Atmosphere Quiz Flashcards
What is denisty
Mass/Volume
Weather definition
The condition of the atmosphere in a given time and place
what is the Atmosphere made up of
made up of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, Trace gases
Ozone layer
what protects us from solar radiation
Troposphere
the layer of the atmosphere in which Earth’s weather occurs
Stratosphere
The layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer
Mesosphere
The layer of the atmosphere that protects the earth’s surface from being hit by meteoroids
Thermosphere
The outermost layer of the atmosphere
Nitrogen what %
The most abundant gas in the atmosphere 3/4ths of the atmosphere occurs in all living things 3% of the weight of a human body
Oxygen what %
2nd most abundant gas 21% of the atmosphere for plants animals, and humans a fire also uses oxygen for it to burn with out oxygen their will be no fire
Carbon Dioxide what %
less then 1% of the earth’s atmosphere
Dry air what makes it up
argon oxygen and nitrogen make up dry air
trace gases why are they called that
they are called trace gases because only a small amount of them are present
Water vapor
water in the form of a gas
Air pressure
the result of the weight of a column of air pushing on an area (greatly influenced by uneven solar heating and temperatures)
barometer
an instrument that is used to measure air pressure
mercury barometer what is it made out of
a long glass tube that is closed at one end and opened at the other
aneroid barometer what is it made out of
consists of an airtight metal chamber
units of air pressure
inches of mercury (inches for the public), millibars
Altitude
the distance above sea level (air pressure decreases as altitude increases)
High pressure
cold, dry air rushing down to Earth’s surface
Low pressure
hot air rising into the atmosphere, creating clouds
Convection
heat transfer by the motion of a fluid such as air or water when the heated fluid is caused to move away from the source of heat, carrying energy with it
Conduction
Conduction is when heat energy is transmitted through touching
Radiation
The transfer of energy through rays, for example from the sun (electromagnetic waves going down to earth)
the green house effect
When the majority of the infrared radiation doesn’t travel into space and gets absorbed by vapor and carbon dioxide, and methane, and other gases. The energy from the absorbed radiation heats the gases in the air (these gases turn in hold heat in the earth’s atmosphere)
wind
the movement of air parallel to earth’s surface (winds move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure)
electromagnetic waves
a form of energy that can move through a vacuum of space
Visible light
all of the colors you see in a rainbow R.O.Y.G.B.I.V
infrared radiation
has wavelengths that are no longer wave lengths for red light
ultraviolet radiation
wavelengths that are shorter then wavelengths for violet light
Scattering
when dust size particles in the atmosphere disperse light in all directions
Temperature
the average amount of energy of motion of each particle of a substance
Thermal energy
measures the total energy of motion in the particles of a substance
thermometer
a device that measures temperature
convection currents
the upward movement of cool air
anemometer
an instrument for measuring wind speed
windchill factor
the increased cooling that wind can cause is a windchill factor
local winds
the unequal heating of earth’s surface within a small area
sea breeze
a local wind that blows from an ocean or lake
land breeze
the flow of air from land to a body of water
Global winds
winds that blow steadily from specific directions over long distances
Coriolis effect
the way earth’s rotation makes wind curve
which gas forms less then 1 percent of the atmosphere but is still essential to life?
Carbon dioxide
