Term 2 - Climate Change

Question 1

Troposhpere

Answer 1

The first layer of the earths atmosphere
 Contains weather 
Densest layer
Warmer at surface and decreases with alititude
Bordered by tropopause
7-20km  high

Question 2

Stratosphere

Answer 2

Second layer of earths atmosphere
Contains the ozone layer which absorbs UV radiation causes temp to rise
Around 10-50km up
less dense (less water vapour)
Temp increases with altitude

Question 3

Mesophere

Answer 3

Drop in temp marks the beginning of mesosphere
Meteors burn here
80km high
gases are less dense
temp decreases as altitude increases
gases in this layer absorb little UV radiation

Question 4

Thermosphere

Answer 4

Extends to almost 600km high
temperature increases with altitude
absorbs UV radiation through gases
Particles are very hot but they are so few that it woud feel cold unless you touched one
Space shuttles orbit here

Question 5

Exosphere

Answer 5

Outer layer
Extends for 1000s of km
satellites orbit here
no defined edge
molecules gradually escape to outer space
barrier between space and earth

Question 6

what are the most common atmospheric gases?

Answer 6

Nitrogen and Oxygen

Question 7

Explain how altittude effects air density

Answer 7

As the air pressure decreases with altitude, the density of the air decreases. The air particles are not so close together as tightly as they go further from the earths surface. at earth they are pulled down dense bc of gravity

Question 8

What is good and bad ozone?

Answer 8

Stratosphere ozone is good - its natural and protects the earth from the sun by absorbing the UV radiation
Tropospheric ozone is bad - it is pollution (not natural)

Question 9

what causes ozone depletion?

Answer 9

Caused by ChloroFluroCarbon pollution

Radiation from the sun causes the CFCs to break down and release a chlorine atom which react with the ozone

Question 10

What causes an increase in the earths avergae temp?

Answer 10

increase of greenhouse gases

Question 11

Name the 5 greenhouse gases

Answer 11

Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, CFCs, water vapour

Question 12

Effects of greenhouse gas pollution

Answer 12

global warming, increased severity of weather, ice metls, floodijng, rising sea levels, drought etc

Question 13

Explain the global heat budget

Answer 13

different parts of the earths atmosphere and surface reflect different amounts of incoming solar radiation (insolation). it is a balance of how much the earth should receive, reflect and absorb. if not balanced, the earth becomes hotter or colder.

Question 14

How is the solar radiation reflected?

Answer 14

20% reflected by dark soil
10% reflected by ocean
85%-90% reflected by snow and ice - when the ice melts, the lower the albedo (amoun that can be reflected)

Question 15

ways to read climate change

Answer 15

rings on trees and coral, air trapped in ice, carbon in air, argo floats in ocean, how much ice is melting

Question 16

how have people impacted climate change?

Answer 16

Releasing too many greenhouse gases (from factories, fridges, coal mining, fuel etc) which absorb too much radiation trapping it in the earths atmosphere and CFCs which deplete the protective ozone layer.
Destroying vegetation which contributes to refecting radation and absorbing CO2 naturally.
Burning things that release more CO2.