The Atmosphere Flashcards
Define climate
The average weather conditions taken over a 30 year period
What does weather measure?
Temperature, sunlight/cloud, rainfall and humidity
How much nitrogen, oxygen and their gases (CO2, WV, Ozone)
Nitrogen: 78%
Oxygen: 21%
Other: 1%
What is the importance of water vapour in the atmosphere ?
It helps with cloud formation
What is the importance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere ?
Absorbs long wave radiation
What is the importance of ozone in the atmosphere ?
Absorbs UV radiation coming into the troposphere
In order of low to high altitude list the different parts of the atmosphere ?
Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere
What is the thermosphere spit up into ?
Ionosphere then Exosphere
How far up is the troposphere form the earths surface ?
8km-17km (In exam say 11km)
How much of the atmospheric mass can be found under 6km above the earths surface ?
50%
What is the average temperature of the troposphere ?
18 Celsius
How fast does the temperature drop in the troposphere?
6.5 Celsius/ Km (Environmental Lapse Rate)
What is the tropopause ?
The boundary between troposphere and stratosphere. Temperature remains constant here and it acts as a ceiling to the convection currents in the troposphere.
How far up is the tropopause ?
8km(Tropics)-17km(Poles)
What is the layer of atmosphere after the troposphere ?
Stratosphere
How far does the stratosphere extend above the tropopause ?
Reaches up to 50km
Describe the stratosphere?
Warming temperature and very empty with low pressure
What marks the end of he stratosphere and how far up ?
Stratopause 50km up
Describe the mesosphere and thermosphere ?
Mesosphere: Very Very Very empty and very cold (Down to -80 Celsius )
Troposphere: Very Very Very Hot (up to 1500Celsius
Why is the mesosphere cold ?
No molecules to absorb radiation it’s basically insignificant
What does Ozone do?
It absorbs Ultraviolet light and releases it back as heat hence why the stratosphere, where the ozone layer is located, is very warm.
Define weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere at any given one time
What would happen if the stratospheric ozone layer didn’t exist?
Organisms would be more susceptible to cancer and damage to immune systems
When is Ozone bad for life on Earth?
If it is too close to earth
What problems does close ozone pose ?
Smog and Greenhouse gases> respiratory problems
greenhouse gas production> global warming
Chemical oxidant > rips off oxygen molecules from animals
Where do most of the earths weather processes occur ?
The troposphere
