Unit 6 Earth's Atmosphere
plate tectonics and Milankovitch cycles
Global climate has changed in the past due to
thermal pollution
Heated water (to cool machinery) released by factories and power plants that can kill organisms living in the body of water into which it is released
on a beach
Humidity is most prevalent
land breeze example
If you were standing on the beach at midnight, would you feel a sea breeze or a land breeze?
Van Allen radiation belts stuff
In 1958, a group of United States scientists discovered the
photosynthesis, respiration
In the carbon-oxygen cycle, carbon dioxide is used for _____ and oxygen is used for _____.
gas atoms, electrons
In the ionosphere, the collision that raises the energy levels of oxygen and nitrogen occurs
A greenhouse effect—heat was let in through the windows and some was trapped inside.
It's a hot sunny day and you decide to go for a drive. When you open your car door, it's a lot hotter inside than outside
urbanization
Large areas of land that are developed as more and more people move to cities and suburbs
the earth's surface
Most of the thermal radiation supplied by the sun is absorbed
exosphere example
NASA launches another satellite into the
primary
Nitrogen and oxygen are _____ gases in the atmosphere.
DNA, amino acids, and proteins
Nitrogen is important to life because it is part of ____
goes down
When air pressure decreases, the mercury in a barometer
yes
When you go camping, you burn wood. Are you contributing to air pollution?
troposphere example
You climbed to the top of Mount Everest, which rises to 29,000 feet. You are in the
stratosphere example
You're flying in a plane and the seatbelt sign is turned off. You're in the
clockwise
_ direction in the Southern Hemisphere because of the Coriolis effect.
Coriolis effect
a circular pattern of winds created by Earth's rotation
carbon monoxide
a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas
Milankovitch cycles
a gas produced at high temperatures by combining nitrogen and oxygen
nitrogen oxide
a gas produced at high temperatures by combining nitrogen and oxygen
sulfur oxide
a gas produced when sulfur impurities in fuel burn by combining with oxygen
ozone
a molecule composed of three oxygen atoms; absorbs UV radiation
ozonosphere
a region in the upper stratosphere where ozone is concentrated
ionosphere
a sub-layer of the thermosphere containing ions
albedo
ability of a material to reflect solar radiation
ion
an electrically charged atom
ways the atmosphere supports life?
blocks harmful UV rays transports and distributes heat cycles essential elements: C, O, and N
mesosphere characteristic
coldest layer atmosphere
humid and hot
conditions would most likely cause thunderstorms?
sinks
cool air
land breeze
cool breeze that circulates from land to sea
sea breeze
cool breeze that circulates from sea to land
humidity
moisture in the air
carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water vapor
paleoatmosphere, the primary gases
exosphere definition
the sub-layer of the thermosphere where the atmosphere blends into space
conduction
the transfer of heat between two stationary entities
Carbon dioxide and water vapor are variable gases because
their amounts vary throughout the atmosphere
radiation
transfer of heat or energy through rays of various wavelengths
Warm air rises on land and moves toward the ocean to cool Cool air moves from the ocean to be warmed by the land
two events occur to create a sea breeze?
greenhouse gases
type of gases holds in heat and keeps the earth at a moderate temperature?
energy
vital to sustainable development.
rises
warm air
pollution
waste substances not ordinarily found in the atmosphere that affect Earth's natural cycles
hydrocarbon
wasted, unburned fuel given off as a gas
pressure
weight or force upon something
mesosphere example
There's a meteor shower tonight! It happens primarily in the
radiation, conduction, and convection
Three ways to transfer heat are by
thermosphere characteristic
the hottest layer in the atmosphere
mesosphere
the layer of the atmosphere just above the stratosphere; burns up most meteors
respiration
the process by which oxygen combines with food to release energy and carbon dioxide
Life would no longer be possible.
the result if Earth's unique atmosphere did not exist
pesticides
Chemicals that kill crop-destroying organisms
thickness
Compared to Mars, our atmosphere's _____ is better to maintain a warm, livable temperature.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Congress established the _____ in 1969 to help with the air pollution problem.
Biogeochemical cycles
help keep the earth warm recycle essential materials are needed by living things
meteoroid
mass of stone or metal traveling through space
deforestation
Area where people cut down woodlands to harvest timber or clear the land for farms or ranches
latent heat example
Energy released when water vapor condenses
less
The thermosphere has _____ air pressure than the mesosphere.
Earth's atmosphere make possible?
A biosphere existing Dynamic recycling of materials needed for most processes on Earth Maintaining a steady and habitable temperature on Earth
drought
A period when less rain than normal falls in an area
more powerful
A shorter electromagnetic wave
acid rain respiratory distress global warming
Air pollution causes
natural resource
Anything that occurs naturally in the environment and is used by people
Alive
Some people consider the earth to be _____ because of its dynamic processes or cycles.
desertification
The advance of desert-like conditions into areas that were previously fertile
convection is redistributing heat
The air in the atmosphere circulates mainly because _
a superhighway
The atmosphere is considered _____ because of its ability to transport and distribute materials throughout the globe quickly.
water vapor
The condensation of _____ formed the early oceans. It is an important part of the water cycle.
Earth's Atmosphere
The earth has fewer meteorite impacts
automobiles
The leading cause of air pollution
uneven heat distribution
The main reason for wind or air circulation is
nutrient depletion
The process by which soil becomes less fertile, because a farmer plants the same crops in a field every year causing too much nutrient absorption
erosion
The process by which water, wind, or ice moves particles of rocks or soil
land reclamation
The process of restoring an area of land to a more productive state
aurora
The release of atoms' energy through glowing light and gases called
carbon-oxygen cycle
describes how carbon and oxygen are exchanged and recycled on Earth
counterclockwise
direction is the Northern hemisphere
volcanic outgassing meteorite and comet impacts
factors caused the early atmosphere to become thicker?
cyanobacteria GAS
first major source of oxygen gas
GRAVITY
force keeps our atmosphere from floating out into space?
Argon
gas is the most abundant of the trace gases?
Radio waves
have the least energy have the longest wavelengths
latent heat
heat released when water vapor condenses
altitude
height above the earth's surface
barometer
instrument used to measure air pressure
Air pressure
is the weight of air molecules decreases as altitude increases can balance by popping your ears
thermosphere
layer of the atmosphere above the mesosphere where temperatures are the highest in the atmosphere
stratosphere
layer of the atmosphere just above the troposphere where the temperature remains fairly constant
troposphere
layer of the atmosphere nearest the earth where most weather changes occur
meteorite
mass of stone or metal that has passed through the atmosphere and struck the earth's surface
photosynthesis
process by which plants use chlorophyll and energy from sunlight to manufacture food from carbon dioxide
convection
process of heat transfer by the circulation or movement of a liquid or a gas
atmosphere's roles
provides gases for respiration and photosynthesis provides protection from UV radiation and meteorites stabilizes a habitable temperature
Van Allen radiation belts
radiation belts surrounding Earth that protect us from harmful radiation of the Sun
cyanobacteria
single-celled photosynthetic bacteria
The earth is cooled and its atmosphere is heated by terrestrial radiation.
statements correctly compares the relationship between the earth, its atmosphere and radiation?
Earth's energy budget
the balance between the amount of energy coming in from the Sun and going back out into space