Earth Science Chapter 11-The Atmosphere
Kelvin
absolute zero= 0 K
Between mesosphere and exosphere
thermosphere
What percentage of the Sun's energy does Earth's surface absorb directly or indirectly?
50%
how many calories of energy do you get? for every 1 mL of water that condenses
540 calories
Troposphere
75% of atmosphere
hits parking lot
conduction
The pressure of earth's atmosphere at sea level
14.7 lbs/in^2 condenses
At sea level pressure
14.7 lbs/square inch
Oxygen (O2)
21%
convergence
florida thunderstorms
ways relative humidity can be changed
1. capacity 2. content
What is the relative humidity of fully saturated air?
100%
Carbon dioxide
CO2
Celcius
Freezing= 0 degrees celsius boiling= 100 degrees celsius absolute zero = -273 degrees celsius
Fahrenheit
Freezing= 32 degrees Fahrenheit boiling= 212 degrees Fahrenheit
Relative Humidity
Humidity-the amount of water vapor in the air relative humidity: ratio of water vapor in air divided by amount of water vapor could hod for that temp warm air can hold more water the most common measurement used to describe water vapor in the air. expresses how close the air is to reaching its water vapor capacity %=water vapor content/water vapor capacity*100
stability
ability of an air mass to resist rising stable-air mass warmer than land loases heat to land cools doesn't rise unstable-land mass warmer than air heats up air rises if fast rate can cause thunderstorms
stable air
air that isn't rising or falling
unstable air
air with enough energy to rise/fall (water, land underneath=heat source)
require a medium
air, water, ground
middle
alto, water, ice if cold enough
thermal inversion
anvil head forming
dew point
base of cloud
high
cirro, ice
cloud formation
clouds form when warm moist air rises expands and cools reaches dew point condenses around condensation nuclei (dust, sea salt) less ability for molecules to hit, so it expands
air mass collisions
colder, more dense air mass stays close to Earth Warmer air mass forced to rise over cold as warm air cools, clouds form air mass is the same temperature and humidity
heats air, air rises b/c
convection-heat going into air, thermals gathering heat
cirrus
curl of hair
_______ fossils found 3.5 billion years ago
cyanobacteria
stratus clouds produce
drizzle
why mountains might cause dry conditions on their leeward sides
due to adiabatic cooling it rains on other side of mountain, no water left for leeward side.
solid particles in the atmosphere include salt and
dust
The process of water changing from a liquid to a gas is
evaporation
greenhouse gas
gas that traps in heat from the sun
Temperature inversions: Doesn't obey
general rule of decrease temp with increased height. (up in altitude) gets warmer with height-----> pollution 99 ft damp=4 degrees pressure
coalescence
gets bigger b/c glomp together-water droplets make bigger droplets
radiation
gets energy from sun without plant involved
heat comes from condensation
gives back heat, stored in water to make water vapor
fog
ground-hugging clouds
In contrast,_______ is the transfer of energy that takes place because of temperature differences.
heat
lifted condensation levels
height at which condensation occurs base of clouds
Latent heat
hidden or stored heat source=water vapor
cirro-cumulus
high-altitude, small, wispy, patchy, puffy clouds
troposphere gets colder because
higher pressure means less pressure
hail
hurts
red
iron that has rusted
air is saturated when
it has reached its water vapor capacity and contains all the water vapor that it can hold at a particular temperature
stratus
layer
frontal wedging
like trying to lift a sumo wrestler
heat always goes from
more to less
warm air holds____water vapor, cold air holds_______
more, less
Most of Earth's atmosphere is composed of
nitrogen and oxygen
why is the sky blue
nitrogen molecules right size to scatter light from blue (wavelength) end blue is bounced/reflected from N2 to N2 molecule until it seems to be coming from all directions, nothing absorbed
Why relative humidity does not give an accurate indication of the amount of water vapor in the air
only indicates how "full" that air is, not total amount of water in air (Not HOW MUCH water is there), percentage (%)
What type of cloud formation is shown in B?
orographic liftin.
ultimate thermal inversion
point air can't rise=stratosphere-air cannot rise through warmer air ozone warms it up
cumulus
puffy
Ar-40 is from ___________ decay K-40
radioactive
nimbus
rain
4-9 degrees/1000 m
range- starting temp determines how much water it can potentially hold
Water heats up and cools off
slowly
low
strato, water, ice particles if cold enough (winter)
Dew point/condensation
temperature to which air must be cooled at constant pressure to reach saturation temperature at which air is saturated temperature at which the relative humidity of the air is 100%
relation between the difference in the dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperaturees and the relative humidity of the air
the bigger the wet bulb drop, the less water in the air.
define wavelength
the distance between successive crests of a wave, especially points in a sound wave or electromagnetic wave.
sleet
tiny crystals of ice
Dry adiabatic lapse rate (adiabatic means pressure change
unsaturated air-no cloud, no reserved energy;wet-there is a cloud, using the dry-there's no cloud increases 10 degrees celsius for each 1000 meter increase in altitude gets colder because less pressure reach condensation -cloud (lifted condensation level)
Winds: Cool air sinks (denser) forces warm air up air moves from higher to lower density density differences caused by uneven heating and cooling of earth's surface measured in MPH, km/h, or knots knots used at sea=1.85 km/h
vertical movement of air horizontal movements called winds take place of vertical air biggest change is from a knot to a kilometer
9 degrees celsius/1000 m
very cold air
4 degrees celsius per 1000 m
very warm air
water vapor capacity of air to the temperature of the air
warm air holds progressively more water.
orographic lifting
winds hit mountain nowhere to go but up air expands and cools form clouds rain shadow deserts (deserts never get the rain that you can see on the mountains/across the mountains
Solar fundamentals: Energy is transferred in 3 ways: (remember order)
1. Radiation 2. Conduction 3. Convection
5 electromagnetic waves:
1. radio waves (longest waves) 2. microwaves 3. infrared 4. x-rays 5. gamma rays (most energy, highest frequency)
top three greenhouse gases
1. water vapor 2. carbon dioxide (CO2) 3. Methane
absorbed -atmosphere
15%, hard to hold onto
Stratosphere
24% of atmosphere
reflected solar radiation: Earth's surface-
4%; the poles,white, made out of ice, ice and snow,not water because it absorbs the heat
Earth's surface absorbed: water, ground, trees,photosynthesis
50%, direct or indirect
Nitrogen (N2)
78%
What is a temperature inversion? Explain how one can form.
A temperature inversion is an increase in temperature with height in an atmosphere layer. On a clear winter night where there is a rapid cooling of land, the lower layers of the atmosphere lose heat to Earth's surface. As a result, the lower layers of air become cooler than the air above.
What is happening to the air in both A and B that leads to the formation of clouds?
Air is rising, expanding, and cooling, which leads to water vapor condensing to form clouds. reaching dew point
What percentage of the Sun's energy is scattered or reflected back into space? What causes this loss of solar energy?
about 30%; lost energy is scattered by the atmosphere, reflected from clouds and Earth's surfaces
Ozone in Earth's atmosphere is important because it
absorbs harmful radiation
number one producer of oxygen
algae found in oceans
Temperature in the lower atmosphere generally decreases with increased_______
altitude
vertical lift of air
anvil head
The amount of energy the atmosphere absorbs depends in part on its level of
carbon dioxide
cyanobacteria contain _______ green wavelength, carbon bonds, photosynthesis requires something to capture energy, green pigment
chlorophil
wispy, high clouds made of ice crystals
cirrus
Water vapor in the atmosphere is the source of
clouds and rain
small cloud droplets join to form larger ones
coalescence
As water vapor rises in the atmosphere, it cools and changes into liquid cloud droplets in a process called
condensation
This This change in state is called
condensation.
(Air must be saturated before condensation can occur. Saturation is the point at which the air holds as much water vapor as it possibly can.) The ______is the temperature to which air must be cooled at constant pressure to reach saturation. Until this temperature is reached, condensation cannot occur and rain cannot fall.
dew point
Outermost layer of the atmosphere
exosphere
Air pressure is greater at the top of a mountain than at lower elevations.
false
Wind is the movement of air from an area of low pressure to an area of high pressure
false
Ozone
filters out harmful UV radiation
Ionosphere;Ion=positive/negative charge, not a neutral atom
overlaps other layers; air is ionized by UV radiation; affects how radio waves transmit and reflect; transparent tubes
Red Beds
oxygen everywhere rusty red colored layers of rock younger than 1.8 billion years, Proterozoic and younger Shows that now there is free O2 in the atmosphere sedona rock formations
O3
ozone absorbs UV radiation decreases incidence of skin cancer, cataracts and blindness allows life to exist on Earth
Earth's surface is heated by energy from the Sun. For the most part, the rereleased energy from the surface heats the atmosphere. Describe the method by which energy is transferred from Earth's surface to the air above it.
particles of air on Earth's surface collide with and transfer energy to particles of air in the very lowest part of the atmosphere by conduction.
All forms of water that fall from clouds
precipitation
When cloud droplets combine to form larger drops, they fall to Earth as
precipitation
Temperature decreases with increasing altitude because
pressure
land heats up and cools off
quickly
contains concentrated ozone
stratosphere
Low layered clouds
stratus
too much energy, energy spreads out, energy that goes into air is slower, less energy
sunlight not absorbed in large quantities
What happens in the "pauses"? Tropopause, Mesopause
temperature stays the same
define frequency
the rate at which a vibration occurs that constitutes a wave, either in a material (as in sound waves), or in an electromagnetic field (as in radio waves and light), usually measured per second.
What is the source of all energy that reaches Earth?
the sun
The constant movement of water between the atmosphere and Earth's surface is
the water cycle
Convection
transfer of energy by the flow of a heated substance into air
conduction
transfer of energy through contact of molecules (by touching) from the ground into lower layer
Most weather occurs here.
troposphere
Air is denser near Earth's surface than high in the atmosphere.
true
As you move upward from Earth's surface, wind speeds increase because the air meets with less friction from Earth's surface.
true
In the troposphere, as air temperature increases, generally air pressure increases, too.
true
Particles of air in the atmosphere exert pressure on Earth's surface
true
ozone heats up stratosphere
ultimate thermal inversion
The atmosphere's temperature plays a role in the formation of rain. Rain drops form when ______ in the atmosphere cools and turns from a gas to a liquid.
water vapor
respiration
C6H12O6+O2----->CO2+H2O (photosynthesis reversed) probably with surface
byproduct is sugar and oxygen -photosynthesis
CO2+H2O------->C6H12O6+O2
Describe convection.
Convection is the transfer of energy in the flow of a heated substance. Heated air near Earth's surface rises, expands, and starts to cool. When it cools below the temperature of surrounding air, it increases in density and sinks, creating a convection current.
Temperature can be measured in degrees Fahrenheit, degrees Celsius, or kelvins. The most commonly used temperature scale in the United States is ________
Fahrenheit.
cirro-stratus
High-altitude, thin, wipsy clouds in layers.
cirrus
High-altitude, thin, wispy clouds.
Cumulo-nimbus
Large, dense, towering clouds that cause thunderstorms.
strato-cumulus
Low clouds, broad and flat on the bottom, puffy on top (higher than cumulus and lower than altocumulus)
nimbo-stratus
Low, dark, rain cloud.
Order of atmospheric structure
Lower layers: 1. Troposphere 2. Stratosphere Upper Layers: 3. Mesosphere 4. Thermosphere 5. Exosphere
CH4
Methane
________ and _______ are due to chemical reactions
Methane (CH4), Ammonia (NH4)
What is relative humidity?
Relative humidity is the ratio of water vapor in a volume of air is capable of holding at saturation.
BIF (Banded Iron Formations
Stromatalites from local concentrations of O2 Iron in the rocks oxides red BIF alternates chert mud that has been pressed into rock with oxidized iron Responsible for Michigan iron mines no longer made limited oxygen, around shallow oceans can't happen anymore because there's oxygen
The energy that drives the water cycle comes from the
Sun.
Heat and temperature are not the same. _______ is a measure of how rapidly or slowly molecules move.
Temperature
What is causing the air to rise in B?
The air encounters a mountain, forcing the air upward.
What is causing the air to rise in A?
The collision of the warm air mass with a colder one. frontal wedging. cold air must be more dense. As you increase temperature, water molecules move faster, so they have to expand.
what is the relationship between wavelength, frequency and energy
The greater the energy, the larger the frequency and the shorter (smaller) the wavelength. Given the relationship between wavelength and frequency — the higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength — it follows that short wavelengths are more energetic than long wavelengths.
Explain how condensation nuclei helps clouds form.
These particles in the atmosphere provide objects around which water vapor can condense to form cloud droplets. (glomp) (platforms for which water particles to glommp onto.
If a particle is above 0 K,Kelvins; No heat/radiation <-----molecules not moving at all
it will emit radiation; doesn't require a medium
As air rises, it cools and eventually reaches the temperature at which condensation occurs. The height above the surface at which condensation occurs is the __________________________________
lifted condensation level.
stratus
low, layered, horizontal, wipsy clouds with a flat base
cumulus
low, puffy clouds
Layer just above the stratosphere
mesosphere
alto-stratus
middle-level, layered clouds
alto-cumulus
middle-level, medium-sized puffy clouds