Unit 4 - Week 2 Cards Flashcards
What gas makes up most of the atmosphere?
Nitrogen
What percentage of the atmosphere is made of nitrogen?
78%
What percentage of the atmosphere is made of oxygen?
21%
This created the atmosphere by releasing gases trapped within the earth to the surface.
Volcanic eruptions
This caused the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to decrease and the amount of oxygen to increase.
Photosynthetic life (plants, cyanobacteria)
This has led to increased levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
Burning fossil fuels
What are the five layers of the atmosphere?
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere
This layer of the atmosphere is where nearly all weather conditions take place.
Troposphere
The layer of the earth’s atmosphere above the troposphere, Contains the ozone layer.
Stratosphere
The region of the earth’s atmosphere above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere. Where sprites occur.
Mesosphere
The region of the atmosphere above the mesosphere and below the exosphere. This is where the Aurora borealis and international space station reside.
Thermodynamics
The outermost layer of the atmosphere. Where satellites orbit the earth.
Exosphere
What are the three “pauses” between the layers of the atmosphere?
Tropopause, stratopause, mesopause
The transfer of thermal energy by electromagnetic waves (light)
Radiation
The transfer of thermal energy between objects when their atoms or molecules collide.
Conduction