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NS9 - Natural Sciences > The atmosphere > Flashcards

The atmosphere Flashcards

1
Q

How the gases of the atmosphere are kept in the atmosphere

A

Gravity

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2
Q

The air

A

The mixture of gases that make up the atmosphere

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3
Q

The amount of mass in a given volume of matter

A

Density

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4
Q

The lowest layer in the atmosphere

A

Troposphere

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5
Q

The second layer in the atmosphere from the earths surface

A

The sratosphere

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6
Q

The third layer of the atmosphere from the earths surface

A

The mesosphere

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7
Q

The fourth layer of the atmosphere from the earths surface

A

The thermosphere

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8
Q

Altitude

A

Height above sea level

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9
Q

Temperature gradient

A

How much temperature changes with altitude

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10
Q

Temperature inversion

A

Where the temperature increases with altitude

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11
Q

Main gases of the air and their %

A

Nitrogen ± 78%

Oxygen ± 21%

Argon ± 1%

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12
Q

Amounts of water vapour and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

A
  • A very small %
  • Carbon dioxide 0.04 %
  • Water vapour 0-4 %
  • Warm air can hold more water vapour
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13
Q

Density of air in the atmosphere

A
  • Densest at the earths surface at sea level
  • Density decreases as altitude increases and the air gets thinner and thinner
  • At sea level there are more gas particles inhaled with each breath than there are at altitude
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14
Q

Average thickness of the troposphere

A

10 km

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15
Q

Temperature gradient in the troposphere

A

It decreases with altitude

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16
Q

Layers in the atmosphere where the temperature increases with altitude

A
  • Stratosphere
  • Thermosphere
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17
Q

Layers in the atmosphere where the temperature decreases with altitude

A
  • Troposphere
  • Mesosphere
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18
Q

Water in any form that falls to the Earth’s surface

A

Precipitation

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19
Q

The layer in which clouds form

A

Troposphere

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20
Q

The cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land.

A

The water cycle

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21
Q

That which is required for clouds to form.

A

Water vapour in the atmosphere.

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22
Q

Types of precipitation

A
  • Rain
  • Hail
  • Snow
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23
Q

Why plants and animals generally live below 2km in the troposphere

A
  • Gets too cold above
  • and the air gets too thin
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24
Q

The temperature change for every 100m increase in altitude in the troposphere.

A

1 oC cooler

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25
Q

The extent of the stratosphere

A

From 10km up to about 50km altitude

26
Q

Ozone

A
  • A form of oxygen gas found in the stratosphere
  • molecule consists of three atoms of oxygen (03)
27
Q

The ozone layer

A

A band of ozone gas between 10-40 km in the stratosphere

28
Q

The function of the ozone layer

A
  • Absorbs incoming ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
  • Prevents UV radiation from hitting the surface of the earth.
29
Q

UV radiation

A
  • Ultra violet radiation
  • A shorter wavelength than violet light
  • It is not visible to humans
30
Q

The effect of ozone on the temperatures in the stratosphere

A

It causes the stratosphere to increase in temperature as altitude is increased

31
Q

Ways that UV affects life on earth.

A
  • Damages human health
  • Affects photosynthesis
  • Affects life cycles and populations
32
Q

How human health is affected by excessive UV exposure

A
  • Sunburn
  • Premature aging and skin damage
  • Causes skin cancer
  • Causes cataracts in the eyes
  • Suppresses immune system, increasing risk of illness
33
Q

Cataracts

A
  • A clouding condition of the eyes lens
  • Leads to loss of vision
34
Q

How UV affects photosynthesis in plants

A
  • UV damages the chlorophyl in plant cells
  • Plants are unable to photosynthise and grow
35
Q

How UV affects life cycles and populations

A
  • UV can damage many animals in their early stages of development
  • This affects their ability to reproduce
  • This leads to reduces population sizes
36
Q

The hole in the ozone layer

A
  • Caused by human activity
  • The amount of ozone in the stratosphere decreasing
  • Especially over the antartic
  • So thin in places it is said to have “a hole” in the layer
37
Q

The cause of reduced ozone gas in the stratosphere

A
  • Certain gases released by human activity
  • E.g. CFC’s
38
Q

CFC’s

A

Chlorofluorocarbons

39
Q

Where were CFC’s used?

A
  • Refrigirators
  • Air conditioners
  • Fire extinguishers
  • Spray cans
40
Q

How CFC’s have been eradicated from industry?

A
  • Montreal Protocol agreement
  • Countries from around the world met and signed agreements
  • Ban in production using CFC’s
41
Q

Products not containing CFC’s

A

“Ozone friendly”

42
Q

Position of the mesosphere

A

About 50-80 km altitude

43
Q

Characteristics of the mesophere

A
  • Extremely thin atmosphere
  • Very cold
44
Q

Function of the mesosphere

A

The few gas particles in this layer burn up meteors entering the atmosphere

45
Q

Meteors

A
  • Small space particles or rocks that burn up as they enter the atmosphere.
  • Heat is due to friction with the air particles they come in contact with at high speed.
  • They produce a streak of light.
  • This phenomenon is also called a “shooting star”.
46
Q

The location of the thermosphere

A

About 80-350 km altitude

47
Q

What lies beyond the thermosphere?

48
Q

Functions of the thermosphere

A
  • The lower thermosphere absorbs UV radiation and x-rays from the sun
  • It also reflects radiowaves back to earth
49
Q

Why it is useful that radiowaves are reflected by the thermosphere?

A

TV and radio signal can be bounced and returned to a point on Earth they would otherwise not have reached.

50
Q

A structure made from transparent material in which plants are grown

A

A greenhouse

51
Q

The greenhouse effect

A

The trapping of the sun’s energy in the lower atmosphere causing warmer temperatures.

52
Q

The cause of the greenhouse effect

A

Greenhouse gases that absorb outgoing radiation

53
Q

Greenhouse gas examples

A
  • Water vapour
  • Carbon dioxide
  • Methane
54
Q

The cause of the enhanced greenhouse effect

A
  • Human activity causing extra carbon dioxide emissions
  • Human activity causing extra methane emissions
  • Climate change itself causing extra greenhouse gas emissions
55
Q

Causes of increased carbon dioxide emissions

A
  • Burning fossil fuels
  • Bush fires
  • Deforestation
  • Desertification
56
Q

Fossil fuels

A
  • Coal, gas and oil
  • Made from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago
57
Q

Long term changes in the Earth’s temperature and precipitation patterns

A

Climate change

58
Q

The main effect of an enhanced greenhouse effect

A

Global Warming

59
Q

Global warming

A

An increase in the average temperature of the atmosphere

60
Q

Effects of global warming

A
  • Climate change
  • Droughts and floods
  • Increased extreme weather events e.g. hurricanes
  • Melting ice caps and rising sea levels
  • Food shortages as agriculture is affected
  • Mass exctinctions as species lose habitats
61
Q

Example actions to reduce greenhous gas emissions

A
  • Restruct burning of fossil fuels e.g. use alternatives like solar
  • Increase efficiency e.g. use less electricity and use public transport
  • Educate people about the dangers of global warming
  • Provide rewards for cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions e.g. less tax

NS9 - Natural Sciences (16 decks)

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