Chapter 1 Earth and It's Atmosphere

Question 1

how is radiation created?

Answer 1

the sun converts hydrogen to helium and gives off radiation

Question 2

what is the atmosphere?

Answer 2

a delicate life giving blanket of air

• mixture of gas molecules and small liquid particles
• most mass is held close to earth’s surface

Question 3

what is the composition of the atmosphere?

Answer 3

Permanent Gases: N2 (78%), O2 (21%), Ar (.9%)

Variable Gases: H2O (0-4%), CO2 (417ppm), CH4+N2O+O3 (very, very small)

Question 4

water and GHGs are both variable gases, but what makes them different?

Answer 4

water varies in place and time due to the hydrologic cycle, GHGs are increasing in concentration over time

Question 5

how does the hydrologic cycle work?

Answer 5

evaporation/transpiration (from plants): liquid→gas

condensation: gas→liquid
precipitation: from atmosphere→surface
runoff: H2O moves along the surface
infiltration: surface→underground

Question 6

why is “humid” air lighter than “dry” air?

Answer 6

dry air (mostly N2+O2), N2 (28amu) + O2 (32amu)
humid air (mostly H2O), H2 (2amu) + O (16 amu)

Question 7

what is the difference between ozone from the ozone hole, and ozone we see on the ground?

Answer 7

good ozone is found in the stratosphere, bad ozone is found in the troposphere and is a GHG (smog).
*the “ozone hole” just has less stratospheric ozone in areas

Question 8

what is the difference between aerosols and pollutants?

Answer 8

aerosols: tiny solid or liquid suspended particles. Can be natural (dust, sea salt) or manmade (hairspray)
pollutants: only human-made impurities that can cause health hazards (burning fuels)

Question 9

why do we have an atmosphere?

Answer 9

gravity pulls atmospheric gases towards surface

Question 10

what did Earth’s early atmosphere look like?

Answer 10

-all planets in solar system started with same atmosphere made of hydrogen and helium. those gases escaped from earth because they were too light for earth’s gravitational pull to hold onto them

Question 11

how did we get today’s atmosphere?

Answer 11

outgassing of CO2 and H2O came from cooling center of Earth. This caused rain and it created lakes and oceans. lakes and oceans acted as sinks absorbing CO2 from atmosphere

Question 12

where did oxygen on earth come from?

Answer 12

plants evolved producing oxygen to form our current atmosphere

Question 13

what is density?

Answer 13

mass/volume, how closely packed the matter is

Question 14

what is pressure?

Answer 14

force/area, the push of the matter on objects, weight of molecules

Question 15

what is the standard sea level pressure?

Answer 15

1013 mb

Question 16

what is lapse rate?

Answer 16

change in temperature with a change in height (positive value=cooling with height)

• isothermal environment = no change in temperature with height
• inversion layer = change in the sign of the lapse rate, warming with height

Question 17

what are the layers of the atmosphere and how does temperature change with height in them?

Answer 17

troposphere (where we live), T↓ w/ height
——–tropopause——–
stratosphere, T↑ w/height because good O3 absorbs UV+warming
——–stratopause——–
Mesosphere, T↓ w/ height
——–mesopause = coldest——–
thermosphere, T↑ w/height

Question 18

what is the Ionosphere?

Answer 18

region of atmosphere electrified by charged particles

• not a true layer
• causes the auroras

Question 19

what is the difference between weather and climate?

Answer 19

Weather: short term air temp, air pressure, etc.
-specific time/event
Climate: long term patterns and average weather
-30+ years of data needed

*we study weather and climate to see how they impact economic efficiencies

Question 20

what are the 8 main weather elements?

Answer 20

air temperature
air pressure
humidity
clouds
precipitation
visibility
wind
radiation

Question 21

What is the difference between cyclones and anticyclones?

Answer 21

Cyclones: low pressure, wind blows counter-clockwise and in
Anticyclones: high pressure, wind blows clockwise and out

Question 22

why does low pressure mean bad weather?

Answer 22

wind flows into low pressure system. the air converges in the middle and has to rise. as it rises it cools leading to condensation into clouds and precipitation

wind flows out of high pressure systems. dry air from above sinks and causes nice weather

Question 23

what is a front and what are the 4 types of fronts?

Answer 23

Front=boundary between air masses

cold: cold air replaces warm air
warm: warm air replaces cooler air
occluded: cold front catches up to warm front and cold air is replacing cool air
stationary from: a front is no longer moving

Question 24

what is wind?

Answer 24

• it describes air in motion
• always blows from high pressure to low pressure
• always define wind based on where it comes from (east winds come from the east)