Exam 1 Review

Stratosphere

The layer of Earth's atmosphere lying above the tropopause and below the mesosphere, from the tropopause to about 31 miles above the Earth's surface. -ozone layer is present

heterosphere

The layers of the atmosphere, above 80 km altitude, through which the chemical composition of the air changes markedly with height, principally as a result of oxygen dissociation.

homosphere

The lower area of Earth's atmosphere. The 43-mile deep layer of the Earth's atmosphere that you live in.

density

The mass of air divided by its volume, depends on its temperature, its pressure and how much water vapor is in the air.

The maximum daily temperature usually occurs around _________ when, according to the Stefan-Boltzmann Law, the ground is emitting the ___________ infrared radiation of any time during the day.

mid-afternoon/most

What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere?

nitrogen

thermosphere

the layer of the Earth's atmosphere directly above the mesosphere

If the Earth was tilted to 34 degrees, what would the solar zenith angle be in Columbia, SC on June 21st?

0 degrees

The temperature in Columbia, SC is 210 K and the temperature in Clemson, SC on the same day is 735 K. Using the Stefan-Boltzmann Law (energy emitted is proportional to T^4), how many times hotter is Clemson compared to Columbia?

150

subsolar point

23.5 x sin(N) N=# of days to the closest equinox -March 21: 0deg -June 21: 23.5degN -Sep 22: 0deg -Dec 22: 23.5degS

On December 22nd, the noon zenith angle near Fairbanks, Alaska (64.5 degrees N) is close to what degrees?

41 degrees

Which latitude experiences the greatest seasonal change in daylight hours?

60degN

solar elevation angle

90-zenith angle

What percentage of the total mass of the atmosphere is concentrated in the troposphere and the stratosphere combined?

99.9% of the atmospheric mass

atmosphere

A thin layer of gases that surrounds the Earth. It seals the planet and protects us from the vacuum of space. It protects us from electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun and small objects flying through space such as meteoroids.

ozone

A triatomic very reactive form of oxygen that is a bluish irritating gas of pungent odor, that is a major air pollutant in the lower atmosphere but a beneficial component of the upper atmosphere, and that is used for oxidizing, bleaching, disinfecting, and deodorizing.

methane

An odorless, colorless, flammable gas, CH4, the major constituent of natural gas, that is used as a fuel and is an important source of hydrogen and a wide variety of organic compounds.

Explain why sun angle causes seasonal temperature changes in the mid-latitudes.

Because depending on the sun angle, mid latitudes catch more direct rays from the sun.

Climatology

Climate science is the study of climate, scientifically defines as weather conditions averages over a period of time.

Conduction v. Convection

Conduction is the transfer of heat from one object to another and convection is the transfer of heat from one object to another through space.

Winter Solstice

December 21-22, Solar Declination: 23.5degS

September 21-22

Direct rays at 0deg N/S, sunrise at E comes directly overhead and sets at W and have a 12 hour day

December 21-22

Direct rays at 23.5degS, solar angle would also be 23.5deg

March 21-22

Direct rays at the equator, 0deg N/S, sunrise at E comes directly overhead and set at W and have a 12 hour day

June 21-22

Direct rays overhead at 23.5degN, solar angle would also be 23.5deg

What relationship do you see between average tropospheric temperature and the height of the tropopause? What is the relationship of vertical mixing and temperature?

If the tropospheric temperature is higher, then the tropopause is vertically higher above sea level.

The Stefan-Boltzmann Law gives the relationship between:

Intensity of radiation and temperature of an object

Summer Solstice

June 21-22, Solar Declination: 23.5degN

In the summer the sun is up for close to 24 hours everyday in the North and South Pole, what keeps these areas from becoming extremely hot during this time?

Low surplus of the quantity on these days due to high solar zenith angles.

How does the relationship between temperature and density help to explain why the drop in pressure between 2km and 4km was greater in Alaska than Florida?

Lower temperatures result in higher densities which means that there is a higher atmospheric mass.

Vernal Equinox

March 21-22, Solar Declination: Equator (0deg)

Explain why the seasonal range in solar insolation is different between 30 and 60 degrees N?

More direct rays strike the earth at 30 than at 60. So the amount of solar insolation is greater across the year at 30 degrees.

How do photosynthesis, respiration, and decay affect the carbon dioxide balance of the atmosphere?

Photosynthesis takes up CO2 from the atmosphere, decay and respiration add CO2 into the atmosphere.

Describe the seasonal changes in daylight hours in polar regions and in tropical regions.

Polar regions have more extreme changes in daylight hours due to seasons than tropical regions 30-0 degrees N/S.

What causes the sky to appear blue in color?

Rayleigh scattering

Photosynthesis

Reaction that converts water and carbon dioxide into molecular oxygen and carbohydrates. It is believed that most of the oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere is produced in this way.

Autumnal Eqinox

September 21-22, Solar Declination: Equator (0deg)

Because water doesn't warm up or cool down quickly, this mostly ocean hemisphere generally has less extreme temperatures that its complementary counter part.

Southern

Climate

The average weather conditions of a place, usually measured over a year.

hydrologic cycle

The continuous process by which water is circulated throughout the Earth and its atmosphere. The Earth's water enters the atmosphere through evaporation from bodies of water and the ground surfaces.

Weather

The day to day condition of the atmosphere. This includes temperature, rainfall, and wind.

Describe the general relationship between latitude, absorbed solar radiation, and seasonal temperature range.

The greater the latitude, the greater the seasonal change and absorbed radiation.

condensation

The process where water vapor becomes liquid. It is the reverse of evaporation, where liquid water becomes a vapor. Happens one of two ways: either the air is cooled to its dew point or it becomes so saturated with water vapor that it cannot hold any more water.

meteorology

The science that deals with the study of the atmosphere and its phenomena, especially with weather and weather forecasting.

Respiration

The sum total of the physical and chemical processes in an organism by which oxygen is conveyed to tissues and cells, and the oxidation products, carbon dioxide and water, are given off.

Which law of radiation explains why an incandescent lightbulb shines light, but humans don't?

Wiens

Inversion

a departure from the usual increase or decrease in an atmospheric property with altitude -specifically it almost always refers to temperature

ozone layer

a molecule made of three atoms of oxygen instead of the usual two, absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun and is thus very important to the health of human beings and other life forms on Earth

nuclei

a particle on which water vapor molecules accumulate in free air to form a droplet or ice crystal

standard atmosphere

a standard unit of atmospheric pressure, having a value of 1013.2 millibars or 29.9213 inches (760 mm) of mercury

Kelvin Scale

a thermodynamic temperature scale based upon the efficiencies of ideal heat engines -the zero of the scale is absolute zero

millibar

a unit of pressure qual to 0.001 bars

variable gases

account for only a small percentage of the total mass of the atmosphere -relatively scarce but they have a profound impact on the behavior of the atmosphere

particulates

are given off by the burning of oil, gasoline, and other fuels and can remain suspended in the atmosphere for long periods, where they are a major component of air pollution and smog

permanent gases

composes 99% of the atmosphere's gases -most abundant are Nitrogen and Oxygen

Energy is transferred by direct contact through what process?

conduction

During a clear windless night, the energy budget at a typical place will be in a _______________. This means that the temperature will ____________ during the night.

deficit/decrease

aerosols

defined as a colloidal system of solid or liquid particles in a gas, includes both the particles and suspending gas, which is usually air

Ionosphere

defined based on its electrical properties -extends from the upper mesosphere into the thermosphere -contains large amounts of electrically charged particles called ions

What plays a major role in yearly temperature patterns?

elevation, cloud-cover, latitude

Daylight hours increase or decrease incrementally from one day to the next. Are the changes in daylight hours greatest near the solstices or the equinoxes?

equinoxes

Refection:

is redirected light

Which time of the year is it probably the hottest in Tzaneen, Africa (23.5 degrees S)?

late December

What is the trace gas that is bubbling from the floor of the ocean and melting permafrost?

methane

On a clear, calm day in late August in Columbia, SC when is the sun highest in the sky?

mid-afternoon

Water vapor always makes up what percent of the atmosphere?

none (it's a variable gas)

Which layer of the Earth's atmosphere does the pressure usually increase as you go up through it?

none of them

Which two gases are responsible for absorbing most of the Sun's incoming UV radiation?

oxygen and ozone

Long linear clouds in the upper troposphere do what?

reduce daily temperature range at surface

water vapor

serves as the raw material for cloud and rain formation

What property of substances explains how areas are kept from experiencing large fluctuations in temperature due to being near a large body of water?

specific heat

At a height of 30 km, where the atmospheric pressure is equal to 10 millibars, these conditions typically describe which atmospheric layer?

stratosphere

What exists in Earth's atmosphere, but not in other planets atmospheres and is due to the presence of this gas.

stratosphere/ozone

structure

the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex, all elements that make up a certain event

Mean Free Path

the average distance traveled by a moving particle (such as an atom, a molecule, a photon) between successive impacts (collisions), which modify its direction or energy or other particle properties

stratopause

the boundary between the stratosphere and the mesosphere, located at an altitude of about 50 km (31 miles) above the Earth's surface

Photodissocation

the dissociation of a chemical compound by radiant energy

Troposphere

the lowest densest part of the Earth's atmosphere in which most weather changes occur and temperature generally decreases rapidly with altitude (temperature inversion) -tropopause

mesosphere

the region of the earth's atmosphere above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere, between about 30 and 50 miles (50 and 80 km) in altitude

outgassing

the release of absorbed or occluded gases or water vapor, usually by heating, in a vacuum

List the atmospheric layer in descending order (from top to bottom of atmosphere).

thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere

The boundary between two different atmospheric layers, the temperature is close to 60 degrees C but the pressure is only about 200 millibars, 1/5 as much pressure as the surface.

tropopause

The sea level pressure of hurricane "Cocky" was 950 mb, this is considered?

very low

The peak in the Sun electronegative energy curve occurs in what wavelengths?

visible

What is considered a variable gas?

water vapor

"Enhanced Green House Effect" is best described as:

when human actions add up to the existing atmospheric gases that trap Earth's outing infrared radiation