Chapter 4 Flashcards
Tropopause
The buffer layer between the troposphere and stratosphere temperature no longer decreases with altitude it flips and increases with altitude
Stratosphere
Above the Troposphere, the Ozone layer is in this atmosphere. The Ozone traps the high energy radiation of the sun holding some heat protecting the Troposphere and Earth’s surface from this radiation which is why temperature increases 20-50 Km from Earth’s surface
Mesosphere
80 KM above Earth’s surface the area where meteors usually burn up
Thermosphere
Thinnest gas layer located hundred and 110 KM above earth. Auroras is take place and space shuttles orbit also known as the Ionosphere
Ionosphere
Another name for the thermosphere they’re called ionosphere because of the ionization that takes place in this region. This region absorbs most of the energetic charged particles such as protons and electrons (solar wind) from the sun. It reflects radio waves that make long-distance radio communication possible
Weather
Day to day properties a.k.a. wind speed, direction, temperature, amount of sunlight, pressure and humidity
Climate
Constant patterns that prevail for 30 or more years
Meteorologist
Scientists who study climate and weather
prevailing winds
Belts of air that distributes heat and moisture unevenly
Convection currents
When solar energy warms earth surface. They he is transferred to the atmosphere by radiation heating. The warming gases expand and become less dense and rises creating vertical currents a.k.a. convection currents. (they hold lots of moisture compared to the surrounding air) as these large masses of warm moist air rises cool air flows along Earth’s surface into the area where the warm air was located. This flowing air is one way that surface winds are created.
Horizontal Airflow
Is one way that surface winds are created
Dewpoint
Is when warm moist air rises into cooler atmospheres where it cools to dew point. It is the temperature at which water vapor condenses into liquid water
Precipitation
When condensation drops get so big they can no longer be held by the convection in Earth’s atmosphere and fall
Convection Cell
Is one air warms and gatherers moisture causing it to rise then the water vapor condenses to liquid (condensation and precipitation occur). He is released into space and cool dry air is a knitted the denser air descends (cool dry air) the air is then pushed by surface winds across the warm grounds and the process repeats
Hadley Cells
starts it’s cycle over the equator wear warm moist air evaporates and rises in the atmosphere the precipitation in the region is one cause of the abundant Equatorial rainforests. The cold dry air then descend about 30° south and north of the equator forming the belts of the desert scene around earth at those latitudes and the cycle repeats.
Wind
air that is moving as the result of the unequal heating of Earth’s atmosphere. Part of the earths circulatory system moves: heat, moisture, soil, pollution around the planet
Trade Winds
blow between 30° latitude at the equator are steady and strong and travel at about the speed of about 11–13 mph
North East Tradewinds
trade winds that blow from the north east
South East Tradewinds
trade winds that blow from the south east
Westerly
moving air mass moves south and west in the northern hemisphere and north and west in the southern hemisphere near the equator. The movement of air that accounts for the westerlies is the Ferrell sell opposite of the Hadley cell.
Polar easterlies
winds that blow between latitudes of 60° at the north pole and winds that blow between latitudes of 60° at the south pole, they blow between the south and east
Horse latitudes
the region in between 30° to 35° north and 30° and 35° south of the equator
Doldrums
still air near the equator (because air at these locations is constantly rising and is not blowing) exist between 5° north and 5° south of the equator known as the ITCZ
Jet Stream
(moving air mass) high – speed currents of when that occur in the upper troposphere