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Science Challenge 2015 > Chapter 3: Earth Sciences > Flashcards

Chapter 3: Earth Sciences Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the official definition of weather?

A

The official definition of weather is the state of the atmosphere that includes six aspects: Atmospheric pressure, temperature, clouds, winds, precipitation and humidity

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2
Q

What are the six aspects of weather?

A
  1. atmospheric pressure, 2. temperature, 3. clouds, 4. winds, 5. precipitation, 6. humidity
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3
Q

What is the official definition of climate?

A

climate is the longer-term weather characteristics of a region

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4
Q

What is the atmosphere?

A

the atmosphere is an envelope of gasses surrounding a planet or other body in space

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5
Q

Are there visible layers in an atmosphere?

A

no, but there are distinct layers

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6
Q

What are the five layers that surround our earth?

A
  1. Troposphere, 2. stratosphere, 3. mesosphere, 4. thermosphere, 5. exosphere
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7
Q

What is the troposphere?

A

Troposphere: tropos means turn or mix, sphaira means ball. It is the layer closest to the earth, highest at the equator, 6-20 km high, includes the biosphere and hydrosphere, and is where most weather variation takes place

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8
Q

What is the biosphere?

A

biosphere means where life on earth exists

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9
Q

What is the hydrosphere?

A

hydrosphere means where there are bodies of water on earth

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10
Q

What is the stratosphere?

A

stratosphere extends to 50 km above the earth, a very stable layer, and where you find ozone.

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11
Q

What is the mesosphere?

A

mesosphere– meso means middle, extends 50 km to 80-85 and is the area that most meteors burn up in.

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12
Q

What is the thermosphere

A

80-85 km up to 640km + above the earth’s surface. This is the area where you will see aurora borealis (northern) and aurora australis (southern)

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13
Q

What is the exosphere?

A

the outer layer of the Earth’s atmosphere 500-1000 km up to 10,000 km

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14
Q

What is strange about the atmosphere?

A

it has weight and mass even though it seems invisible and weightless

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15
Q

Why is atmospheric pressure important?

A

it plays a role in determining weather

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16
Q

What causes atmospheric pressure?

A

the air exerting a downward force onto the surface of the earth causes atmospheric pressure

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17
Q

In what area of the earth is the atmosphere the widest?

A

around the equator

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18
Q

How much does one square centimeter column from the sea to the top of the atmosphere of air weigh?

A

I kilogram

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19
Q

In which layer of the atmosphere do you see aurora borealis or aurora australis?

A

the auroras are in the thermosphere

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20
Q

How do you figure out the weight of air?

A

you count the molecules it contains

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21
Q

Which layer of the atmosphere is closest to the earth?

A

the troposphere

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22
Q

When there are more air molecules in a given area, what happens to the density, weight and pressure of the air?

A

air pressure, density and weight increases

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23
Q

When there are fewer air molecules in a given area what happens to the air pressure, density and weight

A

air pressure, density and weight decreases

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24
Q

What is Brownian motion?

A

Brownian motion is the constant movement of air molecules

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25
Q

In which layer of the earth do creatures live?

A

the biosphere

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26
Q

What happens to air molecules when the temperature increases?

A

air molecules move faster and further apart the warmer it gets

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27
Q

When the air is warmer, and the molecules are further apart, what happens to air pressure?

A

Air pressure goes down (lowers) the warmer the air because there are fewer air molecules in a given area

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28
Q

What is the name for the ocean layer of the earth?

A

hydrosphere

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29
Q

How is air pressure measured?

A

air pressure is measured with a tool called a barometer

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30
Q

What is a low pressure area?

A

an area where there are fewer molecules pushing down that the surrounding area

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31
Q

What creates an inward spiraling mass of air?

A

when there are clusters of air columns with higher temperature/lower pressure, surrounded by colums with higher density (lower temperature/higher pressure)

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32
Q

Does low pressure or high pressure hold water down on the earth’s surface?

A

High pressure holds water onto the earth’s surface better than low pressure

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33
Q

In what layer of the atmosphere do meteors usually burn up?

A

mesosphere

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34
Q

How are low pressure systems marked on a map?

A

with a L

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35
Q

What weather pattern is a low pressure system associated with.

A

warm, humid air masses that have clouds and result in precipitation (rain/snow) especially when the low pressure hits a high pressure system.

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36
Q

What is an radiosonde?

A

An instrument meteorologists use to study the earth’s atmosphere. (Weather balloon)

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37
Q

How does a Riosonde work?

A

Probes the atmosphere, taking measurements of wind speed and direction, temperature and humidity. Information committed back to weather station using radio signals.

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38
Q

How does a radiosonde work?

A

Probes the atmosphere, taking measurements of wind speed and direction, temperature and humidity. Information committed back to weather station using radio signals.

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39
Q

What makes a Radiosonde rise?

A

Balloons are filled with hydrogen on helium.

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40
Q

How high can radiosonde rise?

A

As high as 32 km (four times higher than Mt. Everest)

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41
Q

How long does it take the radios one to fall to earth after balloon bursts?

A

30 minutes

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42
Q

How many radios ones are released worldwide daily?

A

800 twice every day

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43
Q

How many weather stations are there in Canada from where radios ones are released?

A

50 weather stations.

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44
Q

What is the Coriolis force?

A

The earth’s spin generates a force called coriolis force which deflects the wind.

45
Q

Describe Prevailing Easterlies winds

A

From the latitudes 30’ south to 30’ north the winds deflected from the east. Also called Trade winds

46
Q

Describe prevailing westerlies winds

A

In the middle latitudes (30’ to 60’n and 30’ to 60’s) the air is deflected to the east from the west to produce the prevailing winds

47
Q

What is used to describe winds?

A

Strength (speed at which the blow) & direction

48
Q

What are gusts?

A

Short bursts of high speed winds

49
Q

What do you call winds that blow non stop for around one minute?

A

Squalls

50
Q

Name winds that last longer than one minute.

A

Breeze, gale, storm, hurricane & typhoon.

51
Q

What is a weather vane? How does it work?

A

Wind measuring tool. It pivots in the wind showing which way the wind is coming from.

52
Q

What is a wind sock? How does it work?

A

Used to indicate wind direction & estimate wind speed. Are made of tube thin material which blows easily in the wind.

53
Q

What is an anemometer?

A

Precise wind measurement tool.

54
Q

How does an anemometer work?

A

Has cups mounted on arms that pivot. The faster the wind blows the faster the cups spin.

55
Q

What is the empirical measure of speed called?

A

Beaufort wind force scale

56
Q

Who created the Beaufort wind force scale & when?

A

Sir Francis Beaufort in 1805

57
Q

How many original levels did the Beaufort scale have? How many was it expanded to in the 1940 s?

A

13 original levels expanded to 17 levels.

The levels originally coincided with the number of turns out an anemometer.

58
Q

List Canada’s maritime winds forecast.

A

6-7 strong
8-9 gale force
10-11 storm force
12 hurricane force

59
Q

Who issues wind warnings in Canada?

A

Environment Canada’s meteorological service.

60
Q

What are clouds made up of?

A

Tiny water droplets called cloud droplets which are 100 times smaller than rain drops.

61
Q

How do droplets form?

A

They are formed when water vapour condenses around tiny particles of dust in sky.

62
Q

Who first classified clouds based on their appearance and altitude? What year?

A

English man Luke Howard in the winter of 1802 - 1803.

63
Q

What does the

Latin prefix “cirro” refer to?

A

High clouds which are at least 6250 meters above earth.

64
Q

What does The Latin prefix “alto” refer to?

A

Mid level clouds between 1 875 and 6 250 meters above the earth.

65
Q

What are the three cloud shapes Howard identified?

A

Cumulus, stratus, cirrus

66
Q

Describe Cumulus clouds.

A

Fairly vertical fluffy clouds, that appear alone in lines or in clusters

67
Q

Describe Stratus Clouds.

A

Clouds that are flat, horizontally layered clouds that usually cover most of the sky.

68
Q

Describe Cirrus Clouds.

A

Clouds that are wispy and feathery like a stretched out cotton ball.

69
Q

What does the prefix ‘nimbo’ or ‘nimbus’ describe?

A

used to identify clouds that produce precipitation.

70
Q

How can clouds be different colors? Explain

A

The water droplets that make up clouds can reflect scatter light from the sun.
White Clouds - water droplets are reflecting all of the colors of light to your eyes.
Candy colored clouds - clouds scatter sunlight, making beautiful sunsets and sunrises.
Dull grey- clouds are thick and light cannot pass through.

71
Q

What is humidity? Give example

A

Amount of water vapour in air. Dew, frost and that muggy feeling on hot days are examples.

72
Q

How are people affected by humidity?

A

When humidity increases, evaporation of sweat decreases. In extreme cases can result in heat stroke.

73
Q

What is the device that takes moisture out of the air?

A

dehumidifier

74
Q

What are the key components of the Earths water cycle?

A

precipitation, condensation, evaporation.

75
Q

What are different kinds of precipitation?

A

drizzle, rain, snow, sleet & hail

76
Q

Describe Rain

A

In clouds, small water droplets bump into each other to form larger droplets which eventually become so heavy that they fall to Earth.

77
Q

What size to raindrops range?

A

0.1 mm - 9mm

78
Q

How do snow crystals form?

A

Cloud droplets become super cooled and form a six sided crystal lattice. As the snow crystals bump into water droplets in the clouds, they crystals grow bigger. When they get heavy enough they fall to earth.

79
Q

Who is Wilson Alwyn Bentley?

A

(1865-1931) He photographed thousands of snowflakes using a microscope. His photographs played an important role in our understanding of snowflake types.

80
Q

How is hail formed?

A

Ice crystals fall to the Earth on warm days, rising warm air masses within the clouds push water droplets back up into the atmosphere numerous times forcing ice crystals to rise and fall, they gather together and grow forming hailstones.

81
Q

What size is hail?

A

hail has a diameter of 5mm or more and some size of golf balls.

82
Q

Describe Ice pellets? how do they form?

A

small translucent balls of ice, typically smaller than hail. Ice pellets form when there is a layer of warmer air between two layers of colder air. Snowflakes formed in the upper layer of air partially melt as they fall throg

83
Q

What is adiabatic cooling?

A

Rising air that has been heated by the radiation of the Sun on the Earth’s surface that expands and cools at is rises.

84
Q

What is adiabatic cooling caused by?

A

By decreases in pressure, not loss of heat.

85
Q

Describe the Equatorial region.

A

Where the sunlight hits the Earth at a right angle and it receives a lot of sunlight in a small concentrated area.

86
Q

Describe the Polar region.

A

Where the sunlight hits the earth a shallow angle and receives the same amount of sunlight but spread over a much larger area, making it much less concentrated.

87
Q

Why does the earth has seasons?

A

Because the earth’s axis is tilted at a fixed angle of 23.5’.

88
Q

Why can the north star always be used to find north in the northern hemisphere?

A

The northern end of the Earth’s axis always points to the same place in space.

89
Q

What day is the Summer Solstice?

A

June 21

90
Q

Which direction is the North Hemisphere tilted towards during the summer?

A

Towards the sun (days are longer)

91
Q

How many hours of daylight is there above the Artic Circle at Summer Solstice?

A

24hrs.

92
Q

Which direction is the North Hemisphere tilted towards during the Winter?

A

Away from the sun (days are shorter)

93
Q

At Spring Equinox(Vernal) & Autumnal Equinox where is the Northern Hemisphere tilted?

A

not towards nor away from the sun. Days & Nights are the same length.

94
Q

Describe the air in the Polar Regions.

A

Air is very dry(contains little moisture) due to extremely cold temperatures.

95
Q

Which Polar region, the Southern or North Hemisphere has the most ice sheets?

A

Southern Hemisphere, the ice sheets cover the entire continent of Antarctica.

96
Q

What are the Polar Ice caps?

A

In the Arctic Circle, the Arctic Ocean itself freezes to form sea ice.

97
Q

What is the greenhouse effect?

A

Natural phenomenon that causes the temperature of the Earth to be warmer than it otherwise would be.

98
Q

What is the temperature of the earth determined by?

A

By the amount of incoming solar radiation and the amount of outgoing long wave infrared radiation from the Earth to space.

99
Q

What is solar radiation?

A

Energy from the sun.

100
Q

What is long wave infrared radiation?

A

Energy on the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum.

101
Q

Name some common greenhouse gases.

A

Carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane, nitrous oxide.

102
Q

What percentage of the air are atmospheric greenhouse gases?

A

less than 0.1%

103
Q

What important role does the natural greenhouse gases play in maintaining the Earth’s climate?

A

Without them the average temperature of the planet would be 18’C cooler that the earth’s temperature today. If the average temperature increases or decreases too much it may no longer be suitable for humans to live on.

104
Q

What human activities appear to be affecting the natural greenhouse gas effect?

A

Burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, agriculture and industry.

105
Q

What is global warming?

A

Warming of the entire planet due to the process of enhanced greenhouse effect.

106
Q

What percentage has the concentrations of carbon dioxides in the atmosphere increased by over the last 300 years?

A

30%

107
Q

How are some ways scientists can determine that global warming is occurring?

A

keeping a record of the Earth’s temperature and to examine how the planets surface is changing.

108
Q

What is permafrost?

A

permanently frozen ground

Science Challenge 2015 (8 decks)

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