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Weather Test 1;Sec 1
Weather Test 1; Sec 1
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Condition of the atmosphere at a particular time at a particular place | Weather |
| Why does weather change? | Elements interact in atmosphere |
| What elements are gathered to predict weather conditions | Air temperature Air pressure Humidity Clouds Precipitation Wind Visibility |
| Degree of hotness or coldness of air | Air temperature |
| Will record the highest temperatures on that particular day | Maximum thermometer |
| Will record the lowest temperatures on that particular day | Minimum thermometer |
| How do you find the average temperature of the day? | combine the maximum and minimum thermometer and find the average temperature |
| Force (weight) exerted by mass of air above a given point; molecules pushed together to form pressure that will change the weather | Air pressure |
| General term that refers to air's water vapor content | Humidity |
| Visible aggregate of tiny water droplets or ice crystals above the earth's surface | clouds |
| Rain or snow | precipitation |
| air in motion relative to the earth's surface; air molecules that are moving | wind |
| Greatest distance an observer can see and identify prominent objects | visibility |
| What period of time is weather observed and averaged for? | 30 years |
| What geosystems affect weather? | Atmosphere Lithosphere Hydrosphere Biosphere |
| What geosystem is air | atmosphere |
| What geosystem has to do with soil? | Lithosphere |
| What geosystem has to do with water? | Hydrosphere |
| What geosystem has to do with life, plants and animals? | Biosphere |
| drives the atmosphere into the patterns of everyday wind and weather and allows the earth to maintain an average surface temperature of about 15 degrees C | Radiant energy (radiation) |
| A gaseous envelope comprised mostly of nitrogen and oxygen with small amounts of other gases, such as water vapor and carbon dioxide | atmosphere |
| Gases that have a defined percentage in the atmosphere | Permanent gases |
| What gas has the highest amount present in the atmosphere? | Nitrogen |
| What % of the atmosphere is Nitrogen? | 78% |
| What % of the atmosphere is Oxygen? | 21% |
| Gases that vary from place to place | Variable gases |
| What gas has the highest percent of variable gases? | Water Vapor |
| What do we create on the surface then reacts with the atmosphere? | Chlorofluorocarbons |
| What are the major permanent gases? | Nitrogen & Oxygen |
| What are the major variable gases? | Water vapor Carbon Dioxide Ozone |
| The changing of water vapor into liquid water | condensation |
| theprocess of liquid water becoming water vapor | Evporation |
| The falling rain and snow | Precipitation |
| heat that water vapor releases when it changes from vapor into liquid water or ice | latent heat |
| How does CO2 enter the atmosphere? | decay of vegetation volcanic eruptions exhalations of animal life burning fossil fuels deforestation |
| What is the process of removal of CO2 and plants consume CO2 to produce green matter? | photosynthesis |
| Atmospheric concentration of CO2 has risen more than --% since 1958 | 20% |
| variable gases that affect energy balance of the atmosphere significantly | ozone |
| variable gas that derives from the breakdown of plant material by certain bacteria in rice paddies, wet oxygen-poor soil, the biological activity of termite and biochemical reactions in the stomach of cows | Methane |
| Each year how have the methane levels changed? | increases by one-half of one percent per year |
| how the the nitrous oxide levels changed? | they have been rising annually at the rate of about one-quater of a percent |
| Gas that forms in the soil through a chemical process involving bacteria and certain microbes | nitrous oxide |
| gas that is mainly used as refrigerants, propellants for the blowing of plastic foam insulation, and as solvents for cleaning electronic microcircuits | chlorofluorocarbons |
| gas that plays a part in destroying the gas ozone in the stratosphere | chlorofluorocarbons |
| What is the primary ingredient of ozone; it irritates the eyes and throat and damages vegetation | photochemical smog |
| When CFCs enter the stratosphere, ultraviolet rays break them apart and CFCs release ozone-destroying chlorine forming what? | an ozone hole over the regions |
| Tiny suspended solid particles (dust, smoke, salt etc) or liquid droplets that enter the atmosphere from either natural or human sources, such as the burning of fossil fuels | Aerosols |
| what is produced by sulfur-containing fossil fuels, such as coal | sulfate aerosols |
| impurities that are nuisance by health hazards | pollutants |
| What reacts in sunlight with hydrocarbons and other gases to produce ozone? | nitrogen dioxide |
| pollutant of city air; colorless and odorless gas that forms during the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuel 75% in atmosphere comes from road vehicles | carbon monoxide |
| aloud droplets or raindrops combining with gaseous pollutants, such as oxides of sulfur and nitrogen to make falling rain (or snow) acidic | acid rain |
| what gases was the first atmosphere most likely containing? | hydrogen and helium and hydrogen compounds such as methane and ammonia |
| what gases were brought to the second atmosphere? | volcanoes spew out water vapor (80%), carbon dioxide (10%), and nitrogen |
| the outpouring of gases from the hot interior | outgassing |
| what did outgassing do for our atmosphere? | provided a rich supply of watervapor, which formed into clouds |
| Process when oxygen began an extremely slow increase in concentration as energetic rays from the sun split water vapor into hydrogen and oxygen | photodissociation |
| how air molecules are held near the earth | gravity |
| the force acting on an object due to gravity | weight |
| the quantity of matter in the object | mass |
| How is density of air determined? | by the masses of atoms and molecules and the amount of space between them D= m/v |
| the small force of molecules divided by area | Pressure |
| the most common unit found on surface weather maps | millibar |
| what unit is gradually replacing the millibar | hectopascal |
| unit of pressure which is commonly used in the field of aviation and on television and radio weather broadcasts | inches of mercury |
| the amount of force exerted over an area of surface | atmospheric pressure |
| atmospheric pressure always decreases with what? | increasing height |
| atmospheric pressure is often referred to as what? | barometric pressure |
| the rate at which the air temperature decreases with height | lapse rate |
| when the air temperature may actually increase with height | temperature inversion |
| layer with clouds, planes fly, huge amount of water vapor | troposphere |
| Troposphere; temperature --- as you go higher in altitude | decreases |
| lowest layer of the atmosphere; most atmospheric pressure | troposphere |
| a balloon-borne instrument that measure vertical profiles of temperature, pressure, and humidity | radiosonde |
| When above polar latitudes where air temperature can change dramatically due to sinking air associated with circulation changes that occur in late winter or early spring | sudden warning |
| When close to the equator, where is the latitude of the troposphere? | at a very high elevation |
| When far from the equator, where is the latitude of the troposphere? | very close to the surface |
| When close to the equator, how many miles is the latitude of the troposphere? | 11 miles |
| When in middle latitude, how many miles in latitude of the troposphere? | 8 miles |
| When at the poles, how many miles in latitude of the troposphere? | 5 miles |
| Upper limit of troposphere | tropopause |
| where is the tropopause found? | at higher elevations over equator regions and decreases in elevation as we travel poleward |
| Why does the exact height of the troposphere vary? | season, latitude, pressure, and surface tempratures |
| About --% of total mass in our atmosphere is in the troposphere? | 90% |
| Almost all weather activities occur is what layer of the atmosphere? | Troposphere |
| The troposphere is --- in summer, ---in winter | higher lower |
| In some regions the tropopause breaks and is difficult to locate; these breaks mark the position of what? | jet streams |
| high winds that meander in narrow channels | jet streams |
| what is the average temperature at tropopause | -70 degrees |
| In the stratosphere the temperature --- as you go higher in altitude | temperature inversion |
| Stratosphere is the layer that has high concentration of what gas? | ozone gas |
| What is the bottom layer of the stratosphere when temperature is constant with elevation? | isothermal |
| what is the upper limit of the stratosphere called? | Stratopause |
| What is the average temperature of the stratopause? | 32 degrees F (0 degrees C) |
| In the mesosphere, temperature --- as you go higher in altitude | decreases |
| the stratosphere extends how many miles? | 11-31 |
| The mesosphere extends how many miles? | 32-50 miles |
| A condition from mesosphere where brain becomes oxygen-starved without proper breathing equipment | hypoxia |
| Effects from mesosphere | Hypoxia & severe burns from UV solar energy |
| What is the top of the mesosphere where they record the quota's temperature? | mesopause |
| What is the temperature of the mesopause? | -130 degrees F |
| Temperature of Thermosphere --- as you go higher in altitude | increase |
| How many miles does the thermosphere extend? | 50-300 miles |
| What layer of the atmosphere is considered the "hot layer" | thermosphere |
| Top of thermosphere | thermopause |
| Layers of atmosphere | Troposphere Stratosphere Mesosphere Thermosphere Exosphere |
| At top of thermosphere, molecules can move distances of -- km before they collide with other molecules | 10 km |
| The region where atoms and molecules shoot off into space; represents the upper limits of our atmosphere | exosphere |
| Composistion layers of atmosphere | Homosphere Heterosphere |
| What layers of the atmosphere is in the homosphere? | troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere |
| How many miles from the earth's surface does the homosphere extend? | 50 miles |
| Why does the homosphere has its name? | because the composition of gases is nearly uniform; gases are misexed evenly |
| What layers are in the heterosphere? | Thermosphere |
| How many miles does the heterosphere extend? | 50-300 miles |
| What are the 4 layers of gas that the heterosphere reveals | Hydrogen Atoms Helium Atomic Oxygen Molecular Nitrogen |
| What layers of atmosphere are in the ozonesphere | stratosphere troposphere |
| What are the two layers of function? | ozonesphere ionosphere |
| ozone in the stratosphere absorbs what? | Ultraviolet radiation |
| What layers of atomosphere are in the ionosphere | mesosphere thermosphere |
| An electrified region within the upper atmosphere where fairly large concentrations of ions and free electrons exist | ionosphere |
| atoms that have lost (or gained) one or more electrons | ions |
| Ions and electrons are arranged in what 3 regions of varying density? | F, E, D regions |
| F region | low density |
| E region | Average density |
| D region | high density |
| How many miles does the ionosphere extend? | 31-300 miles |
| What layer of the atmosphere plays a role in am radio communications | ionosphere |
| Hot, glowing balls of gas that generate energy by converting hydrogen into helium near their centers | Stars |
| What % of our atmosphere lies within the 30 km of the earth's surface? | 99% |
| Is there a definite upper limit to the atmosphere? | No, it becomes thinner and thinner, eventually merging with empty space surrounding all planets |
| How is there a balance between destruction and production of gases? | Nitrogen: removed by process involving soil bacteria; input by plankton converting it to nutrients returning to atmosphere through decay of plants Oxygen: removed when matter decays, removed through breathing and converted to CO2 |
| what invisible gas' concentration varies from place to place and time to time? | Water vapor |
| Water vapor has a higher concentration in warm/cold temperatures? | warm |
| How do water vapor molecules become visible? | When they transform into larger liequid or solid particles, such as cloud droplets and ice crystals, which may grow in size and eventually fall to earth as rain or snow |
| Types of permanent gases? | Nitrogen Oxygen Argon Neon Helium Hydrogen Xenon |
| Types of variable gases? | Water vapor Carbon dioxide Methane Nitrous oxide Ozone Particles Chlorofluorocarbons |
| What is the only substance that exists as a gas, a liquid, and a solid at those temperatures and pressures normally found near the earth's surface? | water |
| How does water vapor create latent heat? | When it changes vapor into liquid water or ice |
| What gases strongly absorbs a portion of the earth's outgoing radiant energy? | Water vapor & carbon dioxide |
| During photosynthesis, where is the CO2 stored in plant consumption? | roots, branches, and leaves |
| How does the ocean act as a huge reservoir for CO2? | Phytoplankton fix CO2 into organic tissues, it dissolves into surface water and circulates through depths |
| Estimates are that the ocean holds more than how many times the total atmospheric CO2 content? | more than 50 times |
| Why is the amount of CO2 rising every year? | Because the CO2 is entering the atmosphere at a greater rate than it is being removed due to fossil fuels & deforestation & air trapped in ice cores |
| Because the atmospheric concentration of CO2 increases, what else must increase? | the average global surface air temperature |
| Over the last 100 years, how much has the earth's average surface temperature warmed? | 0.8 degrees C |
| What are other smaller greenhouses gases? | Methane, Nitrous oxide, Chlorofluorocarbons |
| At what rate has nitrous oxide (laughing gas) been rising at? | one-quarter of a percent / year |
| How is nitrous oxide formed? | in the soil through a chemical process involving bacteria and certain microbes |
| What destroys nitrous oxide? | ultraviolet light from the sun |
| How is ozone formed? | It is formed naturally in the stratosphere, as oxygen atoms combine with oxygen molecules |
| Ozone averages less than 0.002% by volume. Why is this quantity important? | Because it shields plants, animals, and humans from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays |
| Although ozone damages plant life, what does it do to help our atmosphere? | it provides a natural protective shield in the upper atmosphere so that plants on the surface may survive |
| What causes an ozone hole? | CFCs enter stratosphere, and ultraviolet rays break them apart, and CFCs release ozone-destroying chlorine, causing hole over southern hemisphere over Antarctica |
| Are natural impurities in the atmosphere good or bad? | Good. Ex. small, floating particles act as surfaces on which water vapor condenses to form clouds |
| What is the colorless gas that is released into the air from the burning of sulfur-containing fuels? | Sulfur dioxide |
| How did plant growth greatly enrich our atmosphere with oxygen? | plants may have evolved in an almost oxygen-free environment enrichment through photosynthesis after plants evolved, the atmospheric oxygen content increased more rapidly, probably reaching its present composition about several hundred million years |
| What is the main ingredient of photochemical smog? | ozone |
| Where did the majority of water on our planet come from? | Its hot interior through outgassing |
| how are air molecules held down near the earth? | By gravity |
| At what rate has nitrous oxide (laughing gas) been rising at? | one-quarter of a percent / year |
| How is nitrous oxide formed? | in the soil through a chemical process involving bacteria and certain microbes |
| What destroys nitrous oxide? | ultraviolet light from the sun |
| How is ozone formed? | It is formed naturally in the stratosphere, as oxygen atoms combine with oxygen molecules |
| Ozone averages less than 0.002% by volume. Why is this quantity important? | Because it shields plants, animals, and humans from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays |
| Although ozone damages plant life, what does it do to help our atmosphere? | it provides a natural protective shield in the upper atmosphere so that plants on the surface may survive |
| What causes an ozone hole? | CFCs enter stratosphere, and ultraviolet rays break them apart, and CFCs release ozone-destroying chlorine, causing hole over southern hemisphere over Antarctica |
| Are natural impurities in the atmosphere good or bad? | Good. Ex. small, floating particles act as surfaces on which water vapor condenses to form clouds |
| What is the colorless gas that is released into the air from the burning of sulfur-containing fuels? | Sulfur dioxide |
| How did plant growth greatly enrich our atmosphere with oxygen? | plants may have evolved in an almost oxygen-free environment enrichment through photosynthesis after plants evolved, the atmospheric oxygen content increased more rapidly, probably reaching its present composition about several hundred million years |
| What is the main ingredient of photochemical smog? | ozone |
| Where did the majority of water on our planet come from? | Its hot interior through outgassing |
| how are air molecules held down near the earth? | By gravity |
| Is air density greater at the surface of the atmosphere or higher up? | Surface and decreases as we move up in the atmosphere |
| In lbs, what is the normal atmospheric pressure near leave lever/ square inch? | 14.7 lbs/square inch |
| Why are we not crushed by all of the millions of molecules pushed at our bodies? | Because billions of molecules inside the body push outward just as hard |
| Atmospheric pressure always --- with increasing height | decreases |
| near sea level, atmospheric pressure is usually close to what? | 1000 mb |
| Why is it that the decrease in air temperature with increasing height? | This is due primarily tothe fact that sunlight warms the earth's surface, and the surface, in turn, warms the air above it |
| Why is there inversion of temperature in the stratosphere? | the gas ozone plays a major part in heating the air at this altitude (ozone absorbs solar energy) |
| What level of the atmosphere does hypoxia set in? | Mesosphere |
| Why does the temperature in the mesosphere decrease with height? | there is little ozone in the air to absorb solar radiation and the molecules are able to lose more energy than they absorb, which results in an energy deficit and cooling |
| In the thermosphere why does the temperature increase with height? | oxygen molecules absorb energetic solar rays, warming the air. Because there are few atoms and molecules in the thermosphere, the absorption of a small amount of energetic solar energy can cause a large increase in air temperature |
| In what layer of the atmosphere do aurora's take place? | Thermosphere |
| Because the air density in the upper thermosphere is so low, air temperatures are not measured directly. How can they be determined? | They can be determined by observing the orbital change of satellites caused by the drag of the atmosphere. Even though the air is extremely tenuous, enough air molecules strike a satellite to slow it down, making it drop into a slightly lower orbit |
| In the thermosphere, collisions between atoms and molecules are infrequent, and the air is unable to keep itself stirred. What is the result of this? | Diffusion takes over as heavier atoms and molecules tend to settle to the bottom of the layer, while lighter gases float to the top |
| How does the lower part of the ionosphere play a major role in AM radio communications? | The lower part reflects standard AM radio waves back to earth, but at the same time it seriously weakens them through absorption |
| At night, what happens to the D region of the ionosphere? | The D region gradually disappears and AM radio waves are able to penetrate higher into the ionosphere, where the waves are reflected back to earth |
| What represents the accumulation of daily and seasonal weather evens (the average range of weather) over a long period of time | climate |
| air in motion relative to the earth's surface | wind |
Created by:
arcall