Weather

Question 0

What are the two important characteristics of air that the briefing described? What third factor results in high or low pressure areas? Explain.

Answer 0

1) air’s lack of shape
2) air’s indefinite volume
3) uneven heating of earth leads to movement of air flowing from high pressure areas to low pressure areas. This movement sets earth’s atmosphere in motion.

Question 1

Why is there no such thing as an air molecule?

Answer 1

Air is not composed of a single element or compound. Air is a mixture, formed from an assortment of gas molecules and atoms.

Question 2

Troposphere

Answer 2

Tropos- turning over, or turbulent.

Question 3

Stratosphere

Answer 3

Stratos- layer

Question 4

Mesosphere

Answer 4

Mesos- middle

Question 5

Thermosphere

Answer 5

Thermos- hot or heat

Question 6

Exosphere

Answer 6

Exos- outside

Question 7

Contains about half of earth’s atmosphere

Answer 7

Troposphere

Question 8

Where many jet aircraft fly

Answer 8

Stratosphere

Question 9

Contains ozone layer

Answer 9

Stratosphere

Question 10

Where meteors burn up

Answer 10

Mesosphere

Question 11

Where auroras occur

Answer 11

Ionosphere or thermosphere

Question 12

Where space shuttles orbit

Answer 12

Thermosphere

Question 13

Where the air is heated from the ground up

Answer 13

Troposphere

Question 14

Most clouds

Answer 14

Troposphere

Question 15

High energy UV rays absorbed

Answer 15

Stratosphere

Question 16

Lowest temperatures

Answer 16

Mesosphere

Question 17

Area first heated by the Sun

Answer 17

Thermosphere

Question 18

Thinnest air

Answer 18

Thermosphere

Question 19

Highest temperatures

Answer 19

Thermosphere

Question 20

Contains the ionosphere

Answer 20

Thermosphere

Question 21

How is an ozone molecule different from an oxygen molecule?

Answer 21

Oxygen is made up of two oxygen atoms and ozone is made up of three oxygen atoms

Question 22

Compare and contrast in the lower troposphere to ozone in the mid troposphere.

Answer 22

Ozone in the stratosphere is good, absorbs much of the UV Portion of sunlight. This protects us from skin cancer, crop damage, and other problems. Ozone is in the upper troposphere acts like a greenhouse gas too much ozone adds to global warming

Question 23

Compare and contrast ozone in the lower troposphere to ozone in the mid troposphere

Answer 23

Ozone in the mid troposphere helps to clean pollutants out of the atmosphere. Ozone in the lower troposphere is produced when pollutants from cars and industry combined with sunlight to produce ozone. It is unhealthy to breathe and causes damage to crops

Question 24

Why does the air in a convective cell stop rising when it ascends to the bottom most layer of the stratosphere?

Answer 24

In the troposphere cooler air lies on top of warmer air. Warmer air at lower altitudes is less dense so it tends to rise while the denser cooler air above tends to move downward.The air stops rising when it reaches the bottom of the stratosphere where the surrounding there is less dense than the rising air.

Question 25

How do you air pressure, temperature, and the amount of water vapor in the troposphere change on average as you ascend?

Answer 25

1) Air pressure decreases 2) Air temperature decreases 3) humidity decreases (less energy to maintain water it is gaseous form)

Question 26

How do these averages help scientists predict weather

Answer 26

Changes in averages help scientists predict changes in weather

Question 27

Describe how ice becomes liquid water

Answer 27

When more heat energy is added to the ice the water molecules vibrate more. If they absorb enough heat energy, they will break free of their locked position and flow as a liquid.

Question 28

Describe how liquid water becomes water vapor

Answer 28

When enough heat is added to liquid water, evaporation occurs

Question 29

How does water vapor become liquid water

Answer 29

When water vapor releases enough heat, it condenses

Question 30

A phase change always involves what

Answer 30

Transfer of energy

Question 31

What form of energy powers the water cycle

Answer 31

Heat energy

Question 32

How does the water cycle transfer energy worldwide

Answer 32

The water cycle transfers energy worldwide through the atmosphere, creating both local weather and different climates

Question 33

Tell whether energy is absorbed or released | Liquid water solidifies into ice crystals

Answer 33

, released

Question 34

Summarize how heat and water interact in the atmosphere through the stages of the water cycle

Answer 34

One, solar energy absorbed land and ocean surface Two, Heat evaporates water and warms the humid surface air, causing it to rise Three, warm air rises and cools and water vapor under goes phase change in which it releases energy and condenses as liquid water Four, Earths weather reaches to the top of the troposphere where temps are below freezing Five, if liquid water rises high enough, another phase change of releasing energy, solidifying into ice crystals, forming clouds, from which precipitation might fall

Question 35

What must be present for a cloud to form

Answer 35

Water vapor in the air, air temperature and dewpoint, speck of smoke or dust on which water vapor can condense

Question 36

Note your cloud chart to include the types of weather that each cloud usually indicate

Answer 36

Cirrus – indicate fair weather, but warn one of coming precipitation Stratocumulus – light rain Altocumulus – proceed colder weather Nimbostratus – steady, continuous rain or snow Cumulonimbus – thunderstorms

Question 37

Why can fog be described as low- lying clouds?

Answer 37

Fog appears close to the ground

Question 38

Is it possible to have dew without fog?

Answer 38

Yes the vapor could condense directly on the cooled surface

Question 39

Is it possible to have fog without dew

Answer 39

No, dew forms on cold, cloud free nights when the temp of the ground, or any other surface, drop low enough for water vapor in the surrounding air to condense.

Question 40

Imagine that you awoke on two consecutive mornings at dawn following a clear night, and saw dew on the window pane the first morning, and frost on the next. What cause these two conditions?

Answer 40

The dew condensed on the windowpane when it became cool enough to cause the water vapor on its surface to condense into liquid. The frost occurred as the temperature drops below freezing.

Question 41

Look at the dewpoint temperature map and read the caption what relationship does there appear to be between dewpoint and severe storms

Answer 41

A significant difference in dewpoint over a narrow geographic region could indicate the potential for severe weather to occur.

Question 42

Rain

Answer 42

Most common form of precipitation

Question 43

Sleet

Answer 43

Raindrops fall through the layer of air at it's freezing point. Rain freezes as it passes through freezing air below clouds

Question 44

Freezing rain

Answer 44

Rain makes contact with cold surface and freezes

Question 45

Snow

Answer 45

Water droplets converted directly into ice crystals

Question 46

Hail

Answer 46

Chunks of ice carried directly through cold regions of cloud. Only in cumulonimbus clouds

Question 47

Hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards

Answer 47

All have intense wind

Question 48

Energy from the sun

Answer 48

``` Source of energy that powers a storm Solar energy travels to earth in Electromagnetic waves Visible light Infrared radiation Ultraviolet radiation ```

Question 49

Infrared radiation

Answer 49

Invisible radiation that we detect as heat

Question 50

Visible light

Answer 50

Radiation we see as visible light

Question 51

Ultraviolet radiation

Answer 51

Invisible high-energy radiation that can damage living tissue Small amounts can be beneficial for people's health.body requires UV radiation to produce vitamin D Too much UV radiation can cause skin and Eye disease

Question 52

Earth's energy budget

Answer 52

Shows how much of the solar energy is used by earth 30% – reflected or scattered by clouds, particles, and earths surface 20% – absorbed by atmosphere 50% – absorbed by earths surface (land and water)

Question 53

Conduction

Answer 53

Is the transfer of heat by the direct contact of particles of matter.

Question 54

Convention

Answer 54

Is the transfer of heat by the actual motion of a fluid (liquid or gas) in the form of currents

Question 55

Radiation

Answer 55

Is heat transferred by electromagnetic waves

Question 56

Order

Answer 56

Solar energy reaches Earth surface via radiation, Energy is absorbed by earths surface causing it to warm, The heat energy of the surface is transferred to the air in contact with this surface by conduction, Warmer,less dense air rises, carrying the heat upward by convention, As the air rises through the surrounding regions of greater density, it begins to cool and contract, becoming more dense Eventually, the density of rising air equals the density of the surrounding air as it stops rising. This newly arrived air displaces air already at the same altitude causing it to spread sideways, The cold and more dense air pushes aside by the rising column begins to sink, The cold dens air continues to sink through less dense air, eventually returning to the surface

Question 57

Air

Answer 57

Mixture of gaseous elements, compounds, and other particles, 78% – nitrogen 21% – oxygen 1% – other gases

Question 58

Absorbed or released | solar energy heats the land and ocean surface

Answer 58

Absorbed

Question 59

Absorbed or released | Heat from the surface evaporates water and warms humid surface air

Answer 59

Absorbed

Question 60

Absorbed or released | Warm air rises and then cools

Answer 60

Released

Question 61

Absorbed or released | Water vapor condenses as liquid water

Answer 61

Released