Science Unit 2

Question 1

Unit 2 Lesson 1 Page 2 of 15

What is the atmosphere

Page 2 of 15

Answer 1

the envelope of gases and small particles that surrounds Earth

Question 2

Unit 2 Lesson 1 Page

Are there layers of the atmosphere and if so what are they?

Answer 2

Yes, the atmosphere is made up of different layers, each of which contributes different things to life on Earth. The troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, and the exosphere

Question 3

Page 3

What is the Troposphere

Answer 3

It is the layer of the atmosphere closest to Earth’s surface. This is the first layer of Earth’s atmosphere it is warmest close to Earth’s surface and becomes cooler as altitude increases.

Question 4

What kind of air circulation does the Troposhpere have and why?

Answer 4

Because there is warm air near Earth’s surface and cooler air above it, there is vertical air circulation in this layer.

Question 5

What happens in the Troposhpere

Answer 5

Almost all weather occurs in the troposphere.Winds at ground level are slower than they are at high altitude due to friction with Earth’s surface.

Question 6

Does weather only happen in the Troposhere?

Answer 6

Mainly; but, on very rare occasions extremely strong storms grow upward into the stratosphere but this still does not change the fact that most of the earth’s weather occurs in the troposphere.

Question 7

page 4

What is the Stratosphere?

Answer 7

The Stratosphere is the layer above the troposhere

Question 8

How does the weather work in the Stratosphere?

Answer 8

At and above this level, temperatures in the stratosphere increase with elevation. Because the warmer air is already atop the colder air, there is little vertical circulation of air in this layer. Instead, it is marked by strong horizontal winds.

Question 9

Why does temperature increase as altitude increases in the stratosphere?

Answer 9

When oxygen molecules in the stratosphere absorb ionizing radiation, they break apart, forming ozone. Ozone is an oxygen molecule with three oxygen atoms rather than two. Ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation, shielding life on Earth from the effects of this radiation. Heat from absorbing this radiation accounts for the increase in temperature with altitude in this atmospheric layer.

Question 10

What is ionizing radiation?

Answer 10

Ionizing radiation is an energy transfer that can strip electrons from atoms or molecules.

Question 11

What are types of ionizing radiation

Answer 11

Gamma rays, x-rays, and higher-energy ultraviolet rays are all forms of ionizing radiation. They are largely absorbed by the atmosphere before they reach Earth’s surface. Atoms can absorb Ionizing radiation, which can free electrons from those atoms, ionizing them.

Question 12

How does ionizing radiation affect life on Earth

Answer 12

When atoms are ionized they become reactive. Ionization disrupts molecular bonds, which can damage cells in living things. Ionizing radiation is dangerous to life on Earth and to astronauts working outside Earth’s protective atmosphere

Question 13

page 5

What is the Mesosphere?

Answer 13

Is the middle layer of the atmosphere and it is above the stratosphere

Question 14

How is the weather/temperature in the Mesosphere?

Answer 14

As in the troposphere, temperature decreases with altitude, so there is vertical mixing of gases in this layer.

Question 15

What increase of blank lead to the formation of more clouds in the Mesosphere?

Answer 15

In recent years, an increase in methane at high altitude has led to an increase in water vapor. This water vapor can form more high-altitude clouds that are visible at night. Clouds can form in the mesosphere in rare circumstances.

Question 16

What is the Thermosphere?

Answer 16

The Thermosphere is the hottest and most ionized layer of Earth’s atmosphere

Question 19

What is the temperature like in the Thermosphere?

Answer 19

Temperature again increases with elevation. Temperatures in this layer are strongly affected by solar activity and can vary widely. Most incoming X-rays and gamma rays are absorbed by this layer, which is highly ionized. As in the stratosphere, the absorption of radiation leads to higher temperatures at higher elevation in this layer. It is too dry and warm for clouds. Auroras occur in this layer.

Question 20

page 7

What is the Exosphere?

Answer 20

Is the outermost layer of Earth’s atmosphere. it is where the atmosphere is very thin and doesn’t behave like a normal gas. Atoms and molecules may travel for miles before colliding with other particles, or these particles might escape Earth altogether. The rate of loss of molecules through the exosphere determines whether a planet retains its atmosphere.

Question 21

What energy from the sun reaches the sun?

Answer 21

About half of the solar energy that reaches Earth is in the form of visible light waves. The rest is mostly in the form of higher-energy ultraviolet radiation and lower-energy infrared radiation. Ultraviolet radiation includes the harmful rays that cause sunburn. Infrared radiation includes the thermal energy that can be felt as heat.

Question 22

What are some things that reflect or absorb solar energy?

Answer 22

Clouds and gases that make up the atmosphere absorb about a fourth of the solar energy that reaches Earth and reflect about another fourth of the energy back out to space.Some energy is carried to the atmosphere by evaporation of surface water. The water vapor stores energy in the atmosphere. The atmosphere absorbs energy from thermal infrared radiation from the grou

Question 23

How is energy in the atmosphere is circulated

Answer 23

Energy in the atmosphere is circulated by convection, as heated air rises and cooler air sinks.

Question 24

What is weather?

Answer 24

atmospheric conditions at a specific time and place

Question 25

What happens as the air near earth’s surfaces warm?

Answer 25

As the air near Earth’s surface warms, it rises, cools, and releases energy. Moisture in the cooling air condenses, forming clouds and eventually precipitation. Winds and storm systems can form as higher-density cool air moves in under the lower-density, rising warm air.

Question 26

What can cause winds and storm systems to form?

Answer 26

Changes in energy in different parts of the atmosphere can produce winds and cause storm systems to form. As the air near Earth’s surface warms, it rises, cools, and releases energy Moisture in the cooling air condenses, forming clouds and eventually precipitation. Winds and storm systems can form as higher-density cool air moves in under the lower-density, rising warms air.

Question 27

How is the sun a source of energy for tornadoes and hurricanes?

Answer 27

The source of energy for all storm systems, including tornadoes and hurricanes, is electromagnetic energy from the sun. This energy is absorbed partly by the atmosphere but mainly by land and water. It is then redistributed to the atmosphere where it provides energy in the rising warm, moist air in tornadoes, hurricanes, and all other storm systems.

Question 28

What is the definition of air mass?

Answer 28

A large body of air with similar temperatures and humidity

Question 29

What is the definition of front?

Answer 29

The boundary between air masses

Question 30

How do fronts form?

Answer 30

Fronts form when the leading edges of two air masses meet.

Question 31

The sun’s heating of air, land, and water produces predictable changes in ____.

Answer 31

Air masses

Question 32

What is a cold front?

Answer 32

A cold air mass moving under warm air can form strong thunderstorms ahead of the front as the less dense, warm air rises, followed by clear, cooler weather. Cold fronts are associated with the most severe storms.

Question 33

What is a warm front?

Answer 33

A warm front moving into a cold area can form thick clouds and light precipitation ahead of the front, followed by warmer weather.

Question 34

What is an occluded front?

Answer 34

A cold air mass can overtake and push up a warm air mass, producing strong winds and precipitation.

Question 35

What is a tornado, and how do they form?

Answer 35

A tornado is a column of rapidly spinning, rising air. Tornadoes form during thunderstorms when winds cause a strong updraft near the ground to swirl.

Question 36

What is a hurricane and how do they form?

Answer 36

A hurricane, typhoon or cyclones is a large storm system with intense, swirling winds and heavy rain. Hurricanes form near the equator when ocean water, warmed by solar energy, heats the overlying air. The lower density of the warm air causes it to rise. Colliding winds can begin to swirl. The storm system grows as more energy and moisture are drawn into the air.

Question 37

What causes hurricanes to move east to west?

Answer 37

Global winds in the lower latitudes typically cause hurricanes to move east to west.

Question 38

What is the definition of climate?

Answer 38

A pattern of atmospheric conditions over a long period of time.

Question 39

What is albedo? What is Earth’s average albedo?

Answer 39

The percentage of solar radiation reflected back into space is called albedo. Earth’s average albedo is about 0.3, meaning about 30 percent of incoming solar energy is reflected back into space, and 70 percent is absorbed.

Question 40

Where are fonts located?

Answer 40

Between air masses

Question 41

About how much of the solar energy that reaches Earth’s atmosphere is absorbed by the atmosphere?

Answer 41

one-fourth

Question 42

Unit 2 Lesson 2

What does opaque mean?

Answer 42

absorbing or reflecting all of the incident electromagnetic energy

Question 43

What happens to visible light when it hits land?

Answer 43

On land the surfaces are usually opaque to visible light, and so the incoming energy is not transmitted down into deeper layers. Instead, the land surface either reflects the incoming electromagnetic energy back into the atmosphere, or absorbs the energy in the thin layer at the surface.

Question 44

What happens to electromagnetic energy when it is absorbed by a surface?

Answer 44

When electromagnetic energy is absorbed by a surface, it excites the atoms or molecules in that surface, raising the surface temperature.

Question 45

What happens when the air is warmer than the land surface and why does the ground seem to shimmer when its hot?

Answer 45

If the surface is hotter than the air above it, then heat will transfer from the surface back into the atmosphere until the two are again in equilibrium. If the air is warmer than the land surface, then the energy transfer will go the other direction, and heat will be conducted from the air into the top layer of the ground until it is the same temperature as the air.The air just above a hot surface sometimes seems to shimmer. This is due to the hot surface transferring heat to the atmosphere just above it. The heated air transmits light differently than the cooler air above, leading to the haze or shimmer.

Question 46

Energy flows into land surfaces as electromagnetic radiation in sunlight, mostly in the visible spectrum and near infrared. It flows out from land surfaces in three ways…
What are these three ways?

Answer 46

The evaporation of water uses energy. When water molecules at the surface absorb energy to change from liquid to gas, the energy used to evaporate the water is latent in the motion of the water vapor molecules. When the water vapor condenses again at high altitude, the heat is released into the atmosphere.

A hot surface will heat the cooler air just above itself. The warmer air will rise in convection, carrying heat away from the ground.

Any object not at absolute zero will radiate thermal, or infrared, radiation. It will also absorb or reflect any incoming thermal radiation. If an object is warmer than its surroundings, the net energy flow will be from the warmer to colder areas until the temperatures are equal. Note that the incoming electromagnetic radiation to Earth’s surface is largely at visible and near infrared wavelengths; the outgoing far infrared radiation from the Earth’s surface is at longer, lower energy wavelengths outside the visible spectrum.

Question 47

Water has a much higher heat capacity than rock, dirt, or other materials that make up the land’s surface. This means that water is slow to absorb heat and slow to release it. In contrast, dry ground heats up more quickly and then cools more quickly.

Question 48

How do oceans and land masses interact with sunlight in different ways?

Answer 48

The oceans are roughly the same color and transparency everywhere, and they interact with incoming sunlight in the same way. In contrast, land masses are made of many different materials which reflect and absorb energy in different ways. Rougher surfaces absorb more energy than smooth surfaces, and dark surfaces absorb more energy than light surfaces.

Question 49

What is albedo and how is represented?

Answer 49

Albedo is the proportion of light reflected from a surface, given as a number between 0 and 1 or a percentage between 0 and 100. Albedo is the amount of light reflected by a surface. A white shiny surface will have a albedo close to 1, while a dark rough surface with have an albedo close to 0

Question 50

What is Earth’s albedo? What does it mean?

Answer 50

Earth’s average albedo is about 0.3, meaning it reflects about one-third of the light from the sun.

Question 51

Why is the disappearance of glaciers and snow bad?

Answer 51

Ice cover on Earth’s continents has a high albedo of nearly 0.9, reflecting almost all of the sun’s energy into space, keeping the land cooler. However, as climates change and the atmosphere heats up, Earth is beginning to lose much of its glacier cover. As this happens, more rock and soil are exposed beneath the ice.
The rock and soil have a low albedo and absorb more of the sun’s energy. They heat up, adding more heat to the atmosphere. This forms a feedback loop, accelerating the loss of ice and glacier cover.

Question 52

Is the albedo of urban areas high or low? Why? And
What is the albedo of land that is covered in plants?

Answer 52

The albedo of urban areas is also low, but they transform more solar energy into heat, creating the urban heat island effect.

Areas of land covered in plants, such as forests or grasslands, tend to have a fairly low albedo. They absorb solar radiation, but much of the energy is used to power photosynthesis.

Question 53

Does albedo has a notable effect on weather and climate.

Answer 53

Yes

Question 54

Albedo shifts with the seasons, describe why.

Answer 54

Over much of the world’s land masses, the color of the land changes over the course of the year. This yearly variation in albedo is most pronounced in the boreal forests, which cover 12 percent of Earth’s land area and are dark in the summer and white in the winter. As albedo shifts with the seasons, the amount of incoming energy reflected or absorbed also shifts.

Question 55

Why does albedo shift with different latitudes?

Answer 55

At the snow-and ice-covered poles, albedo is high. Near the equator, mostly covered by dark blue ocean, albedo is much lower. Earth’s overall albedo is highest when the land in the northern latitudes is largely covered in snow. There is another, smaller peak in albedo when Antarctic sea ice is at a maximum.

Energy input and output are different at different latitudes. In the tropics, more energy is absorbed than is radiated back. At the poles, more energy is radiated than absorbed. For Earth’s overall temperature and climate to be stable over time, these inputs and outputs must balance.

Question 56

What causes albedo to shift?

Answer 56

The seasons and different lattidues

Question 57

Different heating patterns of different land surfaces affect weather and climate patterns. Differences in surface heating lead to rising air over warmer regions and sinking air over cooler areas, driving wind patterns.

Question 58

Why is the changing in weather so pronounced for land next to bodies of water?

Answer 58

Over the course of a day the temperature of the water will stay fairly constant, due to water’s high heat capacity. In summer, the adjacent land will heat quickly during the day, warming the air above the surface. This air rises, drawing in a sea breeze which cools the land. At night the land cools rapidly as the water remains at the same temperature, and the effect is reversed.

The climate for settlements along the edges of the oceans is mediated by the ocean’s ability to absorb and release large amounts of heat. A settlement along the coast will tend to have milder summers and winters, while a settlement hundreds of miles inland at the same latitude will likely have larger swings in temperature.