Atmosphere

Question 1

refers to the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place.

Answer 1

weather

Question 2

description of aggregate weather conditions

Answer 2

climate

Question 3

(1) air temperature, (2) humidity, (3) type and amount of
cloudiness, (4) type and amount of precipitation, (5) air
pressure, and (6) speed and direction of the wind

Answer 3

basic elements of weather

Question 4

a mixture of many discrete gases, each with its own physical properties, in which varying quantities of tiny solid and liquid particles are suspended.

Answer 4

air

Question 5

amount of water vapor in the air

Answer 5

humidity

Question 6

are a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in air or another gas.

Answer 6

Aerosols

Question 7

force exerted by the weight of the air above

Answer 7

Atmospheric pressure

Question 8

The lowermost layer in which we live and where essentially all important weather phenomena occur.
It contains roughly 80 % of the mass of Earth’s atmosphere

Answer 8

Troposphere

Question 9

The temperature * with increasing altitude in the troposphere is called the environmental lapse rate. Its average value is 6.5°C per kilometer (3.5°F per 1000 feet), a figure known as the *

Answer 9

decrease

normal lapse rate

Question 10

It is where jetstream is found; contains ozone that serves as a protective shield against UV rays.
Temperature * with increasing altitude as
the atmosphere’s ozone is concentrated in this layer.

Answer 10

Stratosphere

increases

Question 11

Meteoroids that enter the earth’s atmosphere are burned. The coldest temperatures in Earth’s atmosphere, about -90° C (-130° F), are found near the top of this layer.

Answer 11

Mesosphere

Question 12

High-energy X-rays and UV radiation from the Sun are absorbed in the *, raising its temperature to hundreds or at times thousands of degrees. The aurora, the Northern Lights and Southern Lights, occur in the * .

Answer 12

thermosphere

Question 13

the actual “final frontier” of Earth’s gaseous envelope where it merges into the solar wind. It contains most of the satellites orbiting Earth.

Answer 13

Exosphere

Question 14

is a series of regions in parts of the mesosphere and thermosphere where high-energy radiation from the Sun has knocked electrons loose from their parent atoms and molecules. It is responsible for auroras.

Answer 14

Ionosphere

Question 15

The line separating the dark half of Earth from the

lighted half is called the *

Answer 15

circle of illumination.

Question 16

The * is the point where the body comes closest to the Sun

Answer 16

perihelion

Question 17

point in the orbit where the celestial body is farthest from the Sun.

Answer 17

aphelion

Question 18

is a division of the year marked by changes in weather, ecology, and amount of daylight

Answer 18

season

Question 19

On Earth, seasons result from Earth’s * around the Sun and *

Answer 19

orbit, Earth’s axial tilt relative to the ecliptic plane

Question 20

The nearer a place is to the latitude receiving vertical rays of the Sun, the * will be its noon Sun and the * concentrated will be the radiation it receives

Answer 20

higher, more

Question 21

During May, June, and July, the Northern Hemisphere is exposed to more direct sunlight because the hemisphere faces the Sun. The same is true of the Southern Hemisphere in November, December, and January. It is Earth’s axial tilt that causes the Sun to be higher in the sky during the summer months, which increases the solar flux. However, due to seasonal lag, June, July, and August are the warmest months in the Northern Hemisphere while December, January, and February are the warmest months in the Southern Hemisphere.

Answer 21

Read

Question 22

Earth is tilted * from the perpendicular. This is termed the *

Answer 22

23½°, inclination of the axis

Question 23

At this time, the vertical rays of the Sun strike 23½° north latitude (23½° north of the equator), a latitude known as the *

Answer 23

Tropic of Cancer.

Question 24

For people in the Northern Hemisphere, June 21 or 22 is known as the * , the first “official” day of summer.

Answer 24

summer solstice

Question 25

Six months later, on about December 21 or 22, Earth
is in the opposite position, with the Sun’s vertical rays
striking at 23½° south latitude. This parallel
is known as the *

Answer 25

Tropic of Capricorn

Question 26

For those in the Northern Hemisphere, December 21 and 22 is the *

Answer 26

winter solstice.

Question 27

Midway between the solstices are the *

Answer 27

equinoxes

Question 28

September 22 or 23 is the date of the * in the Northern Hemisphere, and March 21 or 22 is the date of the * .
. On these dates, the vertical rays of the Sun strike the * because Earth is in such a position in its orbit that the axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the Sun

Answer 28

autumnal equinox, spring equinox

equator (0° latitude)

Question 29

The farther you are north of the equator, the *
the period of daylight, until the * is reached, where daylight lasts for 24 hours (opposite
for the Southern Hemisphere).

Answer 29

longer, Arctic Circle

Question 30

Locations in the Northern Hemisphere are experiencing
their greatest length of * (opposite for
the Southern Hemisphere).

Answer 30

daylight

Question 31

Locations north of the Tropic of Cancer are experiencing their highest * Sun angles (opposite for places south of the Tropic of Capricorn).

Answer 31

noon

Question 32

In summary, radiation may be atr

Answer 32

absorbed, transmitted, or redirected (reflected or scattered).

Question 33

is the process whereby light bounces back

from an object at the same angle at which it was received.

Answer 33

Reflection

Question 34

By contrast, * is a general process in which

radiation is forced to deviate from a straight trajectory.

Answer 34

scattering

Question 35

Energy is returned to space from Earth in two ways: reflection and emission of radiant energy. The fraction of the total radiation that is reflected by a surface is called its *

Answer 35

albedo

Question 36

. Although incoming solar radiation travels in
a straight line, small dust particles and gas molecules in
the atmosphere scatter some of this energy in all directions. The result is called *

Answer 36

diffused light

Question 37

the principal absorbing gases.

Answer 37

Water vapor and carbon dioxide

Question 38

The atmosphere is an efficient absorber of the * wavelengths emitted by Earth (terrestrial radiation). Because the atmosphere is quite transparent to * -wavelength solar radiation and more readily absorbs longer-wavelength radiation emitted by Earth, the atmosphere is heated from *

Answer 38

longer, shorter

the ground up.

Question 39

the trapping of the sun’s warmth in a planet’s lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet’s surface

Answer 39

Greenhouse effect

Question 40

Warm air is * than cold air. Thus, warm air rises above cold air making the pressure below lower. The horizontal movement of air from high pressure area to lower pressure area produces * .

Answer 40

less dense,

wind

Question 41

When spending a day at the beach, a noticeable drop in temperature may occur during the early afternoon as a cool breeze begins to blow off of the water. This wind is known as the “*”, which occurs in response to differences in temperature between a body of water and neighboring land.

Answer 41

sea breeze

Question 42

Sea-breeze circulations most often occur on warm sunny days during the spring and summer when the temperature of the land is normally * than the temperature of the water. During the early morning hours, the land and the water start out at roughly the same temperature. On a calm morning, a given pressure surface will be at the same height above both the land and water.

Answer 42

higher

Question 43

A few hours later, the sun’s energy begins to warm the * more rapidly than the water. By later in the day, the temperatures of the land increases while the temperature of the water remains relatively constant. This occurs because water, especially large bodies of water like a lake or ocean, are able to absorb more energy than land without * .

Answer 43

land , warming

Question 44

It is important to remember that the air is not heated directly from above by the sun. In fact, most of the incoming solar energy actually passes right through the atmosphere. However, as the land absorbs this energy, heat is radiated back into the atmosphere (from the earth), warming the overlying air. Some of this heat is transported to higher levels in the atmosphere through *.

On the other hand, since the temperature of the water remains relatively constant throughout the day, the air over the water is not heated from below (as over land), resulting in * air temperatures over the water.

Answer 44

convection, lower

Question 45

On clear, calm evenings, temperature differences between a body of water and neighboring land produce a cool wind that blows offshore. This wind is called a “”. These are strongest along the immediate coastline but weaken considerably further inland.

Answer 45

land breeze

Question 46

On clear and calm evenings, the earth’s surface cools by radiating (giving off) heat back into space, and this results in a cooling of the immediately overlying air.

Since the air over land cools more rapidly than the air over water, a temperature difference is established, with * air present over land and relatively * air located over water

Answer 46

cooler, warmer

Question 47

Acid rain is caused by emissions of *, which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids.

Answer 47

sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide

Question 48

Chemicals that can destroy the
ozone in the stratosphere. These
chemicals	include
*, and other compounds
that	include	chlorine	or
bromine.

Answer 48

Stratospheric ozone depleters

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons

Question 49

• is the most important greenhouse gas. It
  comes from the burning of fossil fuels in cars, power
  plants, houses, and industry. * is released during
  the processing of fossil fuels, and also comes from natural sources like cows and rice paddies. * comes from industrial sources and decaying plants.

Answer 49

Carbon dioxide
Methane
Nitrous oxide

Question 50

b. Southwest Monsoon

Answer 50

habagat - originates from Southeast Trade winds south of the equator

Question 51

c. Northeast monsoon

Answer 51

amihan - from east, south east

Question 52

low pressure areas in the tropics

Answer 52

CYCLONES

Question 53

with wind speed of less than 63 kph

Answer 53

a. tropical depresssion

Question 54

with wind speed of 63-118 kph

Answer 54

b. tropical storm

Question 55

with wind speed of more than 118 lph

Answer 55

c. typhoon

Question 56

• results from the buildup and discharge of electrical energy between positively and negatively charged areas.

Answer 56

Lightning

Question 57

are stable substances that only exposure to strong UV radiation breaks them down. When that happens, the CFC molecule releases atomic *. One atom can destroy over 100,000 ozone molecules

Answer 57

CFCs

chlorine