The Earth's Atmosphere

Question 1

roles of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon

Answer 1

Permanent gases

Question 2

role of water vapor

Answer 2

Variable gases

Question 3

carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, CFCs, et al.

Answer 3

Trace gases

Question 4

shields the surface from UV rays; produced by reaction with NOx and sunlight near the surface.

Answer 4

Ozone

Question 5

destroy stratospheric ozone; chlorine is a catalyst,

Answer 5

Chlorofluorocarbons

Question 6

is the primary ingredient of smog

Answer 6

Ozone

Question 7

particles that can form cloud droplets at a defined watersupersaturation

Answer 7

Cloud Condensation Nuclei

Question 8

• has decreasing temperature wit height
• where weather occurs
• lowest atmospheric layer

Answer 8

Troposphere

Question 9

seperates troposphere from stratosphere; higher in summer & lower in winter

Answer 9

Tropopause

Question 10

• extends 10km to 50km above the ground
• no weather occurrence
• temperature increases with altitude
• air flow is horizontal
• where ozone layer can be found

Answer 10

Stratosphere

Question 11

primarily responsible for absorbing the UV rays from the Sun

Answer 11

Ozone Layer

Question 12

the boundary between stratosphere and mesosphere

Answer 12

Stratopause

Question 13

• extends to almost 80km high
• gases are less dense
• temp decreases as altitude increases
• many atoms are ionized
• lot of meteors burn up

Answer 13

Mesosphere

Question 14

upper boundary of mesosphere where the temp of the atmosphere reaches its lowest point.

Answer 14

Mesopause

Question 15

• extends to almost 600km high
• temp increases with altitude
• hot layer
• the layer that is first exposed to the sun
• reflects radio waves

Answer 15

Thermosphere

Question 16

• region of the atmosphere that is filled with charged particles
• where aurora takes place, and absorbs the most energetic photons

Answer 16

Ionosphere

Question 17

• the interface between Earth and Spac
• atoms and molecules can escape to space
• upper limit of the atmosphere

Answer 17

Exosphere

Question 18

winds blow generally west-to-east, 3-4 miles above mid-latitudes

Answer 18

Westerlies

Question 19

river of fastest moving air within the westerlies

Answer 19

Jet Stream

Question 20

main cause is CFC pollution

Answer 20

Ozone Depletion

Question 21

increase in Earth’s average surface temp caused by an increase in greenhouse gases

Answer 21

Global Warming

Question 22

the trapping of heat by gases in the atmosphere

Answer 22

Greenhouse Effect