Atmospheric Science- Chapter 1

Define meteorology and discuss the origin of this word.

the branch of science concerned with the processes and phenomena of the atmosphere, especially as a means of forecasting the weather.

What is the primary source of Energy for Earth's Atmosphere?

the sun

Rank the following storms in size from largest to smallest: hurricane, tornado, middle-latitude cyclonic storm, thunderstorm.

tornado, thunderstorm, hurricane, mid-latitude cyclonic storm.

List seven common weather elements.

temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, solar irradiance, humidity, precipitation, and topography.

Describe at least six ways weather and climate can influence people's lives.

Hypothermia Heat exhaustion Wind chill Drought Floods

Briefly describe how the air temperature changes from Earth's surface to the lower thermosphere.

In the troposphere, the air temperature decreases with height. In the stratosphere, the presence of ozone creates a temperature inversion (temperature increases with height) since ozone absorbs heat from the sun. In the mesosphere, the temperature again decreases with height. In the lower thermosphere, the temperature increases with height (another inversion) because the charged particles from the sun interact with atmospheric molecules and heat up the thermosphere.

What are some of the important roles that water plays in our atmosphere?

Water vapor releases large amounts of latent heat when it changes from vapor to liquid water or ice. Latent heat is an important source of atmospheric energy.

Even though the actual concentration of oxygen is close to 21 percent (by volume) in the upper stratosphere, explain why, without proper breathing apparatus, you would not be able to survive there.

The air pressure is very low and, therefore, contains little oxygen. In addition, there is a high risk from getting conditions such as hypoxia due to the abundance of carbon dioxide and lack of oxygen at higher altitudes.

Explain how the atmosphere "protects" inhabitants at Earth's surface.

The atmosphere performs several functions which might be regarded as protective: (1) It absorbs most of the potentially harmful solar ultraviolet radiation which would otherwise reach the surface of the earth. This function is performed primarily by ozone (O3) in the stratosphere. (2) It shields the earth from bombardment by micrometeoroids from interplanetary space. These burn up in the atmosphere as meteors. (3) Its insulating properties protect the surface from wide temperature fluctuations of extremely high and low temperatures such as occur on the moon.

Explain how the wind generally blows around areas of low and high pressure in the Northern Hemisphere.

Counterclockwise into a low pressure Clockwise out of a high pressure.

When someone says that "the wind direction today is south," does this mean that the wind is blowing toward the south or from the south?

Direction from which!

What are the two most abundant greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere?

Greenhouse gases cause the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.

What is standard atmospheric pressure at sea level in inches of mercury, millibars, and hectopascals?

A) 29.92 Hg B) 1013.25 mb C) 1013.25 hPa

What are some of the aerosols in the atmosphere?

Aerosol particles vary greatly in size, source, chemical composition, amount and distribution in space and time, and how long they survive in the atmosphere. atmosphere (for instance, sea-salt, mineral aerosols (or dust), volcanic dust, smoke and soot, some organics).

On the basis of temperature, list the layers of the atmosphere from the lowest layer to the highest.

Mesosphere, Stratosphere, Troposphere, Thermosphere

List the four most abundant gases in today's atmosphere.

Nitrogen (N2) - 78.084% Oxygen (O2) - 20.9476% Argon (Ar) - 0.934% Carbon dioxide (CO2) 0.0314%

Of the four most abundant gases in our atmosphere, which one shows the greatest variation from place to place at Earth's surface?

Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide, oxygen, Water vapor Of the four most abundant gases in our atmosphere, which one shows the greatest variation from place to place at the earth's surface? Water Vapor, Explain how the atmosphere "protects" inhabitants at the earth's surface. The ozone layer absorbs harmful solar radiation.

Explain the concept of air pressure in terms of weight of air above some level. Why does air pressure always decrease with increasing height above the surface?

Pressure is a consequence of the weight of the atmosphere A vertical column of atmosphere pushes down on whatever is beneath it with a force equal to its weight. That force divided by the cross-sectional area of the column is the force per unit area or PRESSURE As you move away from the surface the amount of air above you becomes less, so there is less air pushing down on you = less pressure

How has Earth's atmosphere changed over time?

Since the rise of oxygen, 2 billion years ago, the nitrogen and oxygen fractions in the atmosphere have been stable. ... In the past century, changes in the gas amounts have been driving the observed change in Earth's temperature. Changes in carbon dioxide, methane, and temperature over the past half million years.

What is the ionosphere and where is it located?

The ionosphere is a layer of the earth's atmosphere that is weakly ionized, and thus conducts electricity . It is located approximately in the same region as the top half of the mesosphere and the entire thermosphere in the upper atmosphere, from about 40 mi (60 km), continuing upward to the magnetosphere.

Above what region of the world would you find the ozone hole?

The ozone layer resides in the stratosphere, the region of atmosphere from 10 to 50 kilometers above Earth's surface.

What atmospheric layer contains all of our weather? In what atmospheric layer do we find the highest concentration of ozone? The highest average air temperature?

Troposphere Stratosphere, Thermosphere

How does weather differ from climate?

Weather is conditions of the atmosphere at any particular time and place. It is comprised of the elements of: air temperature, air pressure, humidity, clouds, precipitation, visibility, and wind. Climate is a specified interval of time that will give us the "average weather" for a region. It also includes the extremes of weather, therefore weather records are part of the climatology for a specific site or region.

Weather in the middle latitudes tends to move in what general direction?

west to east

Describe at least six features observed on a surface weather map.

• A: H • L • Fronts

Briefly explain the production and natural destruction of carbon dioxide near Earth's surface. Give two reasons for the increase of carbon dioxide over the past 100 plus years.

• CO2 comes from decay of vegetation, volcanic eruption, exhalation of animal life, burning of fossil fuels. It is removed by photosynthesis or absorbed by the oceans. • It is on the increase due to burning of fossil fuels and deforestation