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