Ch 10 Atmospheres Flashcards
Sunlight is the only true significant energy source for surface T/F
True
A terrestrial planets interior heat has a lot to do with its surface temps
False
W/o greenhouse effect a planets global average surface temp would depend on 2 things
Distance from sun
Overall reflectivity , higher reflectivity less light absorbed, cooler planet. Also called ( albedo) depends on composition and color. Dark color reflect less light.
Mercury and moon have no atmosphere and thereby have
No greenhouse effect.
Earths greenhouse effect lets our temp be
31 degrees warmer.
What are two gases that are TRACE parts of Earths atmosphere that cause green house effects?
Water vapor and carbon dioxide.
What are the more abundant molecules that have no effect on infrared light and do not contribute to greenhouse effect
Nitrogen N2 and oxygen o2
4 atmospheric structures.
Troposphere. Lowest. Temp drops the light you go up. Dense
Stratosphere begins where temp stops dropping and starts to Rise. High in there temps fall again
Thermosphere temps rise again at high altitude
Exosphere atmosphere fades away into space
Scattering (small amt) has 2 effects
Sky bright . Without sunlight would go in straight lines so we would see sun against black sky. As on moon. Also prevents shadows from being pitch black. Moon shadows cold and dark.
Sky blue. Gas molecules scatter blue light ( higher energy ) more effectively than red light , low energy
sunset sunlight must pass thru. More atmosphere at sunrise and sunset. Most of blue scattered away so we have red.
The primary cause of storms is the churning of air by
Convection. Convection is only when you have strong heating from below
Layer where storms are? Primary cause of storms
Troposphere. Churning of air by convection
Are X-ray’s good gas absorbers?
Yes. They ionize and dissociate molecules
Planets with low reflection do what
Absorbs more sunlight, leading to hotter temps
If planet is cooler that shows us
Less energy and more reflective
Atmosphere has to do with
Absorbing and releasing energy. It is the layer of gas that surrounds a world
10k. Thin nitrogen and oxygen in atmosphere. If more oxygen we
Would burn
Atmospheric pressure is
Force per unit area. Think of his flat hand on his chest, then a finger at his chest
1 bar means pressure ??
Sea level
Magnetosphere more a ? Than a blanket
Shield . Protection from solar winds
Weather is
Wind , clouds, temp, pressure
Climate is
Long term AVERAGE of weather.
Condition.
Circulation cells with no rotation
Heat air rises at equator. Cooler air descends at poles. 2 large cells
Coriolis effect
Rotation. Conservation of angular momentum. Ball on Merry go round if tossed from center to edge with curve from circular motion
Coriolis on earth.
Appears to move faster over surface at poles because of less angular momentum
To poles more angular moment. Travels farther
