phys 1009 Flashcards
Earth’s early atmosphere was made of
Hydrogen and Helium
Today the Earth’s atmosphere is made up of mostly
Nitrogen and Oxygen
Levels of Earth’s atmosphere
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
The troposphere is responsible for what
Weather
In the troposphere the temperature ______ with altitude
decreases
The stratosphere is
Calm and stable with no convection or turbulence
How is the stratosphere heated?
From above by solar UV radiation
The stratosphere is rich with what
O3, ozone
In the mesosphere temperature ______ with altitude
Decreases
The thermosphere is home to
The northern lights
International Space Station
In the thermosphere temperature _____ with altitude
increases
Ozone is manufactured as ____
O2
O2 absorbs _____
UV radiation
What happens to the ozone as it absorbs UV radiation
gets destroyed
What causes depletion of the ozone layer
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFS)
Chlorine acts as a catalyst
Can O3 also be manufactured at the ground level?
Yes
How is the tropospheric Ozone manufactured?
When primary pollutants react with sunlight
Greenhouse effect
Heat gets trapped in the atmosphere
Maintains global temp at around 14 degrees C
Therefore some greenhouse effect is good
What are the Milankovitch cycles?
Periodic changes in Earth’s motion around the sun
What does the Milankovitch Cycles affect
Affect climate (regular and predictable cycles, insolation at each latitude)
Earth’s orbital elliptical is closest to the sun when
January (perihelion)
Earth’s orbital elliptical is farther from the sun when
July (aphelion)
What does Earth’s elliptical orbit do to the seasons?
Does not dictate the seasons
Cycle 1 Eccentricity
Eccentricity of orbit increases/decreases, The Cycle lasts 100,000
Duration of the seasons
