The Atmosphere - Chapter 1: Heating the Atmosphere

Question 1

Only about ___ percent of the solar radiation penetrates directly to the earth’s surface without some form of interference

Answer 1

25

Question 2

What happens to the radiation that is not penetrating the earth?

Answer 2

Absorbed by atmosphere
Scattered about until it reaches surface
Returns to space
Reflected back to space

Question 3

Although solar radiation travels in a straight line, the gases and dust particles in the atmosphere can redirect that energy which is called

Answer 3

scattering

Question 4

The light that reaches the earth’s surface after having its direction changed

Answer 4

Diffused light

Question 5

What is the culprit for the blue sky and for the lighting of a shaded area?

Answer 5

Scattering

Question 6

Why would scattering produce a blue sky?

Answer 6

Air molecules are better at scattering the short wavelengths (blue, violet) portion of white sunlight than the longer ones

Question 7

What two things might make a sunset particularly reddish and yellow

Answer 7

fine dust

smoke particles

Question 8

What percentage of the solar energy reaching the outer atmosphere is reflected back to space?

Answer 8

30

Question 9

The fraction of the total radiation encountered that is reflected by a surface

Answer 9

albedo

Question 10

A lower angle of the sun’s rays means that more ____ must be penetrated

Answer 10

atmosphere

Question 11

Does a lower angle of the sun’s rays increase or decrease the amount of scattering?

Answer 11

increase

Question 12

What is the most abundant consistuent in the atmosphere but is a poor absorber of radiation

Answer 12

nitrogen

Question 13

What are the most efficient absorbers of ultraviolet radiation?

Answer 13

Oxygen (O2)

Ozone (O3)

Question 14

Where does oxygen remove most of the shorter ultraviolet radiation?

Answer 14

high in the atmosphere

Question 15

Where does ozone absorb longer wavelength radiation and ultraviolet rays

Answer 15

The stratosphere

Question 16

Name another significant absorber of incoming solar radiation that (with O2 and O3) accounts for the radiation absorption

Answer 16

water vapor

Question 17

True or false: the atmosphere acquires the bulk of its energy from the sun

Answer 17

False; it is from the re-radiation more-so from earth’s surface

Question 18

Without the ___ in our atmosphere, the earth would not be a suitable place to live

Answer 18

gases

Question 19

Describe the greenhouse effect

Answer 19

The idea that the earth’s surface is continually being supplied with heat from the atmosphere as well as the sun

Question 20

What is an important factor that helps greenhouse regulate their temperature

Answer 20

They can prevent a mixing of the air inside with cooler air outside

Question 21

Valleys are often ___ than mountains

Answer 21

warmer

Question 22

Maximum temperatures are (often) higher in the ___ regions

Answer 22

arid

Question 23

Minimum temps tend to be lower in the _______ as opposed to ______

Answer 23

dry southwest

humid east

Question 24

The difference between max and min temperature

Answer 24

daily temperature range

Question 25

At night, clouds act as a ___ by absorbing radiation emitted by earth and redirecting it back to earth

Answer 25

blanket