APES 4.4 - Atmosphere

The vast majority of ozone (O3)(O3) is found in a thin layer due to a lack of circulation in which of the following atmospheric layers?

Stratosphere

Troposphere temperature gradient

Temperature decreases as air gets further from warmth of earth's surface

Mesosphere temperature gradient

Temperature decreases because density decreases, leaving fewer molecules to absorb sun - Coldest place on earth (-150oF)

Which of the following abiotic factors, when graphed on the x-axis, leads to the curved line in the graph due to variation in the different layers of the atmosphere?

Temperature gradients

Stratosphere temperature gradient

Temperature increases because top layer of stratosphere is warmed by UV rays (like pool surface)

Thermosphere temperature gradient

Temperature increases due to absorption of highly energetic solar radiation - Hottest place on earth (3,100oF)

Gases of Earth's atmosphere

nitrogen - 78% Oxygen - 21% Argon - 0.93% Water Vapor - 0-4% CO2 - 0.04%

Stratosphere

"S" for second - 16-60 km; less dense due to less pressure from layers above - Thickest O3 layer is found here; absorbs UV-B & UV-C rays which can mutate DNA of animals (cancer)

Thermosphere

***Therm = hottest temp; - absorbs harmful X-rays & UV radiation - charged gas molecules glow under intense solar radiation producing northern lights (aurora borealis)

Troposphere

***Tropo = change (weather occurs here) - 0-16 km, most dense due to pressure of other layers above it - Most of atmosphere's gas molecules are found here - Ozone (O3) in the troposphere is harmful to humans (respiratory irritant) & damages plant stomata, and forms smog

Mesosphere

Meso = for middle; 60-80 km, even less dense

Exosphere

Outermost layer where atm. merges with space

Which of the following layers of the atmosphere contains charged gas molecules that glow and produce light when hit by solar energy, leading to glowing gases such as the northern lights, found over 90 kilometers above Earth's surface?

Thermosphere