CYS Atmosphere and climate Flashcards
El nino
Trade winds weaken
Warm water is pushed east
Peaks around December
La Nina
Strong trade winds
Warm water toward Asia
lead to severe hurricane season
Acronym for lvls of atmosphere from bottom
Tiny soldiers make tents exponentially
What are the layers of the atmosphere from the bottom
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
Exosphere
Which way does the earth spin
counterclockwise
What is the Coriolis effect?
The Coriolis Effect is an effect that causes planes and air currents to travel long distances around earth seem to appear to move at a curve rather than a straight line
Which way does the Coriolis effect push winds in the northern hemisphere
Counterclockwise
Which way does the Coriolis effect push winds in the southern hemisphere
Clockwise
What determines how much the wind bends
Temp of sea and atmosphere
What way do hurricanes go in the northern hemisphere
Clockwise
What is a jet stream
Jet streams are very strong winds in the upper parts of the atmosphere. (5 to 7 miles)
In which ways do jet streams move?
In the northern hemisphere, it moves west to east and can shift north to south depending on the season
What does the atmosphere do
Absorb radiation and moderates climate
percent gasses in the atmosphere
78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% other
Atmospheric pressure decreases with what
Altitude
What does temp vary with
location and time
Troposphere qualities
breathing weather
dense (little ozone)
79-80% earth’s air mass
10km 70 miles
78% Nitrogen
21% oxygen
Stratosphere qualities
Colder in lower regions
UV radiation
Ozone
“global sunscreen”
Mesosphere
low air pressure
coldest
ice clouds
temp decrease with altitude
meteors burn
Thermosphere
x-rays from sun
temp increases hottest
aurora borealis
Exosphere
low density
H and He
What causes acid rain
NO2 and SO2 Nitrogen dioxide and Sulfur Dioxide become nitric and sulfuric acid
Examples of NO2
vehicle emissions
Coal pwr plants
Examples of SO2
metal factories
diesel fuel
