Intro To Meteorology Flashcards
The study of the earths atmosphere
Meteorology
The envelope of gasses surrounding the earth
Atmosphere
___% ______ supports respiration,combustion/burning, and oxidation
21% oxygen
___% _____> inactive gas that has the purpose of diluting the amount of oxygen
78% nitrogen
__% ___________>hydrogen, carbon dioxide, helium
1% many other gases
A long time ago people thought the aurora borealis was an omen of ____
Disaster
The atmosphere protects life on earth in 2 ways
- Traps heat from the sun to sustain life
2. Shields earth from ultra violent radiation and burns up meteoroids
Mixture of the gases up to 50 miles
Homosphere
Layers of gases above 50 miles seperated by their density>heaviest is nitrogen at the bottom
Heterosphere
Lowest layer up to 10 miles where weather occurs> temps vary but will definitely decrease with attitude=the lapse rate-drops 3.5 every 1,000 feet up to 6.8 miles then steady at -67*
Troposphere
Second layer extending up to 31 miles>temp increases as you go up-67* to 32* at the top
Stratosphere
Weather is so complex that it is impossible to predict it more than ____ in advance
2 weeks
The energy in a large thunder storm can be greater than the destructive power of an ____ ____
Atomic bomb
One lightning bolt can contain 100 million volts and can scorch the air to a temperature of 50,000 degrees which is __ times hotter than he surface of the sun
5
Troposphere means sphere of ____
Change
Stratosphere means sphere of ____
Layers
Today we have ___ international satellites in orbit watching the weather
17
One third of the United States ____ depends on weather analysis
Economy
Third layer up to 50 miles> now temp decreases again to -130>has high winds in many directions
Mesosphere
Fourth layer up to 400miles> no shelter from solar radiation= very hot> extremely cold at night
Thermosphere
Part of the stratosphere>ozone has absorbs harmful ultraviolet light
Ozone layer
Part of the thermosphere electrical charges of gases allows reflection of radio waves=used to transmit the waves over long distances>microwave over is not affected by this & is used to communicate with satellites & spacecraft
Ionosphere
Atomic particles trapped in the earths magnetic field>protects us from cosmetic & solar radiation causes that aurora borealis= northern lights
Magnetosphere
Measure of the suns energy reaches the earth>roughly 60 to 75%
Solar constant
The process of earth absorbing the suns radiation and then warming the air through infrared radiation
Green house effect
The gases in the atmosphere that absorb the suns radiation and emit infrared radiation heating the air carbon dioxide/water vapor=green house gasses
Green house gases
The process by which of transferring infrared radiation
Conduction
Process by which energy is carried from one place to another=hot air is lighter=rises=replaced by cold air=wind & weather
Convection
Is still forming Alaska
Glaciers and volcanoes
It must be ____ and the sky must be ____
Dark, clear
The northern lights are ________ from the ____
Charged particles, sun
They are limited in supply and will __ __
Run out
Burning them releases harmful wastes and
Gases
Without a normal greenhouse effect our planet would be ___ degrees colder
60
The condition in the atmosphere at any given time
Temperature
Weight of gases in the atmosphere
Atmospheric pressure
The amount of water vapor in the air
Humidity
Total amount of water vapor a certain volume of air holds
Absolute
The ratio of the amount of water the air does hold compared to the amount of water it can hold at a certain temperature
Relative
Direction (from where it is coming from)> wind increasing the effectiveness of airs ability to evaporate moisture
Wind speed
Water that falls from the sky to the surface
Precipitation
