Unit 6: The Atmosphere

What causes convection currents?

A continual process of sinking cold air (because it is more dense) and rising of warm air (because it is less dense) causes convection currents.

----------- is the transfer of heat directly between two objects that are in contact with one another. It occurs when molecules collide and energy is transferred from one molecule to another. This occurs in the troposphere between the earth's surface and the air molecules that are in contact with it.

Conduction

----------- is the transfer of heat by the movement of air currents. An example of it is the boiling of water. The heat passes from the burner into the pot, heating the water at the bottom. Then, this hot water rises and cooler water moved down to replace it, causing a circular motion. -------------- is a critical method of heat transfer in the troposphere, primarily because of the fact that hot air rises and cold air sinks. Hot air rises in the troposphere and cold air sinks because cold air is denser than hot air.

Convection

---------- --------- are defined as currents in a fluid (either a liquid or gas) that result from ---------.

Convection currents, convection

A ------- is an area of low pressure with winds blowing counter-clockwise (Northern Hemisphere) or clockwise (Southern Hemisphere) around it. Tropical ones are given different names depending on their wind speed.

Cyclone

Effects during La Nina

During this "cold phase," increases in pressure in the eastern Pacific cause stronger trade winds and increased upwelling along the coast of South America. Cooler than normal ocean temperatures cause wet weather in Austalia, Indonesia, India, and southeast Africa. East central Africa, southern Brazil, and coastal Peru and Ecuador experience drier than average weather. During La Niña, tropical activity increases in the Atlantic and Caribbean, creating an increase in the occurrence of strong Atlantic hurricanes.

The part of the atmosphere that is ionized by solar radiation is called the ---------

Ionosphere. Which is located in the thermosphere

What's important about the ionosphere?

It allows radio waves to be transmitted. It is of aesthetic importance because it is the source of the wonderfully beautiful "Northern Lights."

The trapping of heat by the atmosphere is known as the ---------- -------, which warms the climate of the earth.

Greenhouse effect

The specific gases in the atmosphere that work to trap this heat are known as ---------- ---------

Greenhouse gasses

What is the source that fuels the Earth's weather and cliamte?

Heat from the sun

A ------- ------ is a type of electromagnetic radiation that humans use to transmit information without wires. When using high-frequency bands, the ionosphere is used to reflect the transmitted radio beam.

Radio Wave

What are the effects of temperature inversions?

Smog, changes in local weather, extreme weather, global weather patterns, clouds cannot rise high enough to produce showers

Where is is ozone layer located?

Stratosphere

Which of the following statements most accurately explains why the ionosphere is of practical importance to humans?

The ionosphere allows the transmission of radio waves.

In what layer do weather patterns take place?

Troposphere

What are the greenhouse gasses?

carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, ozone. All of these gases are naturally produced on Earth, but they can also be man-made.

The strongest tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean (wind speed exceeds 74 miles per hour) are called ------- or -----------

hurricanes or typhoons

What is the biological importance of nitrogen?

it is necessary to make proteins

What are the four layers of the atmosphere?

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere

Place the following events that led to the formation of the Earth's atmosphere in the correct chronological order: The build-up of oxygen led to the formation of the ozone layer. Primitive forms of plant life began to release small amounts of oxygen. As plants became more widespread, the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere increased. The atmosphere was oxygen-free and consisted mostly of carbon dioxide, sulfur, and nitrogen.

4 2 3 1

What are the minute particles and liquid droplets suspended in the atmosphere?

Aerosols

--------- are caused by the collision of charged particles with atoms in the earth's upper atmosphere. When these energized charged particles collide with atoms in the ionosphere, they transfer energy to the atoms and this can be emitted as light. Often these light emissions are from oxygen atoms, resulting in a greenish glow.

Auroras

Effects during el Nino

During El Niño, inversion layers create high pressure and warm surface temperatures in the western Pacific Ocean, reversing the direction of tropical currents. This change pushes warm water away from the equator, suppressing upwellings, and creating an area of unusually warm water along the coast of South America. The result is heavy rainfall in coastal Peru and Ecuador, southeastern Brazil and Argentina, and parts of east central Africa. At the same time, severe droughts occur on the other side of the Pacific in Indonesia and Australia, as well as in the interior of India and southeast Africa. During El Nino, the incidence of cyclones increases in the eastern Pacific, while tropical activity decreases in the Atlantic.

What are two important ocean oscillations that are impacted by temperature inversions

El Nino and La Nina. El Niño and La Niña are opposite phases of what is known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle.

How long do El Nino and La Nina episodes last?

El Niño and La Niña episodes usually last nine to 12 months, but sometimes they are prolonged and can last for years. While their frequency can be irregular, El Niño and La Niña events occur on average every two to seven years. Typically, El Niño occurs more frequently than La Niña.

----------- are the most powerful of all weather systems, characterized by strong winds and heavy rain over wide areas. They form over the warm tropical ocean and quickly lose intensity when they move over land.

Hurricanes

What happens if a temperature inversion suddenly lifts?

If the inversion suddenly lifts, severe hurricanes and tornadoes can occur. In cooler climate, ice storms are also associated with inversions. Snow melts and turns to rain as it falls through the warm inversion layer.

What causes smog?

Inversion layers limit normal convection cycles. This causes stagnation of the air below the inversion, trapping dust, smoke, ozone, nitrous oxide, and other air pollutants. The lack of circulation causes smog, the brownish gray haze that covers most of the world's large metropolises.

The primary reason oxygen is essential to life on Earth is that—

It is required for respiration

What are characteristics of the mesophere?

Its temperature decreases with increasing altitude. There is a high concentration of iron and other metal atoms.

What are the characteristics of the stratosphere?

Its temperature increases as altitude increases. This is because the stratosphere absorbs solar radiation directly, meaning that the upper portions, which are closer to the sun, will be warmer. The upper portions of the stratosphere are also warmer because of the presence of the ozone layer.

What are characteristics of the thermosphere?

Its temperature increases with an increase in altitude. Ionization and recombination takes place here, and the ionosphere exists here. The ionization process produces energy, which means that the upper parts of the thermosphere, which are dominated by ionization, have a higher temperature than the lower layers where recombination takes place.

What is the most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere?

Nitrogen

How is radiant energy transfered throughout the atmosphere?

Radiation, conduction, convection

What 2 gasses make up the majority of the atmosphere?

Nitrogen and Oxygen

-------- is why the handle of a car door becomes hot on a sunny day, or why you feel the warmth of a fire when you stand in front of it. The definition is the transfer of energy through space. When objects are heated by -------, there is no direct contact between the heat source and the object being heated.

Radiation

What is the ENSO cycle?

The ENSO cycle is a term that describes the fluctuations in temperature between the ocean and atmosphere in the east-central Equatorial Pacific. La Niña is sometimes referred to as the cold phase of ENSO, and El Niño is known as the warm phase. These deviations from normal surface temperatures can have very large impacts not only on ocean processes, but also on global weather and climate.

What is the lowest level of the atmosphere and what are its characteristics?

The troposphere is the lowest level in the atmosphere, and it is the part in which we live. An important characteristic of the troposphere is that its temperature decreases with an increase in altitude. In other words, as you climb higher, it will get colder.

A ----------- begins in a severe thunderstorm. Vertical wind shear causes the updraft in the storm to rotate and form a funnel. The rotational wind speeds increase and vertical stretching occurs due to angular momentum. As air is drawn into the funnel core, it cools rapidly and condenses to form a visible funnel cloud. The funnel cloud descends to the surface as more air is drawn in.

Tornado

True or False: Greenhouse gases can be both natural and man-made

True

True or False: Temperature inversions limit convection to levels that are below the inversion

True

Temperature inversions are more common in which of the following geographical areas?

Valleys that are surrounded by mountains

--------- is the state of the air at a particular place and time

Weather

Weather vs. Climate

Weather refers to atmospheric conditions over short time periods, usually hours or days, and within relatively small areas. Climate, in contrast, refers to the actual pattern of atmospheric conditions in a large region over a long period of time.

When do temperature inversions occur?

When stable, warm air overlays cooler air, it can reverse the normal temperature decline with increasing altitude. An inversion usually occurs when a warm, less dense, stable air mass passes over cool, dense air mass. The layer of warm air acts as a cap on the upward movement of air

In the creation of the Earth's atmosphere, which of the following events happened FIRST?

primitive forms of life could use oxygen and then more oxygen became available