final Flashcards
what is weather?
short-lived, local patterns temperature and precipitation due to circulation of the troposphere
what is climate?
long term patterns of temperature and precipitation
what is the atmosphere composed of?
nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, aerosols-minute, suspended particles and droplets
what is the troposphere?
layer of atmosphere closest to earth, 18km-8km, convection currents redistribute heat and moisture around the globe
what is tropopause?
boundary that limits mixing between the troposphere and upper zones as air stops rising
what is the stratosphere?
from tropopause-50km, almost no water vapor, 1000x more ozone
what are roles of the ozone?
absorbs UV light which warms upper stratosphere, protect earth from radiation,
what substances are depleting the ozone?
freon and bromine
what is the mesophere
middle layer where temperature diminishes between mesosphere and thermosphere
what is the thermosphere?
80 km, ionized gases and high temperature
how are the northern lights or aurora borealis created?
lower thermosphere ions are struck by high energy radiation creating lights
what happens to the solar energy that reaches the outer atmosphere?
.25 is reflected by the clouds and atmosphere, .25 absorbed by atmosphere, .5 reaches earth surface, some of the energy on earth is reflected by snow, ice, sand, water
what does albedo mean?
reflectivity
what is the highest reflectivity?
fresh snow
what type of solar energy reaches the earth most often?
infrared
what type of energy is reemitted by the earth?
mainly infrared (long wavelength, heat)
what is the greenhouse effect?
natural phenomena where the atmosphere transmits sunlight while trapping heat; process supports life
what are greenhouse gases?
gases in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrogen, methane, and substances that retain heat
what happens when burning fossil fuels?
releases extra carbon diozide
what destroys carbon sinks?
deforestation
what is latent heat?
energy stored in water vapor; when water vapor condenses heat is released
what happens when latent heat is released?
air rises, cools, and lose more water vapor causing precipitation
warm air close to the equator and cold air at the poles cause?
pressure differences that cause weather
vertical convection currents are created when?
air near surface warms and becomes less dense than the air above it; rises above cool air
when air is rising?
low pressure
when air is sinking?
high pressure
what are winds?
movement of air from high to to pressure
why does it rain?
air cools as it rises, water condenses as air cools, pressure decreases as air rises causing cooling, condensation nuclei have to exist; rain
what are circulation cells?
as air warms and rises and moves northward, it sinks and rises in several intermediate bands
what is the Coriolis effect?
winds and currents move clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere
what is a monsoon?
seasonal reversal of winds caused by differential heating and cooling rates of oceans and continents (subtropical and tropical areas)
what is a cold front?
boundary formed when cooler air pushes warm air away, cold air is more dense, tends to hug grounds and push warm air up, warm air cools= strong thunderstorms
what is a warm front?
boundary formed when warm air slides over cooler air, warm air is less dense and slides over cool air,long wedge shaped clouds, bring drizzle
what is a cyclonic storm?
water vapor is abundant; latent heat released by condensation intensifies convection currents and draws up more warm air and water vapor
what is essential for a storm cell to exist?
temperature differences
what is a tornado?
swirling funnel clouds over land, generated by superell frontal systems where strong dry cold fronts collide with warm humid air, greater temperature differences = more tornadoes
what are ice cores?
air bubbles trapped in ice, analyzed for atmospheric conditions
what is the milankovitch cycles?
period shifts in earth’s orbit and tilt which change distribution and intensity of sunlight
what is the pacific decadal oscillation?
very large pool of warm water moving back and forth across the north pacific every 30 years
what is the IPCC?
international group of scientists and governmental representatives from 130 countries formed to review the scientific evidence for climate change
carbon dioxide?
emissions doubled from 1970 to 2010, due to burning fossil fuels
methane?
ruminants and rice paddies are sources, absorbs more energy than CO2
nitrous oxide?
vehicle engines, agricultural processes, effective capture heat energy,
how to fight climate change?
implement emissions trading, technology sharing with LDC, reduce deforestation, help poor countries
carbon trading
legal limits on emissions are set and countries that want to emit more must purchase emission credits from others - KYOTO
natural sources of air pollution?
volcanoes, sea spray, vegetation, dust storms, bacterial metabolism
US clean air act designated six maximum air levels for?
sulfur dioxide, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, ozone,lead, particulates
what is a primary pollutant?
released directly from the source
what is a secondary pollutant?
converted to hazardous form after entering the air and mixing with other air components
what are fugitive emissions?
do not go through smokestack, dust from strop mining, rock crushing, building construction/destruction
what is the ozone?
o3 layer in the stratosphere shields biosphere by absorbing incoming UV raditation
ozone in the troposphere?
pollutant, acrid, biting odor characteristic of photochemical smog, damages vegetation and buildings
lead?
2/3 all metallic air pollution, neurotoxin, children blood levels dropped 90% and IQ rose3 points
mercury
dangerous neurotoxin, 75% human exposure comes from eating fish
what are halogens?
(fluorine, chlorine, bromine) CFCs release chlorine and fluorine in the stratosphere deplete ozone
aerosol?
solid particles or liquid droplets suspended in the atmosphere, particulate material, ash, soot, lint, smoke, pollen, spores, reduce visibility, enter lungs to cause damage
volatile organic compounds?
organic chemical, generally oxidized to CO and CO2, plants are largest source
what does toxic release inventory require?
manufacturers to report toxin release and waste management
aesthetic degradation
noise, odor, light pollution; reduce quality of life increasing stress, light pollution,
temperature inversions
occur when a stable layer of air lies above cooler air, reversing normal temperature decline with increasing height and prevents convection currents from polluatants
chronic obstructive lung disease?
which airways become permanently constricted and alveoli are damaged or destroyed; irreversible
synergistic effects?
injury caused by the combination is more than the sum of the individual exposures
acid percipitation
deposition of wet acidic solutions or dry acidic particles from the air
how to reducing production?
conservation, particulate removal, sulfur removal, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbon control