Chapter 1-Earth & its atmosphere Flashcards
Name the systems of the planet. How do they interact with eachother?
Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Hydrosphere
Cryosphere
Biosphere
The systems interact with each other through many processes (e.g., hydrological cycle, carbon cycle, human activities,etc)
To where does the gaseous part of the atmosphere extend to?
Gaseous part extends from surface to exosphere (fading into space)
What is the lithosphere of the earth?
The solid earth crust
What is the hydrosphere of the earth?
oceans, lakes, rivers, ice and snow (Ice and snow separately form the cryosphere)
Define the Biosphere of the planet?
Plants, animals and humans
How does the cryosphere differ from the hydrosphere?
Cryosphere: Ice and snow separately form the cryosphere
Hydrosphere: oceans, lakes, rivers, ice and snow
How many KM separate the Sun and Earth?
Nearly 150 million
How is the earth’s weather affected by the Sun despite the 150 million km distance?
Solar radiation drives the Earth’s weather
Define the atmosphere of the planet
A thin film of gases and tiny particles (aerosols) surrounding the earth
How is the atmosphere essential for life?
-It is a thin film of important gasses and tiny particles like Oxygen (O2), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), water(H2O)
-It shields us from ultraviolet radiation, etc.
True or false?
The atmosphere is more than 100 km deep & the weather is contained in most of it.
FALSE
The atmosphere is more than 100 km deep (fading into space), but most of the weather is contained in the lowest layer, from the surface up to 10 - 16km
When was the Planet Earth born and what did its first atmosphere consist of?
-Planet Earth was born about 4.6 billion years ago
-First atmosphere consisted mainly of gaseous hydrogen (H2) and helium (He), which escaped into space due to high temperatures at the early times.
How is outgassing bound to earth?
Outgassing” of lava, ashes, gases from volcanoes supply water (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrogen(N2) are bound to earth by its gravitational field
What was the mean global surface air temperature at the early phase of planet earth?
Mean global surface air temperature between 85 - 110°C (compared to~15°C now)
What are the consequences of planet cooling, water vapor condensing to form clouds and precipitation?
*Formation of oceans
*CO2 stored in oceans and sedimentary rocks (e.g.,limestone)
*N2 begins to dominate the air composition
How does life formed about 2 billion years ago?
*Photosynthesis by plants produces molecular oxygen(O2)
*Through photochemical reactions, ozone (O3) shield forms, protecting and enabling life on land.
What are the main atmospheric constituents of the modern phase of planet earth?
Main atmospheric constituents are nowadays N2 (78%), O2 (21%) & others up to ~80 km altitude
Where is O3 mostly found in atmosphere?
97 % of O3 is in upper atmosphere, where it forms “naturally”
What is the importance of ozone (O3)?
The “Ozone layer” shields the Earth from harmful ultra violet radiation.
What is the ozone “hole”?
Layer was/is being depleted near poles by Chloroflurocarbons (CFCs); a major source of CFCs came from spray cans and refrigerants
What is the primary ingredient to photochemical smog (human influence)? What are the symptoms/damages?
Ozone (O3)
Irritates eyes and respiratory tract (lungs), damages vegetation
What is the importance of CO2 in the planet?
Used by plants for photosynthesis
*Plants grow and produce oxygen (O2) alongside sugars (glucose,etc.)
Absorbs a portion of the Earth’s outgoing long-wave radiation (infrared), and radiates it back to the surface
*important greenhouse gas
Is the average concentration of CO2 increasing or decreasing? Since when?
Average concentration is annually increasing since industrialization
What is the importance of water vapour (H20) for our planet?
-Highly variable concentration
-Stores latent heat
-V important greenhouse gas
Why is water vapour (H20) a highly variable concentration?
*From negligible to 4 % by volume
*Produced by evaporation/sublimation; lost by condensation/deposition (part of hydrological cycle)
*Condenses to form cloud droplets
How is water vapour (H20) produced and lost?
Thanks to part of the hydrological cycle (one of the various ways the planet systems interact with each other)
-Produced by evaporation/sublimation
-Lost by condensation/deposition
Why is storage of latent heat from water vapour important for the atmosphere?
*When latent heat is released in clouds it helps to drive atmosphere’s general circulation
*Feeds thunderstorms and hurricanes with energy
What kind of activities emit particles (aerosols and pollutants) into the atmosphere?
Natural and human activities
Define aerosols
Suspended tiny (invisible) dust, salt, ash, soot and organic particles
True or False?
Aerosols are just considered pollutants
False
-High aerosol concentrations affect adversely the health of humans and animals (depends also on the types of aerosol particles)
-Aerosols are also important for cloudformation and not just “pollutants”!
Define high aerosol concentration
High particulate matter mass per unit volume of air
Name some examples of gaseous pollutants
-Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
-Nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2)
-Ozone (at surface)
-Volatile hydrocarbons (VOCs)
What are primary aerosol particles? Give examples
Directly emitted in particulate form
*Biogenic/natural (mineral dust, sea salt, volcanic ash, forest fires,vegetation,…)
*Anthropogenic (combustion of fossil fuels, biomass burning, traffic emissions, industry)
What are secondary aerosol particles? Give examples
Formed in the air by gas-to-particle conversion processes
*Example: oxidation of volatile organic precursors (by O3, ·OH, ·NO3,etc.)
How are new aerosol particles formed?
From gaseous vapours that undergo gas-to-particle conversion (Friedlander, 1977
What are typical aerosol particle diameters?
100 - 400nm
-for reference: 1 mm = 1000μm & 1 μm = 1000nm
-human hair is 50μm
True or False?
Water vapour does not vary with location and time
False
Water vapour varies with location and time. It usually accounts for less than 4 % in an air volume near the surface. At typical value is 1 % of water vapour
What is the only major substance that is found naturally as gas, liquid and solid?
WATER
-gas (water vapour)
-liquid (water; cloud, rain droplets)
-solid(ice)
True or False
There are only 2 effective greenhouse gases
False
Water vapour and carbon dioxide (CO2) are important greenhouse gases. Although some much less abundant trace gases are also effective greenhouse gases
What is the difference in role of ozone in different systems of the atmosphere?
Ozone (O3) in the stratosphere protects life on the ground from harmful solar UV radiation.
At the surface, ozone is a harmful pollutant and a main ingredient of photochemical smog
