chapter 3

Question 1

what does atmosphere do

Answer 1

protect us from hostile radiation and particles from the sun and beyond

Question 2

components of air

Answer 2

a simple misture of gases N2 (78%), O2 (21%), others (1%), and water vapor H2O (0 to 4%), CO2 (0.0035%) that is naturally odourless colourless, tasteless, and formless, blended so thoroughly that it behaves as if it were a single gas

Question 3

how big is the atmosphere

Answer 3

480 km above Earth’s surface

Question 4

exosphere

Answer 4

outer sphere, lightweight hydrogen and helium atoms with some oxygen atoms and nitrogen molecules, weakly bound by gravity as far as 32 000 km from earth, beyond the thermopause

Question 5

Air pressure

Answer 5

pressure produced by the motion, size, and number of gas molecules in the aire and exerted on surfaces in contact with the air

Question 6

why is the air denser near Earth’s surface

Answer 6

because gravity compress the air downward

Question 7

what percentage of the atmosphere remains above an altitude of 50 km

Answer 7

only 0,1%

Question 8

Heterosphere

Answer 8

80 to 480 km altitude, a zone of the atmosphere above the mesopause, includes the ionosphere, less than 0,001% of the atmospheres mass, because of gravity the gases or not uniform, hydrogen and helium at the top, and oxygen and nitrogen at the bottom

Question 9

Homosphere

Answer 9

earths surface to 80 km altitude, composed of an even mixture of gases, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, and trace gases, ozone layer from 19 to 50 km above sea level

Question 10

Nitrogen

Answer 10

78% percentage by volume, unreactive and unavailable, originating principally from volcanic sources, integrated into our bodies through compounds in food ,sinks; nitrogen fixation, lightning

Question 11

Oxygen

Answer 11

21%, reacts via oxidation, by-product of photosynthesis, one-fifth of the atmosphere, forms compounds that compose about half of earths crust, sinks; weathering, combustion, aerobic decomposition

Question 12

Carbon dioxide CO2

Answer 12

natural by-product of life processes, cellular respiration, wildfires, combustion of fossil fuels, small percentage in atmosphere, the CO2 percentage has increased as a result of human activities, principally the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, greenhouse gas, sinks; photosynthesis, dissolution in oceans

Question 13

Argon

Answer 13

comes from slow accumulation over millions of years, less than 1% of the homosphere

Question 14

Methane

Answer 14

0,00018% second greenhouse gas, human activity

Question 15

Temperature

Answer 15

measure of the average kinetic energy of individual molecules

Question 16

Heat

Answer 16

is the flow of kinetic energy from one body to another resulting from a temperature difference between them, depends on density or mass of a substance; where little density or mass exists, the amount of heat will be small

Question 17

why is the temperature high in the atmosphere but not hot

Answer 17

because the density is low, it will feel cold because the number of molecule is not great enough to transfer heat to our skin

Question 18

Thermosphere

Answer 18

80 to 480km in altitude, contains the functional ionosphere layer
When less active sun, the thermopause may low in altitude form 480km to 250km, when period of more active sun, the outer atmosphere can go up to 550km, where it can create frictional drag on satellites in low orbit
The temperature rise sharply to 1200degree Celsius and higher, it raise with altitude because its direct contact with high energy solar radiation

Question 19

Mesosphere

Answer 19

50 to 80km in altitude, within the homosphere, mesopause; mesospheres outer boundary, coldest portion of the atmosphere -90degree celsius, but temperature may vary 25-30degree celsius, because of the extremely low pressures, low density of molecules

Question 20

Noctilucent cloud

Answer 20

a rare, shining band of ice crystals that may glow at high latitudes long after sunset, where cosmic and meteoric dust act as nuclei for the formation of ice crystal

Question 21

Stratosphere

Answer 21

18 to 50km in altitude, temperatures increase with altitude, from -57degree celsius at 18km to 0degree celsius at 50km, stratopause; stratospheres outer boundary, ozone layer

Question 22

Troposphere

Answer 22

Final layer encountered by incoming solar radiation, supports life and the biosphere, and its the region of principal weather activity, 90% of the total mass of the atmosphere, temperature is -57degree celsius, tropospheres upper limit is tropopause, but exact altitude depends on season, latitude, and surface temperatures and pressures

Question 23

what the order of the component of the atmosphere

Answer 23

homosphere than heterosphere
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere

Question 24

Normal lapse rate

Answer 24

the average rate of temperature decrease with increasing altitude in the lower atmosphere; an average value of 6.5degree celsius

Question 25

Environmental lapse rate

Answer 25

the actual rate of temperature decrease with increasing altitude in the lower atmosphere at any particular time under local weather conditions

Question 26

Blue Jets and Red Sprites

Answer 26

electrical discharges above active thunderstorms

Question 27

what does the Ionosphere and ozonosphere do

Answer 27

remove most of the harmful wavelength of incoming solar radiation and charged particles

Question 28

Ionosphere

Answer 28

50km outwards to about 1000km, absorbs cosmic rays, gamma rays, X-rays, and shorter wavelengths of ultraviolet radiation, changing atoms to positively charged ions, aurora

Question 29

Ozonosphere

Answer 29

or ozone layer, 20 to 50km above the surface, absorbs the shorter wavelengths of ultraviolet UV radiation and convert them into heat energy

Question 30

Density

Answer 30

mass over volume, the higher you get the less dense the air get

Question 31

name some natural pollutants and there effects

Answer 31

volcano (sulfure oxide, particulates), wildfires( carbon monoxide and dioxide, nitrogen oxide, particulates), plants (hydrocarbons, pollens), plants decomposing (methane, hydrogen sulfide), soils (dust, virus), and ocean (salt spray and particulates)

Question 32

Atmospheric aerosols

Answer 32

microscopic particles, physical characteristic, dark coloured is warming, light coloured is cooling, enhance cloud formation, low residence time, spatially variable

Question 33

Temperature inversion

Answer 33

warmer air on the top, mixing blocked, pollution trapped beneath inversion, a reversal of the normal decrease of the temperature with increasing temperature; can occur anywhere from ground level up to several thousand meters; functions to block atmospheric convection and thereby trap pollutants

Question 34

Anthropogenic pollution, name the gases

Answer 34

carbon monoxide, photochemical smog (interaction of automobile exhaust and UV radiation causes photochemical reactions), industrial smog and sulphur oxides, and particulates

Question 35

Acid rain and its effects

Answer 35

wet and dry deposition from the atmosphere containing higher than normal amounts of nitric and sulphuric acids, effects; surface waters and aquatic animals, forests, ecosystem impairment, materials or building damage, visibility, human health

Question 36

Pollutants

Answer 36

natural or human-caused gases, particles, and other substances in the troposphere that accumulate in amounts harmful to humans or the environment

Question 37

Anthropogenic atmosphere

Answer 37

Earth’s future atmosphere, so named because humans appear to be the principal causative agent

Question 38

whats the largest source of air pollutant and what is main source

Answer 38

carbon monoxide, by vehicule

Question 39

Photochemical smog

Answer 39

the interaction of sunlight and the combustions products in automobile exhaust

Question 40

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Answer 40

produced by the combustion of gasoline

Question 41

smog

Answer 41

a combination of the word smoke and fog, generally used to describe photochemical smog and volatile organic compounds

Question 42

PAN

Answer 42

peroxyacetyl nitrate, can damage agricultural crops or forest, no human health effect

Question 43

Industrial smog

Answer 43

air pollution associated with coal-burning industries; it may contain sulfur oxides, particulates, carbon dioxide, and exotics

Question 44

Black carbon

Answer 44

produce in small village, aerosol with devastating health effects