Atmospheric knowledge Flashcards
Troposphere
–20,000 ft at poles –60,000 ft at Equator
Stratosphere
–120,000 ft –20 miles
Mesophere
–300,000 ft –50 miles
Three sphere above Mesosphere
Aurora ———— Ionosphere ———— Thermosphere ———— Mesosphere
Tropopause
Boundary between Troposphere and Stratosphere
Ozone Layer
Higher end of Stratosphere
When flying, above which altitude does one need supplemental oxygen?
Above 10,000 ft
Composition of air:
78% Nitrogen 21% Oxygen 1% Argon The rest is carbon dioxide, hydrogen and other rare gases.
Cirrocumulus
–Above 18,000 ft –Small dots
Cirrus
–Above 18,000 ft –Palm tree tops
Altocumulus
–6,000 ft to 20,000 ft –Large dots
Altostratus
–6,000 ft to 20,000 ft –Flat with spikey edges
Cumulonimbus
—Near ground to 50,000 ft –Messy stack
Cumulus
–Below 6,000 ft –Tidy stack
Stratus
–Below 6,000 ft –flat, long
Stratocumulus
–Below 6,000 ft –Long with puffy tops
Cumulus, from Latin to English
A heap, e.g. a heap of cotton balls.
Stratus, from Latin to English
A covering or blanket.
Cirrus, from Latin to English
A curl, e.g. curls of white hair.
The whitest, highest clouds. They’re made of tiny ice crystals.
–Cirrus –18,000 ft or higher)
High level clouds
–20,000 ft plus –Below freezing, made of ice crystals –Cirrus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus
Middle level clouds
–6,500 ft plus –Altocumulus, altostratus, nimbostratus
Low level clouds
–Base below 6,000 ft –Stratocumulus, stratus, cumulus, nimbostratus
Towering, vertically rising clouds
Cumulonimbus and Towering Cumulus
Land breeze
In PM, land cools faster than water, causing land’s air to go out to sea.
Sea breeze
During day, land is warmer than water, causing its air to move up and in a circular motion toward the sea and back onto land.
Thunderstorm’s cumulus stage:
Warm air rises in the cumulus clouds
Thunderstorm’s mature stage:
Precipitation begins, typically last 20-40 minutes
Thunderstorm’s dissipating stage:
–Downdrafts of cold air overcome rising warm air, and –the temp in the clouds warms to match that of surrounding environment
