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ES 10 The Atmosphere
Atmosphere general terms. Does not include weather or global patterns.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| #1 gas in Earth's atmosphere | nitrogen |
| #2 gas in Earth's atmosphere | oxygen |
| gas in Earth's atmosphere that absorbs most ultraviolet rays, protecting life on Earth | ozone |
| gas in Earth's atmosphere that condenses to produce clouds and precipitation | water vapor |
| lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere in which practically all weather occurs | troposphere |
| as altitude in the troposphere increases, air temperature ___ | decreases |
| as altitude in the troposphere (in fact, ALL layers) increases, air pressure ___ | decreases |
| upper edge (limit) of the troposphere is called the ___ | tropopause |
| layer of Earth's atmosphere that contains the ozone layer | stratosphere |
| as altitude in the stratosphere increases, air temperature ___ | increases |
| upper edge (limit) of the stratosphere is called the ___ | stratopause |
| the troposphere and stratosphere, when combined, that make up 99+% of its ___ | mass |
| MIDDLE layer of Earth's atmosphere that absorbs little solar radiation so temperature decreases with altitude within it | mesosphere |
| upper edge (limit) of the mesosphere is called the ___ | mesopause |
| layer of Earth's atmosphere that contains the ionosphere and whose temperature can exceed 1000 ºC due to absorbing high energy solar radiation, and is the location of the I.S.S. | thermosphere |
| a charged particle (broken apart molecule/atom) that is common in the thermosphere | ion |
| minor layer of Earth's atmosphere that reflects AM radio waves back to Earth, allowing radio communication over Earth's horizon | ionosphere |
| upper layer of Earth's atmosphere that has no outer limit... it just gets thinner and thinner, and is the location of Hubble | exosphere |
| the ___ theory states that all matter is made of tiny particles in constant, rapid, random motion | kinetic |
| a moving object possesses ___ energy due to its motion | kinetic |
| the AVERAGE kinetic energy of the (moving) particles in matter is measured by ___ | temperature |
| a measure of the TOTAL kinetic energy of the (moving) particles in matter | thermal energy |
| as the temperature of a sample of matter increases, the particles (atoms, molecules) in the matter move ___ | faster |
| the moving particles in matter have kinetic energy (KE)... the sum TOTAL of all the KE of the particles in a sample of matter is called ___ energy | thermal |
| transfer of thermal energy by electromagnetic waves | radiation |
| principal means by which the Sun transfers energy to Earth | radiation |
| the 2 primary forms of radiant energy (electromagnetic waves) produced by the Sun are visible and ___ light | infrared |
| 50% of the Sun's radiation that strikes Earth is ___ by its surface | absorbed |
| 30% of the Sun's radiation (energy) that strikes Earth's atmosphere ___ back into space | reflects |
| since a ___ surface absorbs more solar radiation, ice/snow-covered ground tends to stay cold longer (so as polar ice melts, scientiest expect the rate of climate change to accelerate) | dark |
| energy transfer that occurs when 2 objects at different temperatures are in contact | conduction |
| primary means of energy transfer between Earth's surface and the lower atmosphere that touches its surface | conduction |
| energy transfer that occurs in liquids and gases because they can circulate, usually due to temperature-related density differences | convection |
| a circulating area of liquid/gas caused by density differences due to uneven heating (ex: these in the mantle move tectonic plates OR in the atmosphere cause winds) is a(n) ___ current | convection |
| device that measures temperature, it often uses expansion of a liquid to indicate temperature change | thermometer |
| temperature scale on which the boiling point of water is 100 and freezing point of water is 0 | Celsius |
| temperature scale primarily used in the U.S., but almost no where else on Earth | Fahrenheit |
| SI (scientific) temperature scale that starts with the lowest temperature at 0 and has only positive numbers | Kelvin |
| theoretical lowest possible temperature at which all molecular motion stops is ___ zero | absolute |
| quantity calculated by using the equation: force ÷ area | pressure |
| air pressure is the push applied by the atmosphere's weight to a surface... and the atmosphere has a weight due to Earth's ___ | gravity |
| psi, mm of Hg, and millibars are all units that measure air ___ | pressure |
| device which measures air pressure (the original contained mercury but today's are the aneroid type) | barometer |
| air pressure at sea level (highest) is about 100,000 pascals (N/m2) OR ___ millibars | 1000 |
| if the temperature of a gas increases, the pressure exerted by the gas ___ | increases |
| if a gas is allowed to expand (by reducing pressure on it), the temperature of the gas ___ | decreases |
| a temperature ___ a cooler layer in Earth's atmosphere is trapped near the surface by an overlying layer or warm air so that air pollution/smog over a city can build up | inversion |
| in general, any movement of air in Earth's atmosphere | wind |
| device used to measure wind speed | anemometer |
| nautical unit for measuring wind speed (1 ___ = 1.15 mph) | knot |
| term that refers to water vapor in the atmosphere | humidity |
| describes air that contains the maximum water vapor (humidity) possible for the current temperature | saturated |
| the amount of water vapor that is in the air COMPARED TO the maximum possible at the given temperature | relative humidity |
| temperature to which an air mass must be cooled to reach saturation so water vapor starts to condense | dew point |
| a(n) ___ temperature change occurs when air expands (or contracts) without adding or removing heat (Ex: when an air mass goes over a mountain) | adiabatic |
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goakley
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