Block 2 Atmosphere Overview

Question 1

What gases make up the Earth’s atmosphere?

Answer 1

Nitrogen 78%, Oxygen 21%, and other gases 1%.

Question 2

Water vapor may account for what percent of atmospheric gases?

Answer 2

4%

Question 3

What is condensation?

Answer 3

Changing of water vapor into liquid water.

Question 4

What is evaporation?

Answer 4

The process of liquid water becoming water vapor.

Question 5

What does water vapor release when changing from a vapor to a liquid or solid?

Answer 5

Latent heat

Question 6

What is temperature lapse rate?

Answer 6

The rate at which the air temperature decreases with height; 2 degrees Celsius every 1000 ft.

Question 7

What is temperature inversion?

Answer 7

The occasion when the temperature increases with height.

Question 8

What is the isothermal zone?

Answer 8

The region where air temperature remains constant with height.

Question 9

What is the troposphere?

Answer 9

The region of circulating air extending upward from the earth’s surface to where the air stops becoming colder with height.

Question 10

What is the Tropopause?

Answer 10

The boundary separating the troposphere from the stratosphere.

Question 11

What is the stratosphere?

Answer 11

The ozone layer, where ozone absorbs energetic ultraviolet solar energy.

Question 12

What is the stratopause?

Answer 12

The boundary near 50km, that separates the stratosphere and the mesosphere.

Question 13

What is the Mesosphere?

Answer 13

Located a 55km, the mesosphere separates the stratosphere and thermosphere.

Question 14

What is the mesopause?

Answer 14

The boundary that separates the mesosphere from the thermosphere.

Question 15

What is the thermosphere

Answer 15

The “hot layer” above the mesosphere.

Question 16

What are the 4 kinds of fronts?

Answer 16

Cold, warm, occluded, stationary.

Question 17

What is a cold front?

Answer 17

When cold air overtakes and replaces warm air.

Question 18

What hazards can accompany a cold front?

Answer 18

Turbulence, wind shear, thunderstorms, lightning, heavy rain showers, hail, icing, and possibly tornadoes.

Question 19

What is a warm front?

Answer 19

The edge of an advancing warm air mass that overtakes and replaces cold air.

Question 20

What hazards can accompany a warm front?

Answer 20

Low ceilings, poor visibility, freezing rain, or ice.

Question 21

What is an occluded front?

Answer 21

An occurrence that displays characteristics of both a warm and cold front.

Question 22

How does and occluded front form?

Answer 22

A cold front overtakes a warm front and lifts it completely from the ground so the line of contact is aloft.

Question 23

What is a stationary front?

Answer 23

When a warm or cold front do not move. Weather on either side of this front remains the same until the front moves on.

Question 24

What is the most noticeable property of air?

Answer 24

Mobility

Question 25

What forces are winds impelled by?

Answer 25

The heat of the sun and the rotation of the earth.

Question 26

What is a jet stream?

Answer 26

A narrow, shallow band of strong westerly winds of 50 knots or more which meanders vertically and horizontally around the hemisphere in a wave like pattern.

Question 27

What is speed of jet streams?

Answer 27

May reach up to 300 knots but generally stay between 100 and 150 knots.

Question 28

What is the process of water evaporating, condensing, and falling to earth as precipitation?

Answer 28

The hydrologic cycle.

Question 29

What is absolute humidity?

Answer 29

The density of water vapor in the air.

Question 30

What is relative humidity?

Answer 30

The ratio of the amount of water vapor actually in the air to the maximum amount of water vapor that the air can hold at that temperature.

Question 31

What is station pressure?

Answer 31

When pressure is measured at an airport, it is the weight of the air above the airport that is measured.