The Atmosphere Flashcards
What are the Layers of the Atmosphere?
- Troposphere
- Stratosphere
- Mesosphere
- Thermosphere
What layer has the most mass/gases? And what percent?
Troposphere and 75%
Where does weather occur?
Troposphere
Where does cloud formation and wind occur?
Troposphere
How does heat work is the Troposphere?
Light from the sun passes through the atmosphere, it does not heat it. It then hits the surface which absorbs some of that light, heating it. The warm Earth then transmits this heat into the troposphere, warming it from the bottom up
What layer of the atmosphere contains the Ozone Layer?
Stratosphere
What is the Ozone Layer?
The ozone layer absorbs UV radiation and re-emits it as heat. This protects life on the surface of the Earth. It is also why the Stratosphere is hotter than the Troposphere. It is absorbing energy.
What is/caused the hole in the ozone layer?
Human gases (CFCs) which destroy ozone leaving a ‘hole’ in the layer. This increased sun burns as more radiation was coming through. The use of CFCs was eventually banned except in China and Russia.
What is the Mesosphere?
The Mesosphere is the least studied layer of the Atmosphere as it is hard to reach. What is known is that it causes meteorites to burn up.
What does ionised mean?
To ionise something is to convert a substance into an ion/s
Where do Auroras occur?
Auroras occur in the Thermosphere
What is climate and weather and how are they different?
- Weather is a specific event that happens over a few hours, days or weeks
- Climate is the average weather conditions in a place over a series of years
- Weather is temporary whilst climate is long term
What Gases make up the Troposphere? What percentages?
Nitrogen 78%
Oxygen 21%
Argon 1%
