Science Final Exam Atmosphere Directed Readings

What is the life process by which plants and animals give off water vapor?

transpiration

It can be said that atmospheric pressure decreases as altitude

increases

the lower region of the thermosphere

ionosphere

Because the pull of gravity is not as strong at higher altitudes, the air molecules there are farther apart and exert

less pressure

Nitrogen is removed from the air primarily by

nitrogen-fixing bacteria

In addition to containing gaseous elements and compounds, the atmosphere carries various kinds of tiny solid particles such as dust and

pollen

What are three factors that affect the percentage of water vapor in the air?

day, location and season

The pressure of the atmosphere is exerted

equally in all directions

The most abundant elements in air include all of the following gases EXCEPT

Hydrogen

Explain why the temperature in the troposphere decreases as altitude increases.

It is heated below by thermal energy

How do large particles in the atmosphere differ from small particles?

Large particles remain in the atmosphere briefly while tiny particles can remain suspended for months or years.

the layer of atmosphere between the troposphere and the mesosphere, in which temperature increases as altitude increases

Stratosphere

Besides altitude, what are two other factors that cause atmospheric pressure to change?

Temperature and the amount of water vapor

What percentage of water is in dry air?

1%

Describe the four steps of the nitrogen cycle.

1. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in soil change N2 into nitrogen compounds. 2. Nitrogen compounds in plants are consumed by animals 3. Nitrogen compounds return to the soil in wastes. 4. Decay and processes in the soil return N2 to the atmosphere.

How is water vapor removed as it enters the atmosphere?

condensation and precipitation

How do fossil fuels cause air pollution?

As fossil fuels (coal and petroleum) burn, they may release harmful chemicals such as sulfur dioxide gas, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and lead into the air.

The pressure exerted on a surface by the atmosphere is called

Atmospheric pressure

phenomena caused by interactions between solar radiation and the ionosphere

Auroras

an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure

Barometer

the region above the ionosphere, where Earth's atmosphere blends into the almost complete vacuum of space

Exosphere

What holds the gases of the atmosphere near Earth's surface?

Gravity

Identify six ways oxygen is removed from the atmosphere.

1. animals 4. fires 2. bacteria 5. burning of fuels 3. plants 6. weathering of some rocks

List seven different particulates.

1. volcanic dust 2. ash from fires 3. microscopic organisms 4.mineral particles 5. pollen 6. salt particles 7. soil

Describe four common sources of particulates

1. volcanoes 3. plants 2. tornadoes 4. ocean

What percentage of Earth's atmosphere is made up of oxygen?

21%

What percentage of water is in moist air?

4%

How much of Earth's atmosphere is composed of nitrogen?

78%

The composition of air is approximately the same all over Earth up to an altitude of about

80 km

How much of the total mass of the atmosphere does gravity keep within 32 km of Earth's surface?

99%

What is smog?

A combination of smoke and fog.

Is the current oxygen content of the atmosphere lower, higher, or about the same as it was millions of years ago? Explain your answer.

About the same. The amount of oxygen produced by plants equals the amount consumed by all animal life processes so it remains the same.

What purpose does the ozone layer serve?

Absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

instrument that measures atmospheric pressure; changes in atmospheric pressure cause the sides of a sealed metal container to bend inward or bulge out

Altimeter

an aneroid barometer that registers altitude above sea level rather than air pressure

Aneroid barometer

What is an air pollutant?

Any substance in the atmosphere that is harmful to living things.

instrument that measures atmospheric pressure using a column of liquid mercury

Mecurial barometer

upper boundary of the mesosphere

Mesopause

the coldest layer of the atmosphere, between the stratosphere and the thermosphere, in which temperature decreases as altitude increases

Mesophere

Why does temperature begin to increase in the upper stratosphere?

Nitrogen and oxygen atoms receive radiation

The process by which nitrogen moves from air to the soil and then to plants and animals and eventually returns to the air is called the

Nitrogen cycle

What are two important functions of Earth's atmosphere?

Protect Earth's surface from the sun's radiation and help regulate the temperature of Earth's surface.

1 atmosphere; the average atmospheric pressure at sea level, equalling 760 mm of mercury or 1,000 millibars

Standard atmospheric pressure

upper boundary of the stratosphere

Stratopause

Define atmosphere

The layer of gases that surround the Earth. It is made up of chemical elements and compounds commonly called air.

What is a temperature inversion?

The layering of warm air on cool air. The warm air traps the cool air.

In general, what happens to atmospheric pressure at sea level when the temperature increases?

The pressure decreases

In Earth's atmosphere, what causes the distinctive pattern of temperature changes with increasing altitude?

The temperature differences result from how solar energy is absorbed as it moves through the atmosphere,

the uppermost layer of atmosphere, in which temperature increases as altitude increases

Thermosphere

Describe the effect of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) on the ozone layer

They have caused the ozone to weaken in some areas.

What are particulates?

Tiny solid particles

the upper boundary of the troposphere

Tropopause

the lowest layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature drops at a constant rate as altitude increases

Troposphere

What is ozone? How does it differ from oxygen?

Upper atmosphere called the ozone layer. It has 3 molecules instead of 2

Why is air that contains a lot of water vapor less dense than drier air?

Water vapor has less mass than oxygen and nitrogen.

Explain how oxygen is returned to the atmosphere.

a process called photosynthesis - where plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make their own food and release oxygen as a byproduct.

What three units do meteorologists use to measure atmospheric pressure?

atmospheres (atm) millimeters or inches of mercury Millibars (mb)

Explain why the temperature in the thermosphere steadily rises.

because nitrogen and oxygen atoms absorb radiation

As water evaporates from oceans, lakes, streams, and soil, it enters air as

water vapor

The two most abundant compounds in air are the gases carbon dioxide and

water vapor