Ch 9.1 - 9.4 9.9 - 9.13
How does an inversion form at a coastal area?
In the troposphere warm air ordinarily sits below cooler air.
Why would a person's blood boil in the mesosphere?
Temperature decreases in the mesosphere with altitude because the heat source is the stratosphere.
What is temperature gradient?
Temperature gradient is the change in temperature with distance.
Where is the largest concentration of ozone and what value does it have?
The atmosphere is a crucial part of the water cycle. It is an important reservoir for water and the source of precipitation.
What gases are used and expelled by photosynthesis and respiration?
The atmosphere is made of gases that are essential for photosynthesis and respiration, among other life activities.
How does the atmosphere keep Earth's temperature moderate?
The atmosphere moderates Earth's temperature because greenhouse gases absorb heat.
Why do the different layers of the atmosphere have different temperature gradients?
Different layers of the atmosphere have different temperature gradients.
Temperature also decreases with altitude. How does that relate to the change in air density?
Ears pop as air pressure inside and outside the ear equalizes.
How is the light from the Sun different from the light from the Moon?
Energy travels in waves with electrical and magnetic properties and so is called electromagnetic radiation.
Why are we not crushed by the weight of the atmosphere on our shoulders?
Gravity pulls more air molecules toward the center of the planet.
What are the important greenhouse gases?
Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and include carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and ozone.
Describe the temperature gradient found in the troposphere.
An inversion starts over land at night or in the winter, or near the coast.
What is humidity? If the humidity is 95% does that mean 95% of the air is water vapor?
Not everything in the atmosphere is gas; particulates are particles that are important as the nucleus of raindrops and snowflakes.
Why does one part of the stratosphere earn the name ozone layer?
Ozone gas protects life on Earth from harmful UV light, which damages cells.
What causes the aurora and where in the atmosphere does it take place?
Solar radiation ionizes gas molecules that travel as electric currents.
How does a child kicking a soccer ball illustrate the law of conservation of energy?
The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only change forms.
What are the two major atmospheric gases and what roles do they play?
The major atmospheric gases are nitrogen and oxygen. The atmosphere also contains minor amounts of other gases, including carbon dioxide.
Why would a person get severe burns in the mesosphere?
The mesosphere has a very low density of gas molecules
How can meteors burn in the mesosphere when the air density is so low?
The mesosphere is no place for human life!
What is the natural cycle that creates and destroys ozone molecules?
The ozone layer, in the stratosphere, has a higher concentration of ozone than other spots in the atmosphere.
Why and when can you pick up AM radio stations far from their sources?
The particles that create the aurora travel along Earth's magnetic field lines.
How did the ionosphere get its name?
The solar wind is made of high speed particles from the Sun that travel through the solar system.
How does the energy that comes off a surface with high albedo differ from the energy that comes off a surface with low albedo?
The wavelengths of visible light vary from long wavelength red to short wavelength violet. Infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths continue outward at longer and shorter wavelengths.
Why doesn't air mix between the troposphere and stratosphere?
There is little mixing between the troposphere, where all the turbulence is, and the stratosphere.
What causes convection in the atmosphere?
Warm air rises, cool air sinks. Warm air has lower density.
Why does air density decrease with increasing altitude?
Why does air density decrease with increasing altitude?
What is the source of heat in the troposphere?
With a temperature inversion, cold air sits below warm air and can't move.