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physical science > Chapter 28 > Flashcards

Chapter 28 Flashcards

1
Q

A layer of the atmosphere extending an average of 12 km above Earth’s surface.

A

Troposphere

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2
Q

This occurs when air temperature increases with altitude and the air becomes stable.

A

Temperature Inversion

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3
Q

A natural process in which certain gases in the atmosphere warm a planet as they absorb and emit infrared radiation.

A

Greenhouse Effect

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4
Q

What can Earth’s atmosphere be divided into layers based on?

A

The differences in composition and temperature.

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5
Q

What gas makes up the majority of the atmosphere?

A

Nitrogen, which is 78%.

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6
Q

What is the second most abundant gas in the atmosphere?

A

Oxygen, which is 21%.

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7
Q

What is the remaining 1% of gases in the atmosphere?

A

Argon.

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8
Q

What is the ozone layer?

A

It is a layer of the atmosphere that protects us from harmful radiation from the Sun.

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9
Q

Withing the troposphere, the higher in altitude it goes, does the temperature decrease or increase?

A

It decreases.

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10
Q

How many layers are there in the atmosphere?

A

5

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11
Q

What are the names of the atmospheric layers starting closest to Earth’s surface, to farthest from Earth’s surface?

A

Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.

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12
Q

What layer is the ozone layer in?

A

The stratosphere.

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13
Q

Within the mesosphere, does the temperature increase or decrease with altitude?

A

It decreases.

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14
Q

Does the thermosphere and the exosphere effect weather?

A

No, neither of them do.

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15
Q

Where does 100% of our solar energy come from?

A

The Sun.

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16
Q

How much solar radiation is absorbed by Earth’s SURFACE?

A

50%.

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17
Q

What percent of solar radiation is REFLECTED back by Earth’s surface?

A

5%.

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18
Q

How much solar radiation is absorbed by PARTICLES in the atmosphere?

A

20%.

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19
Q

How much solar radiation is reflected by CLOUDS and OTHER PARTICLES?

A

25%.

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20
Q

What are the three basic cloud types?

A

Stratus, cumulus, and cirrus.

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21
Q

Describe stratus clouds.

A

Layered, sheet-like clouds, associated with rain.

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22
Q

Describe cumulus clouds.

A

Puffy, occur in fair weather.

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23
Q

Describe cirrus clouds.

A

Wispy, high-altitude.

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24
Q

What is the process in which water moves from the land to the atmosphere, and then eventually comes back to the land?

A

The water cycle.

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25
Q

What are the steps of the water cycle?

A

Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff, and then transpiration (repeat).

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26
Q

A narrow band of fast-moving, high-altitude air.

A

Jet Stream

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27
Q

The apparent deflection of an object due to Earth’s rotation.

A

Coriolis Effect

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28
Q

A large volume of air with uniform moisture and temperature throughout.

A

Air Mass

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29
Q

The zones in which air masses interact in.

A

Weather Fronts

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30
Q

How many jet streams are there in the world?

A

4

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31
Q

How many pressure systems are there in the world?

A

2

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32
Q

What is a low pressure system also known as?

A

Low (L)

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33
Q

Which way does the air flow for a low pressure system?

A

Counterclockwise

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34
Q

What are some results of a low pressure system?

A

Air rises, resulting in cloud formation and precipitation

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35
Q

What is a high pressure system also known as?

A

High (H)

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36
Q

Which way does a high pressure rotate?

A

Clockwise

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37
Q

What is the result of a high pressure air system?

A

Air sinks which causes clear skies

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38
Q

What are the 4 weather fronts?

A

Cold, warm, stationary, and occluded fronts

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39
Q

How are cold fronts created?

A

Cold air forces warm air upward in a fast and chaotic manner

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40
Q

How is a cold front represented on a weather forecast?

A

By blue triangles on top

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41
Q

How are warm fronts created?

A

Warm air gently rises gently above cold air?

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42
Q

How are warm fronts represented on a weather forecast?

A

Red half-circles on top

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43
Q

How are stationary fronts created?

A

Cold and warm air masses meet and neither front advances

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44
Q

How are stationary fronts represented on weather forecasts?

A

Alternating red half-circles and blue triangles

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45
Q

How are occluded fronts created?

A

A fast moving cold fronts overtakes a slow warm front

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46
Q

How are occluded fronts represented on weather forecasts?

A

Purple half-circles beside purple triangles on top

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47
Q

A climate that is strongly affected by an ocean is called a what?

A

Maritime Climate

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48
Q

A climate that is not directly affected by an ocean is called a what?

A

Continental Climate

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49
Q

Blows from over the water toward ;and in the afternoon, when the land is warmer than the water.

A

Sea breeze

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50
Q

What is climate?

A

The long-term average of weather conditions.

51
Q

What is weather?

A

Weather is the day to day outside condition.

52
Q

What are the 5 spheres that make up the Earth’s system?

A

Atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.

53
Q

What is the atmosphere?

A

All the air around us.

54
Q

What is the biosphere?

A

Everything organic.

55
Q

What is the cryosphere?

A

Frozen water, snow, ice, and glaciers.

56
Q

What is the lithosphere?

A

Earth’s outermost layer?

57
Q

What is the primary factor that affects climate at any given location?

A

Latitude.

58
Q

Where is solar radiation most intense on Earth’s surface?

A

The equator.

59
Q

At what angle do the sun’s rays hit the tropical zone?

A

90 degrees.

60
Q

At what angle do the sun’s rays hit the temperate zone?

A

45 degrees.

61
Q

At what angle do the sun’s rays hit the polar zones?

A

30 degrees.

62
Q

What other factors determine climate?

A

Precipitation, mountains, and water.

63
Q

On the windward side, what are the conditions like?

A

Cool, wet, and lots of vegetation.

64
Q

On the leeward side, what are the conditions like?

A

The air is dry and warm, and there is little to no vegetation on that mountain-side.

65
Q

What is land breeze?

A

The opposite of a sea breeze; the wind comes from the land, to the water and occurs at night.

66
Q

What kind of climate zone and vegetation does Lamar have?

A

Warm arid, warm semi-arid, desert, and grassland.

67
Q

An increase in average temperatures on Earth.

A

Global warming

68
Q

El Nino

A

The warming of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of western South America that occurs every 3 to 10 years.

69
Q

La Nina

A

Occurs when trade winds in the Pacific are unusually strong and surface water is colder than normal.

70
Q

What are the two changes that Earth’s climate undergoes?

A

Seasonal and long-term changes.

71
Q

How do seasonal changes happen?

A

As the Earth revolves around the sun?

72
Q

Which hemisphere experiences summer?

A

The hemisphere tilted towards the sun?

73
Q

What was the period of time called when the Earth was mostly covered in ice?

A

The ice age?

74
Q

How long ago did the world reach its current climate?

A

3,000

75
Q

What factors could cause climate change?

A

A change in the Earth’s axis, the orbit shape, and the distance from the sun

76
Q

What are some human factors that can change climate?

A

Energy consumption, deforestation, and industrial and agricultural practice.

77
Q

What is deforestation?

A

It is the removal of large areas of the forest land.

78
Q

A round, three-dimensional object, the surface of which is the same distance from the center in all directions.

A

Sphere

79
Q

An elongated, closed curve with two foci.

A

Ellipse

80
Q

What were some ancient observations that prove that the Earth is a sphere?

A

Objects fall straight to the surface, Earth’s shadow on the mood during a lunar eclipse is always curved, and people in different parts of the world see different stars.

81
Q

What are two factors that effect gravitational pull.

A

The mass of an object and the distance of an object.

82
Q

Which diameter of Earth is longer?

A

The equator.

83
Q

What does the magnetic field protect Earth from?

A

Harmful solar radiation.

84
Q

Which magnetic pole is located in the northern hemisphere?

A

The southern magnetic pole.

85
Q

At what degrees is Earth’s axis tilted?

A

11.7 degrees.

86
Q

Can magnetic poles flip?

A

Yes.

87
Q

What is the large scale movements called when the magnetic poles flip?

A

Magnetic reversals.

88
Q

How often do magnetic reversals occur?

A

200,000 years.

89
Q

How long ago did our most recent magnetic reversal occur.

A

780,000 years ago.

90
Q

Within Earth’s magnetic field, what part deflects harmful radiation from the Sun?

A

The magnetosphere.

91
Q

How are the auroras created?

A

Electrically-charged particles collide with atoms in the atmosphere and emit light.

92
Q

When is Earth closest to the Sun?

A

In the month of January.

93
Q

When is Earth farthest away from the Sun?

A

In the month of July.

94
Q

An area 15 degrees wide in which the time is the same.

A

Time zone

95
Q

The spinning of Earth on its axis, an imaginary line drawn from Earth’s North Pole to its South Pole.

A

Rotation

96
Q

The motion of Earth in an elliptical orbit around the Sun.

A

Revolution

97
Q

Defined as the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun.

A

Ecliptic

98
Q

Occurs when Earth’s rotational axis is tilted directly toward the Sun or away from the Sun.

A

Solstice

99
Q

When Earth’s rotational axis is perpendicular to a line drawn from the center of Earth to the center of the Sun.

A

Equinox

100
Q

Who devised a method of timekeeping around 3000 B.C.

A

The Babylonians.

101
Q

What was the symbol for degree taken from?

A

The Babylonian symbol for the Sun.

102
Q

How many degrees does the Earth spin in one day?

A

360 degrees.

103
Q

How many hours does it take the Earth to make one full rotation?

A

24 hours.

104
Q

How many degrees does the Earth spin in one hour?

A

15 degrees.

104
Q

What direction does the Sun rise?

A

East

105
Q

What direction does the Sun set?

A

West

106
Q

True or false: All time zones are the exact same size?

A

False, they are modified to fit around cities, states, country borders, and other key sites.

107
Q

How many time zones are there in the world?

A

24

108
Q

Which direction do you move to add hours to the time?

A

East

109
Q

Which direction do you move to subtract hours from the time?

A

West

110
Q

How many time zones are there in the U.S.

A

6

111
Q

What are the names of the time zones?

A

Atlantic/Alaskan, Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern, and Hawaiian time

112
Q

What is solar day?

A

From where the Sun is at when it is noon, to the next day at noon.

113
Q

What is sidereal day?

A

When you look at a certain star one night when it first comes over the horizon and then you see it the next night at the exact time.

114
Q

What are the two main reasons for seasons?

A

Revolution and the tilt of the axis.

115
Q

Which 2 seasons have a solstice?

A

Winter and Summer.

116
Q

Which month is the summer solstice?

A

June 21st.

117
Q

Which month is the winter solstice?

A

December 21st.

118
Q

Which two seasons are equinoxes?

A

Spring and Fall.

119
Q

Which month is the spring equinox?

A

March 20th or 21st.

120
Q

Which month is the fall equinox?

A

September 22nd or 23rd.

121
Q

When is the longest day of the year?

A

June 21st.

122
Q

When is the shortest day of the year?

A

December 21st.

123
Q

When are the days almost 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night?

A

physical science (6 decks)

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