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Weather, Climate & Global Environmental Change > Midterm 1 > Flashcards

Midterm 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Difference between the Homosphere and Heterosphere

A

Homosphere= lower 80km of atmosphere and it’s permanent gases form a constant composition of the dry atmosphere

Heterosphere= above the homos, and it has lighter gases dominant at higher altitudes

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2
Q

What are the 3 dominant permanent gases that make up 99.9% of the Homosphere, and what common one does it not have?

A

1) nitrogen, N2, 78.1%
2) oxygen, O2, 20.9%
3) argon, Ar, 0.9%

It does not have water vapour, hence dry atmosphere

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3
Q

What are 2 carbon sinks

A

phytoplankton and forests

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4
Q

What are the 4 other main gases that make up the remaining 0.9% of the homosphere?

A

carbon dioxide, CO2
methane, CH4
aerosols
ozone, O3

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5
Q

Where is most of the atmospheres water vapour found?

A

the lower 5km of the homosphere

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6
Q

How is methane, CH4, produced

A

cattle farts
burning fossil fuels
thawing permafrost

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7
Q

What are variable gases? Give 3 examples

A

gases that are dispersed throughout the homosphere

water vapour, ozone, aerosols

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8
Q

What are aerosols? What is the normal concentration?

A

small solid particles & liquid droplets in the air that are formed naturally or by humans

10,000 particles/cm3

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9
Q

What is ozone, O3, how is it formed, what does it do, where is it found, how can it be bad, how do humans increase ozone concentrations?

A

ozone occurs when 3 oxygen molecules join together

ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, and converts it into heat energy. Keeps the Earth at a liveable temperature

most ozone is in the stratosphere

ozone in the upper atmosphere= good
ozone in the lower atmosphere= pollutant

motor vehicles exhaust increases ozone concentrations in the lower atmosphere

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10
Q

Weather vs Climate

A

weather is the condition of the atmosphere at any time or space

climate is the average range of weather over time in an area, in Canada based on last 30 years

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11
Q

Atmospheric Pressure

A

measure, in millabars (mb), of the weight of the atmosphere’s gases

gas exerts mass and therefore also pressure

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12
Q

What is the atmospheric mass at sea level?

A

1000 mb

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13
Q

How many g(gas)/cm3(Earth’s surface) = 1 mb

A

1000 g/cm3 = 1 mb

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14
Q

Troposphere

A

lowest 12km of the atmosphere
temperatures decrease with increasing altitude
most weather takes place here
thinnest layer yet contains 80% atmospheric mass

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15
Q

What is the environmental lapse rate (ELR)?

A

decrease in the troposphere’s temperature by 6.5*c/km is ELR

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16
Q

Stratosphere

A

20-50km of the atmosphere
temperatures increase with attitude until it reaches -2*c
heated by absorption of ultraviolet radiation
19.9% of atmospheric mass

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17
Q

How much of the total atmospheric mass does the troposphere and stratosphere make up?

A

99.9%

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18
Q

Mesosphere

A

50-80km of the atmosphere
temperatures decrease with increasing altitude
make sup 99.9% of the remaining 0.1% of atmospheric mass

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19
Q

Thermosphere

A

80-500km of the atmosphere
temperatures increase with increasing altitude until it reaches >1000*c
very light gases
makes up 0.1% of the remaining 0.1% of atmospheric mass

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20
Q

What are the layers of the atmosphere in order?

A

1) troposphere
2) stratosphere
3) mesosphere
4) thermosphere

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21
Q

Temperature vs Heat

A

temperature is the measure of the average speed of atoms & molecules

heat is the energy that is being transferred from an area of high heat energy to low heat energy

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22
Q

Does the thermosphere have low of high temperature & heat?

A

thermosphere has high temperature but low heat (light gases are sparse and don’t make a lot of contact)

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23
Q

What is the first law of thermodynamics?

A

energy can be transferred from systems but cannot be created or destroyed

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24
Q

What is the second law of thermodynamics?

A

heat can never move from a cold mass to a warm mass

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25
Q

What is the third law of thermodynamics?

A

if all thermal motion of molecules (kinetic energy) could be removed, a state called ‘absolute zero’ would occur (0K or -273.3*c)

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26
Q

What are the 4 forms of energy

A

potential energy is the energy of a body at rest and can be transform into another type of energy

kinetic energy is energy due to motion

electromagnetic energy is energy stored in electromagnetic waves or radiation

thermal or heat energy is the internal energy of an object due to the kinetic energy of its atoms and/or molecules

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27
Q

What are 3 types of energy transfer?

A

conduction is the movement of heat through a substance without movement of molecules in the direction of heat transfer

convection is the transfer of heat by mixing a fluid done by movement of particles

radiation is energy emitted by anything with thermal energy (high->low energy areas)

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28
Q

In what latitude is more radiation received than released?

A

lower latitudes receive more radiation than released

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29
Q

Latitudinal boundary

A

the boundary between a net excess and a net deficit is at 38*c

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30
Q

During the Northern Hemispheres summer, most areas North of 15* South (15*) have a ______ of energy

A

surplus

31
Q

During the Northern Hemispheres winter, most areas South of 15* North (-15*) have a ______ of energy

A

surplus

32
Q

Advection vs Convection

A

advection is a horizontal transfer of energy
global winds 75%
oceanic currents 25%

convection is a vertical transfer of energy

33
Q

What is the radiation energy balance of the Earth’s surface?

A

Q=K+L*

K=K^-Kv L=L^-Lv

34
Q

What is the heat energy balance of the Earth’s surface?

A

Q*=QH+QE+QG

QH= sensible heat, convection 
QE= latent heat, convection only
QG= sensible heat, conduction
35
Q

Perihelion

A

January 3rd, when the Earth is the closest to the Sun at 1.47x10^8km (147 million km)

36
Q

Aphelion

A

July 3rd, when the Earth is the furthest from the Sun at 1.52x10^8km (152 million km)

37
Q

How much closer is the Earth to the sun during the Perihelion, and how much does radiation increase?

A

Earth is 3% closer and radiation increases by 7%

38
Q

What degree is the Earth tilted, where is it always facing?

A

23.5*

always facing Polaris (North star)

39
Q

Summer Solstice

A

June 22nd, maximum tilt of the Northern Hemisphere towards the Sun, 16.5 hours of sunlight

40
Q

Winter Solstice

A

December 21st, maximum tilt of the Southern Hemisphere towards the Sun, 8 hours of sunlight

41
Q

What 2 days does all of the Earth have 12 hours of sunlight and darkness?

A

spring equinox, March 21st

autumnal equinox, September 21st

42
Q

Where can you see the sun 90* directly above you?

A

at a latitude, at 23.5* North or South

43
Q

Tropic of Cancer

A

23.5* North

44
Q

Tropic of Capricorn

A

23.5* South or -23.5* South

45
Q

Solar declination

A

the latitudinal position where the sun is at 90*

46
Q

Solar noon

A

a time in the day when the sun is at it’s peak height

47
Q

What is the solar declination for tropic of cancer?

A

23.5* North

48
Q

What is the solar declination for tropic of capricorn?

A

-23.5* South

49
Q

How do you measure the solar angle?

A

solar angle= [90-LAT]-DLN

LAT= latitude of interest *
DLN= solar declination *
50
Q

Why does beam spreading occur?

A

an increase in surface area that insolation has to cover

51
Q

Insolation

A

incoming solar radiation

52
Q

Albedo

A

% of insolation reflected back by an object

53
Q

Scattering

A

when an object reflects insolation as various weaker beams of radiation in different directions

54
Q

What is the Earth’s average input of shortwave radiation to the atmosphere

A

362 W/m2

55
Q

Black body

A

emits 100% of radiation, perfect absorber

56
Q

What is the Stefan Boltzmann Law and what does it calculate?

A

calculates the radiation energy, in W/m2, of the surface of a body

E=emissivity(5.67x10^-8)T(K)^4

57
Q

Emissivity

A

the ratio of energy radiated by a given grey body in relation to a black body (100%)

58
Q

What is Wien’s Displacement Law and what does it calculate?

A

calculates the peak wavelength of emission in um

~max=2898/T(K)

59
Q

What is the wavelength for long and short wave radiation

A

long wave radiation >3 um

short wave radiation <3 um

60
Q

What is the solar constant?

A

1367 W/m2

61
Q

Direction radiation

A

insolation that directly reaches the Earth’s surface

62
Q

Diffuse radiation

A

insolation that reaches the surface after being scattered by atmospheric gases (aerosols and clouds)

63
Q

Rayleigh scattering

A

scattering agents (aerosols) that scatter incoming solar radiation about 1 tenth of the size of the insolation wavelength

64
Q

What is the Q*radiation of the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere

A

Earth’s surface: +91 W/m2 (surplus)

Atmosphere: -91 W/m2 (deficit)

65
Q

The Earth’s surface and atmosphere has an energy imbalance but it must have an energy balance, how does it get an energy balance?

A

The +91 W/m2 gets converted into heat energy and moves from the surface into the atmosphere, due to the 2nd law of thermodynamics where energy moves from high energy areas to low energy areas

66
Q

Atmospheric beam depletion

A

reduction in the amount of insolation as it travels through the atmosphere

67
Q

What are the 6 influences on temperature

A
  1. latitude
  2. altitude & elevation
  3. atmospheric circulation
  4. contrast between land & water
  5. warm & cold oceans currents
  6. local variations
68
Q

Diurnal Maximum

A

minimum temperature ranges tend to be greater for surfaces with higher elevation

69
Q

Heat Capacity

A

the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1*c

70
Q

Continentality

A

the effect of an inland location that favours greater temperature extremes (ex. Winnipeg)

71
Q

How do you convert temperature in *f to *c?

A

Tc=(5/9)x(Tf-32)

72
Q

How do you convert temperature in *c to *f?

A

Tf=((9/5)xTc)+32

73
Q

How many joules/second are in 1 watt?

A

1 joule/second = 1 watt

Weather, Climate & Global Environmental Change (1 decks)

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