Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Earth > The Atmosphere > Flashcards

The Atmosphere Flashcards

1
Q

Atmosphere

A

the blanket of gases that surround the Earth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Troposphere

A

layer of the atmosphere closest to Earth surface, where we live

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Atmospheric Gases

A

78% Nitrogen
21% Oxygen
1% Other gases (argon, carbon dioxide and water vapor)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Condensation Nuclei

A

Solids in the atmosphere such as dust and salt that combine with water vapor to create clouds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Humidity

A

amount of hydrogen in the air

constantly changing due to temp, altitude, ground features, etc.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Relative Humidity

A

comparison between how much water vapor is currently in the air and how much it can hold

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Warm air holds more

A

humidity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

High temp-
Max saturation-
At 100% relative humidity, current temperature is

A

high max saturation
100% relative humidity
equal to dew point

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Convection currents cause

A

weather

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Lifted Condensation Level (LCL)

A

height where condensation occurs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Cirrus Clouds

A

thin, feathery clouds that form at high altitudes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Cumulus

A

white, puffy clouds usually on fair-weather days

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Stratus

A

low-lying layered sheets of clouds often on drizzly days

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Nimbus

A

low-altitude, gray rain clouds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Coalescence

A

when clouds droplets collide and join together, eventually getting to heavy and falling (precipitation)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Sleet

A

pellets formed when raindrops fall through freezing air

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Hail

A

layered lumps of ice created in cumulonimbus clouds, when droplets in the cloud constantly melt and refreeze

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Earths temperatures vary due to three things

A

geographic position, altitude, and surface material

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Geographic position

A

the Earth’s surface unevenly heated by the Sun because the Earth is curved and sits on its axis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Surface Material

A

water has a higher specific heat than land

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Air Pressure

A

the force exerted on Earth’s surface due to the weight of the air, varies with elevation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

High-Pressure Systems

A

sinking air reaches the surface and spreads from the center, spins clockwise, fair weather

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Low-Pressure Systems

A

air rising and other air flows towards the center to replace it, counterclockwise, clouds and precipitation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Air Mass

A

large body of air that takes on the characteristics of the land or water under it (the source region)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Maritime

Continental

A

form over water

form over land

26
Q

Tropical

Polar

A

Warm

Cold

27
Q

Coriolis Effect

A

the circular motion of air due to the spinning of the Earth, clockwise in Northern Hemi and counterclockwise in the Souther Hemi

28
Q

Jet-Stream

A

narrow band of fast, high-altitude winds

29
Q

Trade Winds

A

From the East 0-30 N&S

30
Q

Prevailing Westerlies

A

From the West 30-60 N&S

31
Q

Polar Easterlies

A

From the East 60-90 N&S

32
Q

Doldrums and Horse Latitudes

A

areas between wind systems where there is little to wind

33
Q

Cold Front

A

where cool, dense air meets warm air, pushing the warm air up steeply

34
Q

Warm Front

A

where warm air replaces cooler air and gradually rises

35
Q

Stationary Front

A

small differences between the two air masses, so the front does not move or barley moves

36
Q

Occluded Fronts

A

when a rapidly-moving cold air mass overtakes a warm front wedging the warm air upward

37
Q

As latitude increases, temperatures

A

decrease

38
Q

As altitude increases (within the troposphere) temperature

A

decreases

39
Q

Surface Material

A

The water remains the same temperature longer than land, harder to change

40
Q

Wind Speed

A

Anemometer

41
Q

Nanometer

A

Air pressure

42
Q

Hydrometer

A

Humidity

43
Q

Temperature

A

Thermometer

44
Q

Ceilometer

A

Cloud cover and height

45
Q

Radiosonde

A

sensor with balloon, measures temp, air pressure, humidity by sent back radio waves

46
Q

Satellites that orbit earth and take pictures of anything irregular

A

Weather Satellites

47
Q

Infrared Imagery

A

Differences in heat, cloud cover or surface temperature, thunderstorms, severe weather

48
Q

Doppler Effect

Doppler Radar

A

the changed in wave frequency that occurs as waves move,

Used to calc speed of raindrops provides good wind speeds.

49
Q

Isotherms

A

Same temp

50
Q

Isobars

A

Same pressure

51
Q

Analog and digital forecast

A

Digital forecast is telling the temp for that day/week/month but the farther away the day is the less accurate so they use analog data to compare it to past temperatures

52
Q

Tornado season and time of day

A

Spring and late afternoon

53
Q

Why do so many tornados occur at tornado alley?

A

cP and mT collide

54
Q

Tornado scale

A

Fujita Tornado Intensity scale F0-F5

55
Q

Hurricane season

A

summer and early fall because stored heat

56
Q

Hurricane related deaths

A

storm surge

57
Q

Hurricane Florence originate

A

Cape verde

58
Q

Most significant damage hurricane Florence

A

flooding

59
Q

Why did Hurricane Florence cause so much damage

A

Florence stalled and went slower than normal (2-5 mph)

60
Q

90% of

A

New Hanover County was out of power

Earth (7 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions