Sections 1 and 2 Flashcards
What is weather? Name some examples.
Weather refers to the atmospheric conditions of a particular location at a specific time. Examples: temperature, air pressure, cloud cover, precipitation, humidity.
What is climate and how is it different from weather?
Climate is the average weather conditions in a region measured over a period of several years (usually a minimum of 30 years).
What is the biosphere?
The narrow zone around Earth that can support life. All three parts of the biosphere include biotic and abiotic components.
Describe the atmosphere and its most abundant gases.
- Layer of gases around Earth
- Contains atmospheric dust (solid particles less than 0.66mm in diameter)
- may include non-living particles (e.g. soot) or living particles (e.g. pollen or micro-organisms)
- Most abundant gas: nitrogen (78%)
- second most abundant gas: oxygen (21%), maintained through photosynthesis
What are the four layers of the atmosphere?
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
Describe the troposphere.
- from surface (0km) to 10km
- 15 degrees to -60 degrees Celsius
- contains 80% of atmospheric gases
- has the most living organisms
- contains most of CO2 and O2 and most atmospheric dust
- layer which most weather occurs
Describe the stratosphere.
- from 10km to 50km
- negative 60 degrees to 0 degrees Celsius
- contains the ozone layer (as a result, temperature increases with altitude)
- no life except for clumps of cells
- has a permanent inversion (inversion layer)
Describe the mesosphere.
- from 50km to 80km
- 0 degrees to -100 degrees Celsius
- contains only traces of water vapour
Describe the thermosphere.
- from 80km to 300km
- negative 100 degrees to 1500 degrees Celsius
- very little gas
- inversion layer (permanent inversion)
What is an inversion? Which atmospheric layer(s) does this occur in?
An inversion is a reversal of the temperature change with altitude (usually an increase of temperature with altitude).
The stratosphere and thermosphere have a permanent inversion as their temperatures increase with altitude.
The main layer this occurs in is the troposphere.
With inversion, specific atmospheric conditions trap ________ (colder/warmer) air closer to the ground.
Colder
Briefly describe what ozone does. How does it affect the stratosphere’s temperature?
Ozone protects us from UV radiation from the sun (exothermic process). It acts as Earth’s “sunscreen.” The holes in the ozone layer contribute to skin cancer/eye problems.
Ozone absorbs the sun’s rays, which is why the stratosphere temperature increases with altitude.
What is climate change?
Change that occurs in the climate of a region over time, usually a minimum of 30 yrs.
What’s an adaptation?
Any change in the structure or functioning of an organism that makes it more suited to its environment.
What is anecdotal evidence?
It normally has not been carefully tested. E.g. “it’s gradually getting warmer year-to-year.”
What is scientific evidence?
Proved and checked evidence (data). E.g. measuring temperature changes.
Describe the hydrosphere.
- All the water on earth (in any form like liquid, vapour, or ice)
- 97% salt water, 3% fresh water
- the amount of water always stays the same
Describe the lithosphere.
- The solid portion of Earth composed of rocks, minerals, and elements
- mountains, plains, deserts, forests - includes land under oceans/bodies of water
- extends from Earth’s surface to 100km below continental crust
Describe altitude.
The distance above Earth’s surface measured from sea level (or the surface). The exact altitude at which a particular atmospheric layer begins/ends varies. Higher altitudes are usually colder (expect for inversions).
What is the source of all energy on Earth?
The sun
True or false: radio waves are very long.
True
Solar energy that radiates from the sun contains many different types of ____________ which are classified according to different _______________.
Radiation, wavelengths
What is Earth’s angle of inclination?
The Earth’s axis of rotation is titled at an angle of 23.5 degrees from a line drawn perpendicular from its orbital plane.
What is insolation?
The amount of radiant energy is received on Earth’s surface. It has many implications for climate on different parts of the Earth.
How does the tilt of the Earth affect the Earth?
It changes the insolation at different parts of the Earth at different times of the year.
What is a solstice?
One of two points in Earth’s orbit when the poles are most titled towards or away from the sun (summer/June solstice, the day with the most hours of daylight, and winter/December solstice, the day with least hours of daylight).
What is an equinox?
When the number of daylight hours is exactly equal to the number of hours of night (spring/March equinox and autumn/September equinox).
Explain latitudes.
The Earth is divided into different latitudes, where 0 degrees is at the equator and the poles are at 90 degrees.
Why is the equator so warm?
Because sun rays don’t hit at an angle.
The fact that Earth is shaped like a ___________ has an effect on the insolation at different latitudes.
Sphere
What is the angle of incidence? Explain how temperature differs with perpendicular/angled sun rays.
It’s the angle between the ray and a line that is drawn perpendicular to Earth’s surface.
Perpendicular rays: more concentrated, so a higher temperature
Angled rays: diffuse over more space, so a lower temperarure
Areas near the poles receive _________ (more/less) solar energy per square kilometer. Areas near the equator receive ___________ (more/less) solar energy per square kilometer.
Less, more
In the atmosphere, the types and amounts of radiation absorbed or reflected is affected by:
- the gases in the atmosphere: different layers contain different types and amounts of gases
- cloud cover and atmospheric dust
Explain albedo. What is the Earth’s average albedo?
Albedo of a surface is the percent of solar radiation that it reflects. The average albedo for the Earth’s surface is about 30%