Chapter 18 - Earth's Atmosphere Flashcards
How was the atmosphere formed?
By a direct act of God
Atmosphere
The envelope of gases that surrounds our planet
Firmament
Great expanse
Who is often called the father of chemistry?
Antoine Lavoisier
What did Karl Wilhelm Scheele work with?
Oxygen
What did Joseph Priestley work with?
He made many groundbreaking advances in our knowledge of the chemistry of gases and electricity
What is one of nitrogen’s main purposes?
To dilute oxygen
What is the volume of the atmosphere?
21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, and 1% other gases
Which gas is the most abundant in the atmosphere?
Nitrogen
Which layer has several layers of different gases?
Heterosphere
Which layer has all the gases mixed together?
Homosphere
What gases are in the heterosphere?
Nitrogen, atomic oxygen, helium, and molecular hydrogen
Which layer is the hottest?
Exosphere
What gases are in the exosphere?
Oxygen, helium, and hydrogen
Which layer is the coldest?
Mesosphere
Which layer do most people live in?
Troposphere
Lapse rate
Stray change in temperature
Where do aircraft flying long distances fly?
Stratosphere
Why do the aircraft fly in the stratosphere?
To avoid turbulent storms
Jet streams
Winds in the stratosphere that blow very fast
What layers lie within the homosphere composition layer?
Troposphere, stratosphere, and mesosphere
What layers are not in the ionosphere?
Stratosphere and troposphere
Where does the ionosphere start?
Mesosphere
What is the largest carbon reservoir in the carbon cycle?
Atmospheric carbon dioxide
What happens to living things’ carbon compounds go when they die and decay?
They enter the soil carbon reservoir
What is another source of fixed nitrogen in the atmosphere?
Lightning
What does lightning do?
It breaks down nitrogen in the air and combines it with oxygen
What is ozone made of?
Three atoms of oxygen bonded together
Where is the hole in the ozone layer every spring?
Antarctica
Does the ionosphere reflect microwaves?
NO
What does the ionosphere reflect?
Long-waves
Magnetosphere
Protects us from solar flares
Who discovered the magnetosphere using information gathered by the satellite Explorer 1?
James Van Allen
What are stuck in those rings or belts in the magnetic field?
Protons and electrons from the sun’s solar wind
Solar flare
When the solar wind is especially strong
Aurora borealis
The northern lights
Aurora australias
The southern lights
What causes northern and southern lights?
Some of the charged particles, during a solar flare, that are trapped in the magnetosphere escape near the earth’s magnetic poles into the lower regions of the atmosphere. There they collide with gas molecules, producing them
Solar constant
The rate of flow of radiant energy from the sun that reaches the earth through space
When can 60-75% of the incoming solar energy reach the earth’s surface?
On a sunny day with the sun directly overhead
On what kind of day can the earth absorb the most heat?
On a clear, cold low-humidity day
Conduction
Heat transfer by direct contact
Convection
The vertical movement of warmed masses of air into cooler regions in the atmosphere
What is a common kind of density current?
Convection
Greenhouse affect
When the earth indirectly warms the atmosphere
What are the greenhouse gases?
Water vapor and carbon dioxide
What can UV Rays do to people?
Sunburns, eye damage, and skin cancer
