Ch 1: Properties of the Atmosphere Flashcards
Atmosphere composed of
Nitrogen 78%, oxygen21%, carbon dioxide, ozone, argon, hydrocarbons 1%
What happens if substances of different temps come in contact and begin to mix?
going to transfer energy to each other to average out
What time of day typically has the warmest surface temp?
a bit before sunset
What time of day has the coldest surface temp
just at sunrise
As radiation increases
so does temp… visa versa
Water is
the most important compound in our atmosphere
temperature
measure of average speed of molecules movement in a substance
Atmosphere 4 layers bottom to top
Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere
The stratosphere increases in temp because
of absorption and ultraviolet radiations by ozone
Two kinds of jet streams
subtropical- 50 degrees latitude
polar jet stream- 25 degrees latitude
atmospheric pressure
the force applied by air on a unit area of surface
average atmospheric pressure at sea level
1013.25 mb
pressure is measured with a
barometer, which uses mercury
Relative humidity
amount of water vapor in atmosphere relative to the atmospheres captivity for moisture at a given temp
dew-point temperature
lowest temperature to which air can be cooled at constant pressure before saturation occurs (moisture content)
