Chapter 1 Questions

- 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?

- Air pressure at any point is equivalent to the weight of a column of air above that point, extending to the top of the atmosphere. - Pressure always decreases with height, because the higher you go, the less atmosphere there is above you to provide weight.

Briefy 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

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

- It filters out UV. - It keeps earth's surface temperature from dropping radically. - It burns up space debris.

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

- Liquid for plants - Greenhouse gas - Latent heat

- 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?

- The atmospheric layer that contains all of our weather is the troposphere. - The atmospheric layer that has the highest concentration of ozone is the stratosphere. The highest average air temperature is found in the thermosphere.

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

- Troposphere, tropopause - Stratosphere, stratopause - Mesosphere, mesopause - Thermosphere

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

- Weather dictates the type of clothing we wear, - Climate infuences the type of clothing we buy. - Climate determines when to plant crops as well as what types of crops can be planted. - Weather determines if these same crops will grow to maturity.

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

1. RED letter L = region of low atmospheric pressure 2. Two BLUE letters H represent high atmospheric pressure 3. CIRCLES on map represent individual weather stations; 4. Wind speed is represented by BARBS 5. Wind speed is indicated by ags, 6. Precipitation is represented in GREEN

How has Earth's atmosphere changed over time?

1. The atmosphere is mainly water vapor with a little carbon dioxide and nitrogen. 2. Water vapor cools and condenses. Rain falls, evaporates, and eventually accumulates in oceans. 3. Photosynthetic organisms remove carbon dioxide from the air and releases oxygen. 4. Atmosphere contains present kevels of carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, and other gases.

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

1. Tornado 2. Mid-latitude cyclone 3. Hurricane 4. Thunderstorm

List seven common weather elements.

1. air temperature 2. air pressure 3. humidity 4. clouds 5. precipitation 6. visibility 7. wind

What is standard atmospheric pressure at sea level in - inches of mercury - millibars - hectopascals

29.92 in Hg 1013.25mb 1013.25 hPa

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

A "south" or "southerly" (same thing) wind comes FROM the south, and blows toward the north.

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

Antarctica and Australia

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

From East to West

How could a meteorologist use the scientifc method in predicting the weather?

Investigators use the scientifc method by posing a question, putting forth a hypothesis, predicting what the hypothesis would imply if it were true, and carrying out tests to see if the prediction is accurate.

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

On average, temperature decreases from the surface to the tropopause (around 10 km, then increases to the stratopause (around 50 km), then decreases to the mesopause (around 90 km), then increases through the thermosphere.

What are some of the aerosols in the atmosphere?

Some aerosols in our atmosphere: salt particles, smoke, volcanic ash, dust, tiny liquid droplets produced by fossil fuels burning (SO2, NOx).

What is the ionosphere and where is it located?

The ionosphere is the ionized part of Earth's upper atmosphere, from about 60 km (37 mi) to 1,000 km (620 mi) altitude

What is the primary source of energy for the Earth's atmosphere?

The primary source of energy for the earth's atmosphere is radiation from the sun.

Define meteorology and discuss the origin of this word.

The word "meteorology" is derived from the Greek words "meteoron" (a thing in the air), and "meteoros" (raised in the air). Aristotle authored a book in 340 BC entitled "Meteorologica" which described what was known at that time regarding weather and other natural phenomena. Today, meteorology refers in general to the study of the atmosphere and its processes.

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.

There are not enough molecules

How does weather differ from climate?

Weather consists of short-term (day-to-day) variations in atmospheric conditions, whereas climate is a synthesis or integration of weather over a longer time frame (seasons, years, decades, centuries).

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

nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and water vapor. If the water vapor content were to be zero, carbon dioxide would be the fourth most abundant gas.

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

they blow counterclockwise and inward around a low and outward around a high

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

water vapor

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

water vapor and carbon dioxide