Week 1: Intro to Atmosphere

Uncertainty

(1) unforeseeability in outcome or effect. (2) a natural part of scientific process in which the accuracy of reported results is limited by instrumental sensitivity or other factors.

Ozone Depletion

..., thinning of Earth's ozone layer caused by CFC's leaking into the air and reacting chemically with the ozone, breaking the ozone molocules apart

what are two types of pressure centers

1) cyclones, or lows (centers of low pressure) and 2 anticyclones, or highs (high pressure centers. - In the Northern Hemisphere wind around a low are counterclockwise and inward. Around a high winds are clockwise and outward. - In the southern hemisphere, the coriolis effect causes winds to move clockwise around a low and counterclockwise around a high.

Name the two lowest layers of the atmosphere

1. troposphere 2. Stratosphere

Accuracy

A description of how close a measurement is to the true value of the quantity measured.

What is ozone and why is ozone important to life on Earth?

A form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of the usual two and ozone absorb ultraviolet radiation emitted by the Sun.

Turbidity

A measure of degree of clarity in a solution or water. Turbidity is high for a cloudy sample and low for a clear sample.

Precision

A measure of how close a series of measurements are to one another. Must compare the values of two or more repeated measurements. (Reproducibility)

Scientific Method

A series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating conclusions.

Qualitative Observations

An observation that deals with characteristics that cannot be expressed in numbers or measurements. Adjectives. Describes using the senses. (One of two ways geoscientists come up with new ideas and test hypotheses involve making qualitative observations.)

Water Vapor

Is the source of all clouds and precipitation. Has the ability to absorb heat given off by Earth as well as some solar energy. Water vapor in the atmosphere transports latent heat from one region to another, and it is the energy source that helps drive many storms.

What is radiosonde?

It is an instrument package that is attached to a balloon and transmits data by radio as it ascends through the atmosphere. It is used to determine the environmental lapse rate.

What does energy have to do with the season, the latitude and the length of daylight?

Nearly all of the energy that drives Earth's variable weather and climate comes from the Sun. Solar energy is not distributed evenly over Earth's land-sea surface. The amount of energy received varies with latitude, time of day and season of the year.

What are the two most abundant compounds in the modern atmosphere that are two major components of clean dry air?

Nitrogen and Oxygen make up 99% of the volume of clean air. Nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%).

What is the significance of the Tropic of Capricorn?

On or about December 21 or 22, Earth is in an opposite position of the Tropic of Cancer, with the Sun's vertical rays striking at 23 1/2 south latitude. This parallel is known as the Tropic of Capricorn. For those living in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the winter solstice, the first day of winter.

What are the two principal motions of Earth?

Rotation, the spinning of Earth about its axis, which produces the daily cycle of daylight and darkness; and revolution, the movement of Earth in its orbit around the Sun.

Climate

Seasonal pattern of weather conditions in an area over many years; does not change rapidly

Why do temperatures increase in the stratosphere?

Temperatures increase in the stratosphere because it is in this layer that the atmosphere's ozone is concentrated.

Weather

The condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place. Constantly changes.

Where is the ozone layer?

The ozone layer is located in the stratosphere in a region that is 10 to 50 km above the earth. The ozone in the stratosphere absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the sun, which warms the air.

Define "atmospheric pressure"

The pressure exerted on a surface by the atmosphere due to the weight of the column of air directly above that surface. Simply put, atmospheric pressure is the weight of air above.

What is the environmental lapse rate and how is it determined?

The temperature decrease in the troposphere is called the environmental lapse rate. It must be regularly measured. To determine the actual environmental lapse rate radiosondes are used.

What is the significance of the Tropic of Cancer?

The vertical rays of the Sun strike 23 1/2 degrees north latitude. This latitude is known as the Tropic of Cancer. It is significant because people in the Northern Hemisphere, June 21 or 22 is known as the summer solstice, the first "official" day of summer.

Primary cause of the seasons.

The yearly fluctuations in the angle of the Sun and length of daylight brought about by Earth's changing orientation to the Sun cause the seasons.

Why are water vapor and aerosols important constituents of Earth's atmosphere?

They act as green house gases which in turn regulate the earth's climate.

Multiple Working Hypotheses

This process involves brainstorming many possible explanations, and then thinking of other tests (including observations, experiments, measurements, and calculations known as computer modeling) that could eliminate some of the possibilities. Chamberlin's theory that science is best studied with multiple hypotheses, and that the scientist must lose all biases; Not putting all your eggs in one basket, exploring alternate explanations for the results of an experiment.

Latent heat which means "hidden heat."

When water changes from one state to another, it absorbs or releases heat. This energy is termed latent heat.

What is fog

a cloud with its base at or very near the ground. Fogs form when air is cooled below its dew point or when enough water vapor is added to the air to bring about saturation.

relative humidity

can be changed in two ways. One is by adding or subtracting water vapor. The second is by changing the air's temperature. When air is cooled, its relative humidity increases.

three basic forms of clouds

cirrus (high, white, thin wispy fibers) cumulus (globular, individual cloud masses) Stratus (sheets or layers that cover much or all of the sky)

What are fronts

fronts are boundaries that separate air masses of different densities, one warmer and often higher in moisture content than the other. A warm front occurs when the surface position of the front moves so that warm air occupies territory for merely covered by cooler air. Along a warm front, a warm air mass overrides a retreating mass of cooler air rain and precipitation occurs. A cold front forms where cold air is actively advancing into a region occupied by warmer air. Precipitation along a cold front is usually more intense.

air pressure

is the force exerted by the weight of air above. With increasing altitude there is less air above to exert a force and thus air pressure decreases with altitude, rapidly at first then much more slowly.

humidity

is the general term to describe the amount of water vapor in the air.

wind

is the horizontal flow of air from areas of higher pressure toward areas of lower pressure.

Describe "troposphere"

is the layer closest to the earth. This is where we live. It is made of oxygen and nitrogen. Mixed together gives us the air to breathe. 99% of it is water vapor and aerosols. Air temperature decreases with height.

Describe "stratosphere"

is the lowest level just above the troposphere. The temperature in this layer is about 70 degrees F. Air temperature increases with height due to sunlight absorption by ozone. No weather occurs in the stratosphere. The ozone layer is located here.

What is El Nino

is the name given to the periodic warming of the ocean that occurs in the central and eastern Pacific. It is associated with periods when a weakened pressure gradient causes the trade winds to diminish.

Montreal Protocol

meeting in 1987 where a group of nations met in Canada and agreed to take steps to fight against Ozone Depletion-CFC's banned

Primary Pollutants

pollutants that are put directly into the air by human or natural activity.

Secondary Pollutants

pollutants that form from chemical reactions that occur when primary pollutants come in contact with other primary pollutants or with naturally occurring substances, such as water vapor.

Quantitative Measurements

provides information about research results in terms of numbers or percentages. (One of two ways geoscientists come up with new ideas and test hypotheses involve making quantitative measurements.)

Forms of precipitation

rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain, hail, and rime.

Systematic Errors

reproducible inaccuracies that are consistently in the same direction; due to a problem (such as an improperly tared scale), which persists throughout the entire experiment.

What is ozone and why is it important?

the triatomic form of oxygen. Is important to life because of its ability to absorb potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

Aerosols

tiny solid particles or liquid droplets that remain suspended in the atmosphere for a long time

What is the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere called?

tropopause is the outer boundary of the troposphere. This is an inversion layer.

The atmosphere is divided vertically into four layers on the basis of temperature. What are the names of these layers and how does the temperature change in each layer?

troposphere(temperature decreases with an increase in altitude), stratosphere(temperatures remain constant to a height of about 12 miles, temperatures increase in the stratosphere because it is in this layer that the atmosphere's ozone is concentrate), mesosphere (temperatures decrease with height. The coldest temperatures any where in the atmosphere occur at the mesopause), and thermosphere (contains only a tiny fraction of the atmosphere's mass. Temperatures rise to extremely high values of more than 1000 c..