Chapter 28 Flashcards
What is the troposphere ?
A layer extending an average of 12 km above Earth’s surface
What is temperature inversion ?
When air temperature increases with altitude and air becomes stable
What is the greenhouse effect ?
A natural process in which certain gases in the atmosphere warm a planet as they absorb and emit infrared radiation.
How are the atmospheric layers divided ?
Based on differences in composition and temperature
What gas makes up the majority of the atmosphere ?
Nitrogen
What gas makes up 21 percent of the atmosphere ?
Oxygen
What is the remaining 1 percent of gases in the atmosphere ?
Trace gases majority is Argon
What is ozone layer ?
The ozone layer absorbs harmful radiation from the sun
In the Troposphere does temperature decrease or increase with altitude ?
Decreases
How many layers are there in the Earth’s atmosphere ?
Five
What are the name of the atmospheric layers closed to Earth’s surface to farthest to Earth’s surface ?
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere
What layers is the ozone layer found in ?
Stratosphere
In the mesosphere does the temperature increase or decrease with altitude ?
Decrease
Does the thermosphere and exosphere affect the weather ?
No
Where does 100 percent of our solar radiation come from ?
Sun
How much of solar radiation is absorbed by the Earth’s surface ?
50 percent
How much solar radiation is reflected by the land and sea surface ?
5 percent
How much solar radiation is absorbed by particles in the atmosphere ?
20 percent
How much solar radiation is reflected back by the could and other particles in the atmosphere ?
25 percent
What are the three basic cloud types ?
Stratus, Cumulus, Cirrus
Describe Stratus clouds
Layered, Sheet - like clouds associated with rain
Describe Cumulus Clouds
Puffy in shape and occur in fair weather
Describe Cirrus clouds
Wispy, High - Altitude clouds
What are the steps of the water cycle ?
Evaporation, Condensation, Transpiration, Precipitation, Runoff, and Infiltration
What is a jet stream ?
A narrow band of fast - moving, high - altitude air
What is the Coriolis effect ?
The apparent deflection of an object due to Earth’s rotation
What are weather fronts ?
Air masses that interact in zones
What is an air mass ?
A large volume of air with uniform moisture and temperature throughout
How many jet streams are there in the world ?
There are four
How many pressure systems are there ?
There are two pressure systems
What is a low pressure system also known as ?
L
Which was does the air flow for a low pressure system ?
Counterclockwise
What are the results of a low pressure system ?
Causes air to rise, which results in cloud formation and precipitation
What is a high pressure system known as ?
H
What direction does a high pressure system rotate ?
Air flows clockwise
What is the results of a high pressure system ?
Causes the air to sink, which results in clear skies
What are the four types of weather fronts ?
Cold, Warm, Stationary, and Occluded Fronts
What is a cold front ?
Cold air forces warm air upward in a fast and chaotic manner
How is a cold front represented on a weather forecast ?
By Blue Triangles
How are warm fronts created ?
Warm air rises gently above cold air
How are warm fronts represented on a weather forecast ?
Red semi circles
How are stationary fronts created ?
Cold and warm air masses meet and neither front advances, can last for days producing clouds and prolonged precipitation
How are stationary fronts represented on a weather forecast ?
Red semicircles and blue triangles
How are occluded fronts created ?
A fast - moving cold front overtakes a slow warm front
How are occluded fronts represented on a weather forecast ?
Purple triangles and semi circles
Maritime Climate
A climate that is strongly affected by an ocean
Continental Climate
A climate that is not directly affected by an ocean
Sea Breeze
Blows from over the water toward land in the afternoon when the land is warmer than the ocean
What is weather ?
Are the day to day outside conditions.
What are the five spheres of Earth’s system ?
Atmosphere, Cryosphere, Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, Biosphere
What is the atmosphere ?
The air around us
What is the biosphere ?
Everything organic
What is like hydrosphere ?
Everything that is liquid water
What is cryosphere ?
Everything that is frozen water like in snow ice and glaciers
What is the lithosphere ?
Earth’s outermost layer
What is the primary factor that influences climate at a given location ?
Latitude
Where is solar radiation most intense on Earth’s surface ?
Equator
At what angle degree does the sun rays hit the tropical area ?
90 degrees
At what angle does the sun rays hit the temperature ?
45 degrees
At what angle does the sun rays hit the pole ?
30 degrees
What other factors determine climate >
Precipitation, mountains, and bodies of water
On windward side are the conditions ?
Cool, wet, and a lot of vegetation
What are the conditions of the leeward side ?
Dry, not a lot of vegetation and warm
What is land breeze ?
It happens at night, the wind comes from the land to the water
What type of climate zone and vegetation does Lamar have ?
Warm semi - arid and grassland
Global Warming
An increase in the average temperatures of the Earth’s near - surface air and ocean
El nino
The warming of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of western South America that occurs 3 to 10 years.
La nina
When trade winds in the Pacific are unusually strong and surface water is colder than normal.
What are the two changes that Earth’s climate undergoes ?
Seasonal and Long term
When we are in summer time are we closer or further away or closer to the sun ?
Away
Which hemisphere experiences summer ?
The hemisphere tilted toward the sun
What is the period in which most of the Earth’s surface is covered in ice ?
Ice Age
How long ago did the world’s climate reach its current state ?
3,000 years ago
What are some factors could cause a climate change ?
If there was a change in the Earth’s axis, a change in the shape of the orbit, and the distance from the sun
What are some human factors that can change climate ?
Pollution, Energy Consumption, Deforestation,
What is deforestation ?
The clearing of large areas of forest land
