Final Exam 9th Earth Science Flashcards
What is the composition of the atmosphere?
Carbon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Water Vapor, Nitrogen, Oxygen and Argon
How is the atmosphere divided into layers?
Temperature Difference
What are the Four layers of the atmosphere?
Troposphere,,Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
Name a feature of each layer of the atmosphere?
Troposphere-Lowest layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, contains 80% of the total mass of the atmosphere. Stratosphere- above the tropopause a clear dry layer. Mesosphere- Very little ozone so temperatures drop Thermosphere-atmosphere’s fourth layer, thin but intense sun radiation causes temperatures above 1000ºC
What is the greenhouse effect?
The absorption and retention of the suns radiation by a planets atmosphere, resulting in an increase in surface temperature.
What device is used to measure air pressure?
Barometer
How is temperature affected by changes in altitude?
as the sun begins to heat the surface of the planet, the heat rises up. However, the coldness of space also sinks into the planet at thinner and thinner atmospheres thus, as the coldness of space sinks, and the heat rises, the higher up you go, the colder it becomes.
Explain the three types of energy transfer.
Conduction-ot atoms or molecules or electrons rattle around more than cold ones. As they bump into each other, the hot ones tend to transfer energy to the cold ones. So heat flows from hot regions to cold ones. Convection-In liquids and gases, usually the density depends on temperature. Usually the hotter stuff is less dense. Gravity makes denser stuff sink and cooler stuff rise. If there’s something hot (like a stove burner) below something cold (like a pot of water) this convection helps carry that hot stuff up into the cold regions. The circulating flow patterns can also carry heat sideways, as in the space between a window and a storm window. Radiation-The hotter something is, the more electromagnetic radiation it gives off. Very hot things, like the sun or a glowing burner, give off radiation that we can even see (light). So the net flow of radiation energy is from the hot regions to the cold ones.
What causes hot air to rise and cold air to sink?
When you heat a material, the particles start to move around more. In the case of a gas, this means that the particles will be more likely to move apart, which causes the density to decrease. Cold means particles move less and therefore become more dense
Where would you expect air to be rising, near the equator or near the poles?
The air at the equator is warmer, and so it expands, or rises. It is colder at the poles, and so it contracts, or sinks.
Where would you expect air to be sinking, near the equator or near the poles?
It is colder at the poles, and so it contracts, or sinks.
What is wind?
Wind is moving air and is caused by differences in air pressure within our atmosphere. Air under high pressure moves toward areas of low pressure. The greater the difference in pressure, the faster the air flows.
What is the Coriolis Effect and what causes it?
The effect of Earth’s rotation that causes the deflection of moving objects toward the right in the Northern atmosphere and toward the left in the Southern atmosphere.
What is the jet stream?
A high altitude air current forms a narrow band of very strong westerly winds flowing above the middle latitudes
How could the jet stream be beneficial to a traveler?
Flying with the flow can shorten flight time.
Define relative humidity.
Comparing the actual amount of water vapor present in the air with the maximum amount of water vapor capable of being present in the air at a given temperature and pressure.
How does the temperature affect the amount of water vapor in the air?
Hot air can hold more water.
What happens when air cools to its dew point?
Dew forms
What is the relative humidity if the air is totally saturated?
100%
What is a cumulonimbus cloud?
A dense towering vertical cloud associated with thunderstorms and atmospheric instability, forming from water vapor carried by powerful upward air currents. Cumulonimbus may form alone, in clusters, or along cold front squall lines
What is an air mass and how does it get its characteristics?
A large body of air in the lower sphere with similar characteristics throughout. Its temperature and humidity depend on where it originated, the poles or tropics.
What causes air masses in the United States to move?
The changes in temperature due to seasons
What is a weather front?
The boundary that separates opposing air fronts.
What would the weather be like if a front was headed towards Coatesville?
There would be precipitation.
