science...atmosphere weather and climate

microclimate

A small area with climate conditions that differ from those around it

what percent of oxygen makes up dry air

21%

what chemicals does the atmosphere conatin?

A balenced amount of many different chemicals that makes life on earth possible.

global warming

A gradual increase in the temperature of Earth's atmosphere.

temperate zones

Climate zones with moderate temperatures that are located between the tropics and the polar zones.

What does smog mean?

Combination of smoke and fog

as water vapor rises, it meets cooler air that changes it back to water drops or ice crystals, which form clouds. What is this called?

Condensation

After rain falls on earth it may what?

Evaporate again soon travel down hill until it meets the ocean stay underground for years

As the sun warms the earth, it turns water on earth into water vapor that rises into the air. What is this called?

Evaporation

What have the United States, the federal government, and state governments done for pollutions?

In the United States, the federal government, and state governments have passed a number of laws and regulations to reduce air pollution.

What are natural sources of air pollution?

Forest fires soil erosion dust storms wind erupting volcanoes mold pollen

Pollutants

Harmful substances in the air, water, or soil

How is photochemical smog formed?

Photochemical smog is formed by the action of sunlight on pollutants such as hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides.

Acid rain

Rain is naturally slightly acidic, but rain that contains more acid than normal is known as acid rain

What can the burning of fossil fuels cause?

Smog and acid rain

How does air pollutions occur?

Some air pollution occurs naturally. But many types of air pollution are the result of human activites

What does photo in photochemical mean?

Light

what are CFC's?

Man-made-chemicals that attack the ozone layer. short for chlorofluorocarbons

What is the source of all energy on earth?

The sun

the layer of the atmosphere thats is closest to the earth is called the?

Troposphere

atmosphere is another word for what?

air

what does dry air mean

dry air means no moisture in the air

what are three kinds of solid particles in the air

dust, ice, salt

altitude

elevation above sea level, affects temperature, higher the altitude the cooler the climate.

what sphere is farthest from earth?

exosphere

t or f...all weather occurs in the mesosphere

false

t or f...nitrogen keeps most of the sun's harmful radiation from reaching earth

false

t or f...only the stratosphere contains enough air for living things to breathe

false

t or f...places near the equator have polar climates

false

t or f...the Gulf Stream is a current of cold water

false

t or f...the climate of a region changes a great deal.

false

t or f...weather stays the same at all times

false

what are possible postive effects of global warming?

farmers in some cool areas could plant 2 batches of crops year round places too cold for farming today could become warm enough to actually plant crops.

what does Earth's atmosphere appear like from space

from space, Earth's atmosphere appears as a thin layer near the horizon.

what is the atmosphere a mixture of?

gases

greenhouse gases

gases in the atmosphere that trap energy carbon dioxide water vapor methane nitrous oxide

why are the gases of the environment important to living things?

gases of the environment are important to living things beacuase we need oxygen, plants use carbon dioxide, and we use nitrogen to make protein.

the NASA-ER2 mainly does which step of the scientific meathod?

gather information

what does not affect the climate of a place?

ground cover

what does "thermo" mean?

heat

how would the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere change if there were no plants?

if there were no plants, the amount of carbon dioxide would change because of a percentage increase. plants now take carbon dioxide in.

what does the rain shadow effect explain?

it explains why deserts are often found on the leeward side of mountians.

what are two factors that affect the climate of an area?

latitude and currents

what are the main factors that infulence tempature

latitude, altitude, distance from large bodies of water, and ocean currents

What are 3 ways in which the atmosphere is important to life on earth?

living things, warmth, and protects us from radiation object marriage status

what does "exo" mean?

outer

coldest climates

polar zones

what are El Niño and La Niña

short term changes in the tropical Pacific Ocean caused by changes in ocean surface currents and prevailing winds.

the ozone layer is part of what layer?

stratosphere

what are possible negative effects of global warming?

stronger hurricanes ice glaciers melting higher sea levels could have much more flooding in low-lying costal areas dust bowls higher temperatures= water to evaporate much quicker from any exposed soil

La Niña

surface waters in the eastern pacific are cooler than normal, a climate event

what are the four factors that determine weather?

tempature, air, moisture, and wind

climates vary from cold to warm

temperate zones

in what climate zone does most of the united states fall?

temperate zones

what have scientists hypothesized about human activies and greenhouse gases

that human activites that add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere may be warming earth's atmosphere

polar zones

the areas near both poles. extends from about 66.5 degress to 90 degress north and south latitude

earth is surrounded by a blanket of air called what?

the atmosphere

why do people on earth not have to wear protective gear like astronauts do?

the atmosphere protects us here

what is climate?

the average weather ina place over a long period of time

Weather

the condition of earths atmosphere at a particular time and place

latitude

the distance from the equator, measured in degress

how would earth be different without the atmosphere?

the earth will be different without the atmosphere because by trapping energy from the Sun, the atmosphere keeps Earth's surface warm enough for water to exist as a liquid. Earths atmosphere protects living things from dangers radiation from the Sun. The atmoshere also prevent Earth's surface of being hit by most meteorits, or rocks from outer space

Atmosphere

the envelope of gases that surrounds the planet.

why is a stratosphere warmer than the upper troposphere

the stratosphere is warmer than the upper troposphere because it absorbs much of the radiation from the Sun

how is the thermosphere divided

the thermosphere is further divided into the ionosphere and exosphere

the layer of the atmosphere closest to earth is called what?

the troposphere

shat happens when two different air masses meet?

the weather will change thunderstorms will often happen fronts form

what is 23.5 degress north?

tropic of cancer

what is 23.5 degress south?

tropic of capricorn

warmest climate

tropical zones

name the 3 main climate zones?

tropical, temparate, polar

the layer of the atmosphere where thunderstorms happen is called the what?

troposphere

t or f...a current is a moving stream of water in an ocean

true

t or f...the air in the tresosphere becomes thinner and thinner until it fades into space

true

t or f...the weather in any one place can change from day to day.

true

t or f...there are several layers of the atmosphere

true

t or f...weather is the condition of the air around us

true

el niño

warm water event

Water vapor

water in the form of a gas. Each molecule contains two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen.

blank in what is happening in the air or atmosphere at one time in one place.

weather

EPA

Environmental Protection Agency

What are human activities that cause air pollution?

Farming construction cars other motor vehicles Burning fossil fuels

what are the four most common gases in dry air?

nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and argon

aurora borealis

northern lights

Ionosphere

80-400 kilometers ions in the ionosphere reflect radio waves back to Earth. The aurora borealis occurs in the ionosphere. lower layer of the thermosphere.

Name the other gases in dry air and their percent in volume:

Argon .93 carbon .038 Neon .0018 Helium .00052 Methane .00015 Krypton .00011 Hydrogen .00005

What do the gases in the atmosphere act like?

Walls of a greenhouse

What percent of all other gases make up dry air?

1%

troposphere

0-12 kilometers rain snow storms and most clouds occur in the troposphere. The inner or lowest, layer of Earth's atmosphere. This is where we live.

stratosphere

12-50 kilometers the ozone layer in the stratosphere absorbs ultraviolet radiation. The stratosphere is the second layer of the atmosphere and contains the ozone layer.

Mesosphere

50-80 kilometers most meteoroids burn up in the mesosphere, producing meteor trails. the mesosphere is the layer of the atmosphere that protects earths surface from being hit most meteroids. the mesosphere is the middle layer of the atmosphere.

what percent of nitrogen is in dry air

78%

exosphere

Above 400 kilometers phone calls and television pictures are relayed by way of communications satellites that orbit Earth in the exosphere. outer portion of the thermosphere.

thermosphere

Above 80 kilometers the thermosphere extends from 80 kilometers above Earth's surface outward into space. It has no outer limits. The thermosphere is further divided into the Ionosphere and exosphere. the outer most layer of earths atmosphere. reads well below 0 degress celceuis but really is 1,800 degress celceuis

Photochemical smog

Brown haze that develops in sunny cities

What is a major source of air pollution?

Burning fossil fuels

What are three activities that put more carbon dioxide in the air?

Burning fossil fuels driving cars Cutting down rainforests

What is earths atmosphere made up of?

Earth's atmosphere is made up of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and many other gases, as well as particles of liquids and solids.

what does Earth's atmosphere do?

Earth's atmosphere makes conditions on Earth suitable for living things.

T or f...conserving water is not important

False

T or f...if we use too much water, we could use up all the water on earth

False

T or f...the greenhouse effect is always bad for the earth

False

What are two effects of global warming having on our weather?

Ice caps melting and more intense weather

What has happened to the level of the ocean over the past 100 years?

It has incresed over 4 inches

What about the water that dinosours drank?

It is still going through the water cycle

What is the name for rain or snow?

Precipitation

What does km stand for?

Kilometers

What does strato- mean?

Layer or spread out

Which 2 gases make up most of the atmosphere?

Nitrogen and oxygen

A layer of special oxygen molecules high above the earth is called what?

Ozone

why are the amount of gases is in the atmosphere usually show in percentages of dry air

The amount of water vapor can vary making other such things do the same

tropical zone

The area near the equator between 23.5 degress N and 23.5 degress S. The area between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer and between the equator and the Tropic of Capricorn.

Water cycle

The movement of water between the atmosphere and earths surface

Relative humidity

The percentage of water vapor that is actually in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor the air can hold at a particular tempature.

Evaporation

The process by which water molecules in liquid water escape into the air as water vapor.

What layer does earths weather occur?

The troposphere

What does tropo- mean?

Turning or changing

I change in the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere will cause a change in what?

Weather

Ozone

a form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of the usual two

meteroids

chuncks of stone and metals from outerspace. also known as a shooting star.

what does "meso" mean?

middle

marine climates

mild winters and cool summers

continental climates

more extreme temperatures winters=cold summers=warm or hot

what gas is about three fourths of our atmosphere?

nitrogen

ozone keeps most of the sun's harmful what from reaching earth?

radiation

climate

refers to the average year-after-year conditions of tempature, precipitaion, wind, and clouds in an area

how do scientists divide Earth's atmosphere?

scientists divide earths atmosphere into 4 main layers classified according to changes in temperature. These layers are the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, and the thermosphere.