Chapter 19 PHYSC SC.: The Atmosphere

Name the cloud family for each of the following: nimbostratus (a)

(A): form a dark gray, wet looking cloudy layer associated with continuously falling rain or snow. They often produce precipitation that is usually light to moderate.

cirrostratus (b)

(B): thin, sheetlike high clouds that often cover the entire sky. They are so thin that the sun and moon can be seen through them. Cirrostratus clouds usually come 12-24 hours before a rain or snow storm.

altostratus (c)

(C): Clouds at mid-level that form a light sheet that lets the sun or moon show as a bright spot. (C):gray or blue-gray mid level clouds composed of ice crystals and water droplets. The clouds usually cover the entire sky. In the thinner areas of the clouds, the sun may be dimly visible as a round disk. Altostratus clouds often form ahead of storms with continuous rain or snow.

Describe how the temperature of the atmosphere varies in each of the following regions: the mesosphere (a) the stratosphere (b) the troposphere (c) the thermosphere (d)

(a): In mesosphere temparature decreases with height (b): In stratosphere temparature increases with height (c): In troposphere temparature decreases with height (d): In thermosphere temparature increases with height

Thickness of Mesosphere

1.9 formula: thick. of mesosphere/ thick. of troposphere

One standard atmosphere of pressure is_____lb^2

14.7

Thickness of Stratosphere

2.1 formula: thick. of stratosphere/ thick. of troposphere

If the air temperature is 70 * F at sea level, then what is the temperature at the top of Pikes Peak (elevation14,000 ft)? (Hint: The temperature decreases rather uniformly in the troposphere.)

21 * F

Approximately what percentage of insolation is reflected back into space?

33%

Approximately what percentage of insolation reaches the Earth's surface?

50%

Thickness of Thermosphere

7.5 formula: thick. of thermosphere/ thick. of troposphere

One atmosphere is equal to ____cm or____ in. of mercury.

76cm — 30in.

Other than moisture, what are the three major components of the air you breathe?

78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 0.9% argon

Coulds

A buoyant mass of visible droplets of water and /or ice crystals.

Indicate any differences between cyclones and anticyclones in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and explain.

A cyclone is a storm or system of winds that rotates around a center of low atmospheric pressure. Winds in a cyclone blow counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Winds in an anticyclone blow just the opposite.

Barometer

A device used to measure atmospheric pressure

Wind vane

A free-rotating device that, because of its shape, lines up with the wind and indicates the direction from which the wind is blowing.

Isobar

A line on a weather map drawn through the locations (points) of equal pressure.

What does it mean to say that the Earth has an albedo of 33%? How does it compare with the Moon's albedo?

A low albedo means a surface reflects a small amount of the incoming radiation and absorbs the rest. the Earth has an albedo of 0.33. This means that he earth reflects 33% of the radiation incident on it, whereas, absence of atmosphere, and dark surface of the moon, it absorbs maximum energy incident on it. It reflects only 7% of incident sunlight.

Coriolis force

A pseudoforce that results because an observer on the Earth is in a rotating frame of reference.

Ozonosphere

A region of the atmosphere, below 70km ( 45mi) in altitude, characterized by ozone concentration.

cumulonimbus (e)

A type of cumulus cloud that is tall and gray, and associated with thunderstorms.

Anemometer

An instrument used to measure wind speed

Rain gauge

An open, calibrated container used to measure amounts of precipitation.

Why is the sky blue overhead and more white toward the horizon?

Blue is scattered more than other colors because it travels as shorter, smaller waves. ... Closer to the horizon, the sky fades to a lighter blue or white. The sunlight reaching us from low in the sky has passed through even more air than the sunlight reaching us from overhead.

The primary absorbers of infrared radiation in the atmosphere are water vapor and_____

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

What key compound makes photosynthesis in green plants possible?

Chlorophyll

Cloud type associated with Mackerel

Cirrocumulus

Could type associated with solar or lunar halo

Cirrus

stratus (d)

Clouds that form in flat layers and often cover much of the sky.

What information does Doppler radar give that conventional radar cannot?

Conventional radar provides information about the location and intensity of precipitation associated with a storm, while Doppler radar adds the capability to discern air motions within a storm.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the wind rotates ______ around a high, as viewed from above.

Counterclockwise

Cloud type associated with a thunderhead

Cumulonimbus

What is the cloud root name that means "heap"?

Cumulus

What regulates the Earth's average temperature?

Greenhouse effect

Instrument: Psychrometer Measures What?

Humidity

Should the prevailing wind direction be considered when designing the heating plan and insulation of a house?

Ideally, for energy-conserving purposes, a house on an east- or west-facing lot should also have the long side facing south if possible. With the ridge line oriented east-west, this may mean that a narrow side of the house faces the street.

A line drawn through points of equal pressure is called a(n)______

Isobar

What is a convection cycle, and what are the related effects near a large body of water such as the ocean?

Land and sea breeze — convection currents that cause wind

Nimbostratus clouds belong to the ____ cloud family.

Low

_______is the study of the lower atmosphere.

Meteorology

The altostratus cloud is a member of which family?

Middle clouds

Is the atmospheric "greenhouse effect" the same as that in an actual greenhouse?

No. In the atmospheric greenhouse effect, the earth warms up because the solar energy is re-radiated back towards the earth by the greenhouse gasses ,, but in a greenhouse, the interior air is warmed simply as a result of the heat energy from the sunlight heating up the air.

The arrow of a wind vane (or weather vane) points in the____ direction from which the wind is blowing

Opposite

Which is the second-most-abundant gas in the atmosphere?

Oxygen

Instrument: Barometer Measures What?

Pressure

Doppler radar

Radar that uses the Doppler effect on water droplets in clouds to measure the wind speed and direction. Gives early warnings of tornadoes.

Jet Streams

Rapidly moving "rivers" of air in the upper troposphere.

In what region does the ozone layer lie?

Stratosphere

The International Space Station is in orbit in the_____

Stratosphere

The ozone layer causes a temperature increase in the______

Stratosphere

Instrument: Thermometer Measures What?

Temperature

What are the four fundamental atmospheric measurements discussed in this chapter, and with what instrument is each measured?

Temperature - Thermometer Pressure - Barometer Relative Humidity - Psychometer Wind Speed - Anemometer

In terms of Rayleigh scattering, why is it advantageous to have amber fog lights and red taillights on cars?

The blues and greens scatter more making the sky blue during the day, but when it comes to sunset, the orange and red that scatter less shine through. Applying this to head and tail lights, more of the colored light will shine through -- there will be less scattering. Making it more efficient.

Weather

The conditions of the lower atmosphere

Convection cycle

The cyclic movement of matter (such as air) as a result of localized heating and convectional heat transfer.

Which way, relative to the wind direction, does a wind vane (or weather vane) point and why?

The direction from which the wind is blowing.

From what source does the atmosphere receive most of its direct heating, and how is the overall heating accomplished?

The heat source for our planet is the sun. Energy from the sun is transferred through space and through the earth's atmosphere to the earth's surface. Since this energy warms the earth's surface and atmosphere, some of it is or becomes heat energy.

Greenhouse effect

The heat-retaining process of atmospheric gases, such as H20 vapor and CO2 , that results from the selective absorption of terrestrial radiation. Provides the Earth with a thermostatic effect.

Wind

The horizontal movement of air or air motion along the Earth's surface.

Atmospheric Science

The investigation of all aspects of the atmosphere

Rayleigh scattering

The preferential scattering of light by air molecules and particles that accounts for the blueness of the sky. The scattering is proportional to /|^4

What is the principle of the liquid barometer? What is the height of a mercury barometer column for one atmosphere of pressure?

The principle is that the air left in the bottle above the water exerts the pressure of the air at the time the bottle was filled, while the liquid in the spout is exposed to the changing atmospheric pressure. As the atmospheric pressure falls, the water in the spout rises, and vice versa.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants convert CO2 and H2O into carbohydrates (needed for plant life) and , using energy from the Sun. Process that replenishes atmospheric oxygen. Formula: 6CO2 + 6H20 + (energy) → C6H12O6 + 6O2

Lapse Rate

The rate at which the temperature of the air in the troposphere decreases with altitude. The normal lapse rate is -6.5 C*/km , or -3.5 F*/ 1000ft. — Rate of temperature decrease with height.

Relative humidity

The ratio of the actual moisture content to the maximum moisture capacity of a volume of air at a given temperature, usually expressed as a percent.

Why does weather generally move from west to east in the conterminous United States?

The reason that they most often move from west to east is due to the jet stream. ... Jet streams carry weather systems. Warmer tropical air blows toward the colder northern air. These winds shift west to east due to the rotation of the earth.

Thermosphere

The region of the Earth's atmosphere extending from about 80km ( 50mi) in altitude to the outer reaches of the atmosphere. Region of atmosphere with highest temperature.

Stratosphere

The region of the Earth's atmosphere from approximately 16 to 50km (10 to 30mi) in altitude. Together with troposphere, accounts for 99.9% of atmospheric mass

Troposphere

The region of the Earth's atmosphere from the ground up to about 16km (10 mi). Lowest region of atmosphere.

Mesosphere

The region of the Earth's atmosphere that lies between approximately 50 and 80km (30 and 50mi) in altitude. Upper region of the atmosphere characterized by decreasing temperature with height

Ionosphere

The region of the atmosphere between about 70 km (43 mi) and several hundred kilometers in altitude. It is characterized by a high concentration of ions. Region where layers reflect radio waves.

Insolation

The solar radiation received by the Earth and its atmosphere; incoming solar radiation. Radiation that comes from the Sun.

Meteorology

The study of the lower atmosphere

Dew point

The temperature to which a sample of air must be cooled to become saturated—that is, have a relative humidity of 100%. Temperature at which air becomes saturated.

Of what importance is the atmospheric ozone layer?

This layer acts as a filter to prevent too much of the harmful ultraviolet light in sunlight from reaching earth.

Generally speaking, on which side of town would it be best to build a house in the United States so as to avoid smoke and other air pollutants generated in the town?

West

What causes the displays of lights called auroras?

When a solar storm comes toward us, some of the energy and small particles can travel down the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles into Earth's atmosphere. There, the particles interact with gases in our atmosphere resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky. Oxygen gives off green and red light.

Why does water condense on the outside of a glass containing an iced drink?

When warm air hits the cold surface, it reaches its dew point and condenses.

Instrument: Anemometer Measures What?

Wind speed

Ozone (O3)

a form of oxygen found naturally in the atmosphere in the ozonosphere. It is also a constituent of photochemical smog. Molecule with three atoms of oxygen.

Photosynthesis is responsible for the atmospheric production of which of the following?

carbon dioxide

What is the direction of rotation around a cyclone in the Northern Hemisphere as viewed from above?

counterclockwise

Convection cycles give rise to which of the following?

land rise, sea breeze, and air currents

Relative humidity is the ratio of the actual moisture content to the _____ moisture content

maximum

The altostratus cloud is a member of which family?

middle clouds

What instrument is used to measure relative humidity?

psychrometer

A(n)_____, is a breeze that blows at the ocean coast during the day.

sea breeze

Near a large body of water, which wind is the predominant wind during the day?

sea breeze

Psycrometer

this instrument is used to measure relative humidity.

Air currents

vertical air motions