Lecture 5 The Atmosphere Flashcards
The ______ is the outer atmosphere in terms of composition. It begins at about 80 km altitude and extends outward to the exosphere and interplanetary space. Less than 0.001% of the atmosphere’s mass is in this rarefied sphere.
heterosphere
Below the heterosphere is the _______, extending from an altitude of 80 km to Earth’s surface.
homosphere
______ gases in the atmosphere change over time and space (ie, water vapour, CO2, methane, ozone)
Variable
______ is a byproduct of photosynthesis found it the atmosphere.
Oxygen
True or False: Argon is unusable in life processes
True
______ originates from volcanic sources, and originates from lightning
Nitrogen
______ are liquids and solids (but not water
or ice), that are suspended in the atmosphere.
Aerosols
What gas is causing increasing temperatures.
CO2
Where does CO2 primarily come from
deforestation and burning of fossil fuels
______ concentrations fluctuate naturally (carbon dioxide is more soluble in cold water,
atmospheric concentrations tend to be lower during periods of continental
glaciation)
CO2
______ is present in the stratosphere where it is produced from a photochemical reaction with
ultraviolet radiation
• stratospheric _____ is broken down by synthetic refrigerants such as CFCs
(chlorofluorocarbons)
• also present near ground level where it is a component of photochemical smog, as a
ground level pollutant it has a negative impact
Ozone
_____ is produced from anaerobic decomposition and human industrial activities
Methane
The _______ (“heat sphere”) roughly corresponds to the heterosphere (from 80 km out to 480 km). The upper limit of the thermosphere is the ______.
Thermosphere, thermopause
The ______ is the area from 50 to 80 km above Earth and is within the homosphere.
mesosphere
In the ______, at high latitudes, an observer at night may see these bands of ice crystals glow in rare and unusual ______clouds, which are so high in altitude that they still catch sunlight after sunset.
mesosphere, noctilucent