface EX: marble |
| What are characteristics of igneous rock/volcano? | texture or grain sized determined by cooling rate. cools fast=small grains cools slow=big grains |
| What is the mineral composition of igneous rocks? | high silicon: lighter color and less dense. lower silicon: darker color and more dense. |
| What are the 2 major types of volcanoes? | Pyroclastic and Peaceful |
| What is the pyroclastic volcanoes? | on convergent boundaries, explosive, dormant for long periods, higher Si, lower temperature, high viscosity magma |
| What are peaceful volcanoes? | occur over hot spot in a plastic interior, errupt continuously, lower Si, higher temperature, lower viseosity magma |
| What is weathering? | process of breaking down rocks at Earth's surface |
| What is erosian? | the down slope movement of rock fragments due to gravity water, wind and ice. |
Created by:
mbrudos
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