atmosphere external prep

Question 1

identify the layers of the atmosphere

Answer 1

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere.

Question 2

composition of the atmosphere?

Answer 2

78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, less dense gases at the top like helium and hydrogen.

Question 3

height of the troposphere?

Answer 3

0 - 12km

Question 4

why do i care about the stratosphere?

Answer 4

it has the ozone layer which blocks ultraviolet light from hitting the earth and sunburning people. heat increases as altitude increases.

Question 5

height of the stratosphere?

Answer 5

12 - 50km

Question 6

why do i care about the mesosphere?

Answer 6

burns up incoming meteors resulting in a higher concentration of metals.

Question 7

height of the mesosphere?

Answer 7

50 - 80km

Question 8

why do i care about the thermosphere?

Answer 8

very few particles are very far apart so each particle takes on more ultraviolet light causing them to move very quickly and generate heat. aurora borealis here.

Question 9

height of the thermosphere?

Answer 9

80 - 700km

Question 10

how does convection work?

Answer 10

warmth from the ground heats the air causing the particles to move quicker, become less dense, and rise. this creates an area of low pressure. cold air is denser in comparison and moves into the areas of low pressure..

Question 11

what direction do the hadley cells turn?

Answer 11

from 0° at the equator to 30° towards the poles.

Question 12

what direction do the polar cells turn?

Answer 12

from 60° to 90°, equator to poles.

Question 13

what direction do the ferrel cells turn?

Answer 13

from 60° to 30°, poles to equator.

Question 14

what causes the hadley cell to spin?

Answer 14

the equator is closest to the sun and it’s warm causes air to warm and rise. it causes an area of low pressure underneath. it moves to 30° latitude where it cools and the denser cool air moves back into the area of low pressure.

Question 15

what causes the polar cell to spin?

Answer 15

air from 60° latitude is warmer than the air at the poles so the warmer air moves into the area of low pressure caused by the cold air sinking and the cold air moves into the area of low pressure caused by the cool air rising.

Question 16

what causes the ferrel cell to spin?

Answer 16

as the air from the hadley cell sinks as 30 degrees latitude, the nearby air is dragged along with it, creating the downward motion of the ferrel cell. as air from the polar cell rises at 60 degrees latitude, the surrounding air is dragged along with it, creating the upward motion of the ferrel cell.

Question 17

what is the doldrum?

Answer 17

the area of low pressure at the equator with very little wind.

Question 18

what are horse latitudes?

Answer 18

the area between the hadley and ferrel cells with high pressure due to air sinking and very little wind.

Question 19

what are trade winds?

Answer 19

the high speed winds blowing between the doldrum and horse latitudes from east to west.

Question 20

what are polar fronts?

Answer 20

a cold area where the polar cell meets the ferrel cell, location fluctuates and changes the climates of the places it moves over.

Question 21

what are polar easterlies?

Answer 21

the cold winds in the polar cells that move from the poles towards the equator but are deflected west by the coriolis effect.

Question 22

what are westerlies?

Answer 22

the warm winds in the ferrel cells that move from 60° towards the poles but are deflected east by the coriolis effect.

Question 23

how does the greenhouse effect work?

Answer 23

gases trap infrared light in the earth’s atmosphere.

Question 24

what are the main greenhouse gases?

Answer 24

water vapour, carbon dioxide, and methane.

Question 25

what are the mechanisms of the biological carbon pump?

Answer 25

plants take CO₂ from the atmosphere as part of photosynthesis; animals return CO₂ back to the atmosphere through respiration. decomposing life also returns CO₂ to the atmosphere.

Question 26

what are the mechanisms of the physical carbon pump?

Answer 26

CO₂ is absorbed and released at the surface of the earth’s oceans; burning of organic matter releases CO₂ into the atmosphere. geological processes continually move carbon around the planet, and volcanoes release CO₂ into the atmosphere.

Question 27

what causes water to change state?

Answer 27

if the surrounding air is warm, heat energy can transfer to the water molecules and cause them to gain energy and evaporate, melt, or sublimate. if the surrounding air is cool, heat energy can transfer from the water molecules to the air, causing the water to lose energy and condense, freeze, or depose.

Question 28

how does air pressure impact the state of water?

Answer 28

in a low pressure environment, water can evaporate at a much lower temperature. in a very high pressure environment, water can stay liquid at temperatures lower than zero.

Question 29

how does the atmosphere impact precipitation?

Answer 29

if water vapour rises high enough into the troposphere, it can cool down and condense onto aerosols found in the atmosphere. if the water vapour is not able to condense in liquid form due to temperatures or pressure in that area, they may go through deposition and become ice crystals instead.

Question 30

how do clouds effect the surface?

Answer 30

they can act as stabilisers of the temperature by reflecting incoming sunlight which cools the surface, absorbing infrared rays from earth and re-radiating it in all directions, and transporting large amounts of water to different locations.

Question 31

how do different types of clouds effect the surface differently?

Answer 31

thin and wispy clouds allow incoming light to pass through and trap infrared rays on the earth’s surface, warming it. thick and fluffy clouds reflect light into space, allowing very little onto the surface, cooling it.

Question 32

how is the water cycle driven?

Answer 32

by energy from the sun and heat in the ocean.

Question 33

what are the five ways water is stored on earth?

Answer 33

oceans, freshwater, ground-water, ice and snow, atmosphere.

Question 34

what are some of the ways water moves between these storages?

Answer 34

evaporation, precipitation, surface runoff, snowmelt runoff, springs, ground-water discharge.

Question 35

where does water vapour in the atmosphere come from?

Answer 35

90% from evaporation from oceans, 10% from transpiration of plants. primarily driven by physical pump.

Question 36

how does water transfer energy?

Answer 36

during evaporation water gets warmed causing the molecules to gain energy. as they rise the air expands and cools, causing the water to condense and lose energy into the surrounding atmosphere, which warms the surrounding atmosphere. as a result the air continues to rise, expand, cool, and condense, eventually causing precipitation.

Question 37

how does climate change effect the water cycle?

Answer 37

as ocean temperatures rise, more water evaporates into the atmosphere increasing the greenhouse effect. more water in the air increases at transfer of heat energy into the air. the increase in temperature allows the air to hold more water vapour.

Question 38

what factors effect the water cycle and how?

Answer 38

latitude- water receives different amounts of sunlight affecting how easily it changes state.
the shape of the land- higher altitude generally means much drier air.
composition and temperature of the land- number of lakes, rivers, temperature, vegetation, etc affects water availability.

Question 39

why do coastal climates have a more moderate temperature?

Answer 39

the nearby water changes state and moves around more freely, transporting heat energy with it.

Question 40

what are aerosols?

Answer 40

tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere are called aerosols. they are caused by many factors, including: windblown dust, sea salts, volcanic eruptions, smoke from wildfires, and pollution from factories

Question 41

how do aerosols effect the surface?

Answer 41

aerosols can have a warming or cooling effect on the surface of the earth, depending on their size, type, and distance from earth’s surface. they can reflect incoming sunlight; producing a cooling effect. they can absorb incoming sunlight, producing a warming affect on the atmosphere. aerosols serve as sites that help cloud formation and chemical reactions, including destroying ozone.