Atmosphere Flashcards
Insolation
Incoming solar radiation, Earth’s main source of energy.
The sun strikes earth at a perpendicular angle at the
equator, making it travel less distance.
Less solar energy reaches the ____ and ___ regions than the tropics
mid-latitude and polar
The sun’s energy is distributed over a larger ____ at the poles
surface area
Albedo
The percentage of incoming sunlight reflected from a surface (Average of earth = 30%)
The higher the albedo, the
more solar energy reflected and less absorbed
Earth is tilted at a __ angle
23.5 degree
The sun’s rays strike earth’s equator directly during the
March and September Equinox
On June Solstice (21st) the sun is
directly above tropic of cancer (23.5 degrees north) - northern hemisphere experiences most daylight
On December solstice (21) the sun is
directly above tropic of Capricon (23.5 degrees south) - northern hemisphere experiences shortest day.
Earth’s atmosphere is mainly
nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%)
Layers closest to earth have
Higher density due to gravity, with more air pressure.
Troposphere
Closest to earth, extends 10 miles.
Stratosphere
Second layer, roughly 10 -31 miles above Earth’s surface.
The troposphere experiences a great deal of
circulation of liquids and gases… where weather occurs.
Ozone
Pale blue gas composed of molecules made up of three oxygen atoms.
Ozone (in stratosphere) will absorb
UV radiation, convert to infrared, which is released as heat.
Mesosphere
Extends 31-53 miles, where mentors burn up.
Thermosphere
extends 53-375 miles, blocks harmful X-ray radiation and some UV radiation, much warmer.
Polar lights are located in the
Thermosphere, where charged gas molecules glow from solar energy.
Exosphere
Outermost layer. Satellites.
The four air properties include
Density, saturation point, latent heat release, adiabatic heating and cooling.
Density air property
Warm air rises (lower density from atmospheric pressure) and cool air sinks.
Water vapor capacity air property
Warm air holds more water vapor - when temperature falls, saturation point decreases (water vapor condenses, clouds, precipitates).
Saturation point
the most water vapor held in air at given temperature is saturation point.
Adiabatic cooling
Cooling effect of reduced pressure on air as it rises higher in the atmosphere and expands
Adiabatic heating
Heating effect of increased pressure on air as it sinks toward the surface of Earth and decreases in volume.
Energy is released during condensation of water vapor, increasing the temperature of air.
Latent heat release
When ozone in troposphere it is a
pollutant. It’s harmful!
When ozone in stratosphere it is
critical protection for the planet
What are the driving forces behind the weather + climate.
Uneven heating and heat transfer (albedo)
Weather
The short-term conditions of the atmosphere in a local area, which include temperature, humidity, clouds, precipitation, and wind speed.
Climate
The average weather that occurs in a given region over a long period of time. (30+ years)
Since more air holds more water it has
more precipitation and humidity
Hardly Cells warm air rises at equator, falls as precipitation (rainforests).
Dry cold air sinks then warms creating deserts at 30 degrees.
Polar Cells
Cold air falls, and rises as it moves south to 60 degrees.
Since seasons are NOT created by unequal heating, they are caused by
Earth’s tilt at 23.5 degrees. If tilted toward the sun, experiencing summer. Tilted away, experiences winter.
The winds of the world are produced by a combination
atmospheric convection currents/cells and the Coriolis effect.
The vast majority of ozone (O3) is found in a thin layer due to a lack of circulation in which of the following atmospheric layers?
Stratoshere
The earth’s tilt causes areas at different times of the years (as we go around the sun) to receive
infrared (solar) radiation at different intensities
Temperature change in adiabatic heating occurs due to
a pressure increase
Latent heat release will ___ temperature
increase
Coriolis effect is responsible for
deflection of atmospheric currents. Wind is pushed west towards middle and east further north and south.
Atmospheric convection currents caused by Hadley cells because
of unequal heating
ITCZ stands for
Intertropical convergence zone - branches of Hadley cells converge here.
Why do branches converge at ITCZ
They are moving from high to low pressure
Describe why earth has seasons
Earth has a season due to a 23.5 degree tilt. When we rotate around the sun, the sun will not always be striking the equator. Sometimes the areas receiving the most intense infrared radiation will be at spots above or below the equator. When this happens, we experience summer (in June) and winter (in December) solstice, which have the longest day for the Northern hemisphere in June, and the shortest day in december. During the March and September equinox, the sun hits directly at the equator, so we receive 12 and 12 hour days. This will mark the start of spring and the start of fall.
For example, in the northern hemisphere, during June through September, the season changes from summer to autumn, daylight hours decrease, and infrared radiation is the strongest during the June solstice. During December, the tilt of Earth causes Australia to receive highly concentrated solar radiation. Summer in the northern hemisphere is primarily warm because of the the tilt of Earth’s axis.
Explain thermal inversion
An atmospheric event in which a warmer layer of air forms above a cooler layer in the atmosphere, becoming sandwiched between two cool layers above and below it. Since the warm air cannot sink below the cooler air, it traps pollutants. This relatively warm layer of air is known as an inversion layer.
These can form due to a warm front moving over cooler air, or hot urban surfaces cooling over night while IR absorbed during the day is still being released
Effects: Makes respiratory irritation for humans worth (asthma attacks, increased hospital irritations, worsened emphysema, costs healthcare, people lose time at work, losing job productivity, lose income. Tourists may not visit - less tourism.
ECOSYSTEM: Harder for sunlight to penetrate thick smog due to thermal inversion - less productivity and photosynthesis.
Geography that encourages thermal inversions: EX- los angeles, mexico scity
Nearby mountain ranges
Valleys
Coastal or prevailing winds
Areas more prone to suffering health effects from thermal inversions:
High industrialization
Large cities
Many vehicles
Explain how wind cells is/ are formed
Wind cells (atmospheric convection currents) are formed due to unequal heating that creates areas of the earth with intense solar radiation. The hotter air, less dense, will rise. As it cools, it will then expand and due to lower pressure, begin to cool (adiabatic cooling). The denser, cooler air is then displaced by warmer rising air and sinks back down to earth 30 degrees north and south of the equator. As it sinks, the cool air experiences an increase in pressure, decrease in volume, and warms (adiabatic heating). This warm air begins picking up moisture as it moves along the surface, and starts to rise again. This air circulates, but is displaced due to the coriolis effect, or different rotation speeds of the earth. The rotation of the earth displaces the wind west along the middle section of the earth (westerlies) and east near the north and south poles (easterlies). The different directions are because the earth spins at different speeds.
Explain how global air movement creates different biomes
I
Driving forces behind weather and climate = uneven heating and heat transfer.
The Hadley cell creates lots of rain along the equator due to rising, humid air that cools, reaches its saturation point, and forms many thunderstorms. The leftover, cool, dry air will sink back to the earth at 30 degrees north and south. This dry air warms due to adiabatic heating, creating hot deserts at 30 degrees north and south.
Cold, dry air falls from polar cells to create Antarctica.
At the equator, mainly rainforests. This is because solar radiation hits at a direct angle. The warm air rises, cools, and condensation forms lots of precipitation. 30 degrees NORTH and (SOUTH latitude ) are desert regions with low precipitation. Dry, cold air sinks from hadley cell at these spots to create deserts.
Explain how acid deposition is formed
Most pollutants that cause acid rain are from burning of fossil fuels. NOxs mainly come from motor vehicle emissions, and SO2 mainly from coal-burning industrial plants. These pollutants are released and react with water and oxygen to form secondary pollutants sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3). Over time the hydrogen ions will dissociate in the presence of water, and the remaining sulfate, nitrate, and hydrogen will precipitate as snow, rain, or dry acid..
Explain how acid deposition is formed
Most pollutants that cause acid rain are from burning of fossil fuels. NOxs mainly come from motor vehicle emissions, and SO2 mainly from coal-burning industrial plants. These pollutants are released and react with water and oxygen to form secondary pollutants sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3). Over time the hydrogen ions will dissociate in the presence of water, and the remaining sulfate, nitrate, and hydrogen will precipitate as snow, rain, or dry acid..
Explain how ozone and photochemical smog are formed\
I
Need sun, midday) Natural ozone formation:
NO2 -> NO + O -> O + O2 = O3
(Happens at night) Natural ozone destruction:
O3 + NO = O2 + NO2
The release of VOCs causes them to bond with NO, forming photochemical oxidants. This reduces the amount of ozone that can destruct and return to O2 and NO2, leaving large quantities of ozone and photochemical oxidants. These two air pollutants form photochemical smog.
Threee impacts of ozone formation
Season/temperature: Sunlight and heat will speed/cause chemical reaction. Warmer, sunnier places will have more ozone formation (in the summer especially!). Wind can disperse ozone, causing levels to drop.
Amount of primary pollutant: With more NOx and VOCs (from urban, crowded cities with traffic/industrial plants especially between mountains) = more smog (since VOCs take up those NO).
Time of day: Ozone levels are highest midday/early afternoon. Since heat, sunlight, the ingredient gasses each usually increase during the day, ozone formation also increases.
Explain temperature changes in the atmospheric layers
Troposphere: slowly gets colder in higher altitudes as you move away from earth, which acts like a heat source.
Stratosphere: Majority of ozone (O3) is found in a thin layer due to a lack of circulation, converting Uv radiation to infrared radiation. This heats up the stratosphere, warming it as you climb higher.
Mesosphere: like the troposphere, gets much colder as you move further from the sun.
Thermosphere: absorbs large amounts of UV/x-ray hottest layer.
Exosphere: Least dense, gets a hot colder but varies
Identify and describe the layers of the atmosphere:
Troposphere - Closest to earth, first 10 mile ups. Consist of weather events and most movement of lots of gases and liquids. The most dense, and experiences the most pollution. Gets colder as you move away from the earth, and is heated from below by heat radiated up from earth’s surface. 78% Nitrogen, 21% oxygen.
Stratosphere - second layer, 10-31 miles up. First bit is a layer of Ozone, which protects us from all of UV-C damaging radiation and UV-B (most). Absorbs most of the Sun’s UV- B rays, and absorbs all of UV-C Rays. Critical protection for the planet! Gets warmer.
Mesosphere -31 -53 miles up. Middle layer, where meteors burn up, gets cooler.
Thermosphere: 53-375 miles up. Warmest layer due to absorption of UV and x-ray radiation. NOT ozone, but still absorbs harmful UV rays/x-rays radiation, converting it to infrared/ (hence hot temperature. Satellites float here. Contains charged gas molecules that glow and produce light when hit by solar energy, leading to glowing gases such as the northern lights, found over 90 kilometers above Earth’s surface.
Exosphere: 375-6200 miles. Outermost layer, the least dense. Where satellites orbit. Temp. varies, cooler than the thermosphere.
Identify areas on the Earth that receive more/less solar radiation and explain why
Poles: Experience less solar radiation, further away with more surface area, less concentrated insolation.
Equator: experiences more solar radiation since the solar radiation does not have to travel as far and is concentrated into a smaller surface area.
Areas with lots of snow: higher albedo, more solar radiation reflected.
Areas with trees: lower albedo, more solar radiation absorbed (and radiated as infrared, or heat)
Identify the six criteria pollutants of the Clean Air Act and how this legislation reduced them:
The Clean Air Act allows the EPA to set National Ambient Aqir Quality standards (maximums) for criteria air pollutants.
Lead: Banned use of lead in paint in 78
CO:
NO2 + SO2: Promoting technologies for reduction in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide + also regulate diesel fuel sulfur levels.
Tropospheric ozone
Particulate matter
The Clean Air Act established the National Ambient Air Quality Index with standards for these six criteria pollutants. For example:
MOniters emission levels from power plants and other facilities
tac/sue/fine companies tha release emissions above levels
REQUIRED ONBOARD vapor recovery nozzles
CAP and TRADE: Allowances
Determining levels of how much pollution is permissible by industries
