Lecture 5 The Atmosphere

Question 1

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.

Answer 1

heterosphere

Question 2

Below the heterosphere is the _______, extending from an altitude of 80 km to Earth’s surface.

Answer 2

homosphere

Question 3

______ gases in the atmosphere change over time and space (ie, water vapour, CO2, methane, ozone)

Answer 3

Variable

Question 4

______ is a byproduct of photosynthesis found it the atmosphere.

Answer 4

Oxygen

Question 5

True or False: Argon is unusable in life processes

Answer 5

True

Question 6

______ originates from volcanic sources, and originates from lightning

Answer 6

Nitrogen

Question 7

______ are liquids and solids (but not water

or ice), that are suspended in the atmosphere.

Answer 7

Aerosols

Question 8

What gas is causing increasing temperatures.

Answer 8

CO2

Question 9

Where does CO2 primarily come from

Answer 9

deforestation and burning of fossil fuels

Question 10

______ concentrations fluctuate naturally (carbon dioxide is more soluble in cold water,
atmospheric concentrations tend to be lower during periods of continental
glaciation)

Answer 10

CO2

Question 11

______ 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

Answer 11

Ozone

Question 12

_____ is produced from anaerobic decomposition and human industrial activities

Answer 12

Methane

Question 13

The _______ (“heat sphere”) roughly corresponds to the heterosphere (from 80 km out to 480 km). The upper limit of the thermosphere is the ______.

Answer 13

Thermosphere, thermopause

Question 14

The ______ is the area from 50 to 80 km above Earth and is within the homosphere.

Answer 14

mesosphere

Question 15

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.

Answer 15

mesosphere, noctilucent

Question 16

The ______ extends from about 18 to 50 km above Earth’s surface.

Answer 16

Stratosphere

Question 17

True or False: As you increase in altitude, temperature increases in the stratosphere.

Answer 17

True

Question 18

Where is the ozone located?

Answer 18

Stratosphere

Question 19

______ is 80% of the mass of the atmosphere, a turbulent well mixed layer , has large and rapid transfers of water vapour and temperature decreases.

Answer 19

Troposphere

Question 20

Auroras are produced in what sphere?

Answer 20

Thermosphere

Question 21

The \_\_\_\_\_\_ (mesosphere and
thermosphere) absorbs Gamma and X-ray radiation and the \_\_\_\_\_ (stratosphere) absorbs UV radiation.

Answer 21

ionosphere, ozonosphere

Question 22

_______ is emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen causing negative impact on aquatic ecosystems

Answer 22

Acid deposition

Question 23

The loss of ______ in the stratosphere was due to chemical reactions between
ozone gas with CFCs and similar compounds. CFCs are synthetic compounds
developed for use in refrigeration and as propellants in aerosol cans among other uses.

Answer 23

ozone

Question 24

______ air pollution remains most prevalent in urbanized regions.

Answer 24

Anthropogenic

Question 25

______ is still the largest source of air pollution in Canada and the United States

Answer 25

Motor vehicle transportation

Question 26

______ results from the interaction of sunlight and the combustion products in automobile exhaust, primarily nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as hydrocarbons that evaporate from gasoline.

Answer 26

Photochemical smog`

Question 27

The high temperatures in automobile engines produce ______, a chemical also emitted to a lesser extent from power plants.

Answer 27

nitrogen dioxide

Question 28

Air pollution associated with coal-burning industries is known as ______ and the Sulphur dioxide can react in the air to form
Sulphuric Acid. Fine particulate matter can penetrate deeply into the lungs. .

Answer 28

Industrial smog

Question 29

The weather conditions that contribute to photochemical smog pollution are:

Answer 29

• Hot sunny weather
• Calm or light winds
• Temperature inversion (temperature rises in inversion layer)

Question 30

The diverse mixture of fine particles, both solid and liquid, that pollute the air and affect human health is referred to as ____.

Answer 30

particulate matter (PM)

Question 31

What are natural factors that affect pollutants?

Answer 31

Winds, landscape (ie, mountains form barrier to air movement)

Question 32

True or False: Global estimates suggest approximately 4 million
premature deaths occur each year due to poor air quality.

Answer 32

True