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CAIE AS Level Core Physical Geography > Atmosphere and Weather > Flashcards

Atmosphere and Weather Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the atmosphere?

A

A mix of gases held to Earth by gravity; it increases in density, and therefore pressure, towards the Earth’s surface and is divided into zones based on temperature variations.

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2
Q

Name the layers of the atmosphere and their cut off points in order.

A

Troposphere, Tropopause, Stratosphere, Stratopause, Mesosphere, Mesopause, Thermosphere, Exosphere.

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3
Q

Where does the troposphere range from?

A

The Earth’s surface to 7km at the poles and 17km at the equator.

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4
Q

Why does the range of the troposphere differ between the poles and the equator?

A

The spin of the earth means that the atmosphere around the equator gets thrown out wider than at the poles due to the spinning motion.

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5
Q

What is the troposphere?

A

AN unstable layer containing the majority of earth’s climate and weather.

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6
Q

How much of the total mass of the atmosphere and water vapour is found in the troposphere?

A

99% of the total mass of the atmopshere; 50% below 5.6km and contains 99% of water vapour.

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7
Q

What is the tropopause?

A

An isothermal layer at the top of the troposphere creating a temperature inversion which prevents air rising into the atmosphere.

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8
Q

What does the Stratosphere include?

A

The ozone layer which is concentrated at 15-35km in the stratosphere. The stratosphere extends to 51km above the Earth’s surface.

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9
Q

What is at the end of the stratosphere?

A

The stratopause which

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10
Q

What does the mesosphere include>

A

Extends to 85km above the earth’s surface. Most meteors burn up here.

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11
Q

What is at the end of the mesopshere?

A

The mesopause which

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12
Q

What does the thermosphere include?

A

Extends over 640km from the earth’s sruface. The ISS orbits at around 350km.

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13
Q

What is the lapse rate?

A

The decrease of temperature with height.

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14
Q

What is the lapse rate in the tropsophere?

A

The temperature decreases by 6.4C every 1000m.

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15
Q

What does diurnal refer to?

A

The differences between day and night

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16
Q

What does the energy budget refer to?

A

The difference between incoming solar radiation and outgoing terrestrial radiation, added to the total amount lost by scattering, reflection and absorption by clouds.

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17
Q

What is the only input into the energy budget?

A

Incoming solar radiation (insolation0

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18
Q

What are winds?

A

Large bodies of air which have almost uniform moisture and temperature characteristics within the air mass.

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19
Q

Where do air masses gain their characteristics from?

A

Contact with the ground or sea surface in the regions where they originate.

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20
Q

How much transferred energy is done by ocean currents and wind?

A

20% by ocean currents, 80% by the winds.

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21
Q

What is an ocean gyre/

A

A large system of circular ocean currents formed by global wind patterns and forces created by the Earth’s rotation.

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22
Q

What are the 3 forces that cause the circulation of a gyre?

A

Earth’s global wind patterns, Earth’s rotation and Earth’s landmasses.

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23
Q

What is Thermohaline Ciculation?

A

The slow circulation of water at depth which transfers energy as a result of convection and the differences in the salinity of the water affects the density of it.

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24
Q

What are the 6 main influences on temperature?

A

No seasonal variations= NSV
- Latitude
- Distribution of land and sea NSV does not change
- Ocean currents NSV does not change
- Altitude NSV does not change
- Cloud
- Wind

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25
Q

What is wind created by?

A

By air moving from high pressure to low pressure.

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26
Q

What is the speed of the air movement/wind determined by?

A

The pressure gradient- i.e. how big the difference is between high and low and how fast it changes.

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27
Q

Why do surface winds vary over the course of the year?

A

Influence of land and sea on temperature
Disruption by mountains and other landforms
Upper air movements

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28
Q

What are the upper westerlies?

A

Fast moving winds between 30 and 50°N and S, at the top of the troposphere that are essentially horizontal unlike those in the cells.

29
Q

What do the upper westerlies result from?

A

o A high temperature gradient from N to S creating a strong pressure gradient (the polar front)
o The Coriolis force increasing as the air flows towards the poles, causing the air to take a path towards the East and become geostrophic (balance between pressure gradients and Coriolis forces)

30
Q

What are Rossby waves?

A
  • Deviation to the upper westerlies creates large waves (three to six in each hemisphere) which move slowly from west to east, much slower than the air moving through them
31
Q

How are Rossby waves (deviations) caused?

A

By disturbance in the airflow created by a very high mountain range (e.g. Tibetan plateau) which compresses the air above it and creates wave troughs and ridges. Waves can be ‘pinched’ off to form cyclones/depressions of cold air.

32
Q

What are the characteristics of jet streams?

A
  • A narrow ribbon of fast-moving air running through the centre of the Rossby waves.
  • Speeds can reach 250km/h.
  • They are discontinuous, meander from W to E and can be thousands of km long.
33
Q

How much water does the atmosphere contain and how much does this make up on earth?

A
  • The atmosphere contains 12900km3 of water, primarily as gas (vapour).
  • This only makes up 0.4% of the total water on Earth, but any changes to this has a profound effect on human life.
34
Q

What is water vapour?

A

A greenhouse gas, so any changes can be a direct cause of climate change.

35
Q

How does atmospheric water exist as a gas?

A

water vapour above 100°C but can exist at all temperatures down to below freezing point

36
Q

How does atmospheric water exist as a liquid?

A

water is the stable phase between 0°C and 100°C but exists above that as super-heated water and below that as super-cooled water down to -40°C (which leads to freezing rain)

37
Q

How does atmospheric water exist as a solid?

A

ice is the stable phase below 0°C

38
Q

What are the changes that result from a decrease in temperature causing molecules to lose energy and lose speed releasing latent heat to the atmosphere?

A

condensation, freezing and deposition.

39
Q

What are the changes that result from an increase in temperature giving molecules more energy and so more speed causing absorption and storage of heat from the atmosphere?

A

melting, evaporation, sublimation

40
Q

What does humidity refer to?

A

How moist the air is because of the water vapour it contains.

41
Q

What is absolute humidity?

A

the actual amount of water vapour in a given volume of air

42
Q

What is relative humidity (more useful)?

A

Measures how near the air is to saturation, compared to the maximum amount that can be held at that temperature and pressure (fully saturated air)

43
Q

What is the relative humidity % equation?

A

Actual moisture content x 100 _______________________________________________

The saturation moisture content at the same temperature and pressure

44
Q

When is air saturated?

A

when it has 100% relative humidity

45
Q

What type of air can hold more moisture and what does this mean?

A
  • Warm air can hold more moisture than cold so has a higher maximum amount
  • As a result air over poles dry whereas air over tropics very humid.
46
Q

When does evaporation occur?

A

when energy from the sun hits the surface of the water/land and causes water to change from liquid to gas

47
Q

What do the rates of evaporation depend on?

A

-The amount of solar energy

–Availability of water

–Humidity of the air - The more humid the air the closer to saturation point the air is so less evaporation will occur.

–Temperature of the air – Warmer air can hold more water than cold air.

48
Q

What is condensation?

A
  • As air cools it holds less vapour. If cooled sufficiently, then air will reach saturation – known as the dew point.
  • Excess water in the air is then converted back to liquid water
49
Q

What is the dew point?

A

When air reaches saturation

49
Q

What happens when condensation occurs?

A

Heat is released as the structure of the molecules becomes more organised from gas to liquid.

50
Q

What do vapour molecules require to condense?

A
  • Small particles to condense on (e.g. smoke, salt, dust). These are known as condensation nuclei and a hygroscopic (have an affinity for water)
  • Surfaces that are colder than the dew point temperature (e.g. leaves, grass, windows). If colder than freezing point, then the vapour deposits to form hoar frost.
51
Q

What 3 ways can the coolingof the air in order for the air to become saturated occur?

A
  • Conduction (contact) cooling coming into contact with a cold object below dew point temperature
  • Radiation cooling by loss of long-wave radiation from clouds and gases in the atmosphere to space
  • Expansion (adiabatic) cooling as air rises, gases expand, so their temperature falls.
52
Q

Describe the temperature inversion at the earth’s surface?

A

Normally air temperature decreases with increasing altitude but under certain weather conditions, the opposite occurs and temperature increases with height so that a layer of warmer air overlies a colder layer.

53
Q

What is precipitation?

A

Moisture deposited on Earth’s surface in liquid or solid from the atmosphere.

54
Q

What has to happen for precipitation to occur?

A

Air has to cool to below dew point temp., either by vertical movement or conduction

55
Q

What can vertical movement be triggered by?

A
  • Convection
  • Frontal uplift (frontal rainfall)
  • Orographic/relief uplift
  • Radiation cooling
56
Q

When does convectional rainfall occur?

A

When the Sun’s thermal energy heats the Earth’s surface, causing the air near the ground to warm, expand, and become less dense, making it rise.

57
Q

When does orographic/relief rainfall occur?

A

When prevailing winds carry moist air that collides with a mountain or area of high relief.

58
Q

When does frontal rainfall occur?

A

When warm air and cold air meet at a front, the boundary between the two air masses.

59
Q

What are the 3 types of cloud according to type?

A

Stratus, Cumulus and Cirrus.

60
Q

What are stratus clouds?

A

Layer clouds over a wide area where there is little vertical uplift.

61
Q

What are cumulus clouds?

A

Heaped clouds with flat bases and globular upper surfaces, where there is more vertical but localised uplift.

62
Q

What are cirrus clouds?

A

Where condensation occurs at very high altitude forming wispy clouds of ice.

63
Q

How are clouds subdivided by height?

A

Into either:
Cirro- prefix for very high
Alto- prefix for mid level
(only apply to stratus and cumulus not cirrus)

64
Q

What is collision theory with precipitation?

A

Different sized water droplets have different falling rates and are moved in both rising and falling air currents within cumulonimbus clouds.

65
Q

When droplets collids with other to form a larger drop what 3 processes occur?

A

Aggregation, Coalescence and Accretion.

66
Q

What is aggregation?

A

When two ice crystals join together to form snow

67
Q

What is coalescence?

A

When two water droplets collide and join together – main process in forming rain

68
Q

What is accretion?

A

When an ice crystal collects a water droplet, leading to the formation of hail

CAIE AS Level Core Physical Geography (2 decks)

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