Spheres of Earth's System

atmosphere; nitrogen; argon; 1; pauses; troposphere; tropopause; stratosphere; stratopause; mesosphere; mesopause; thermosphere

The __________ is the gaseous envelop that surrounds the Earth. The current composition is mainly ________, oxygen, and _________ (everything else is less than ___%). Layers of this are separated by ________. The order of the layers and their pauses starting from the bottom is _________, _________, _________, __________, ________, _________, ___________

Light scattering

______ _________ occurs when air molecules absorb visible light and then immediately re-emit it in random directions

Air

______ is the mixture of gases that make up the Earth’s atmosphere

Clouds

_______ are the accumulation of liquid water droplets or tiny ice crystals

aerosol

An _______ is a tiny solid particle suspended in air

Particulate matter; aerosol; construction; unpaved; fires; 2.5; 10; inhaled

_______ _______ is a mixture of microscopic solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in the air. As a result, it can be called an ________. It’s generated from a variety of sources including _________ sites, _______ roads, smokestacks, and ______. Scientists monitor this at two sizes: _____ microns (can dissolve in bloodstream) and ______ microns. It poses a health hazard because it can be _______

Altitude; vertical

_______ is the height above Earth’s surface. The _______ distance between an object and the Earth’s surface

Elevation

_________ is the height of the land surface relative to sea level

troposphere; below; convection; weather

The _________ is where the Greenhouse effect occurs. Planes fly here. It’s heated from ______ because heat is transferred from the land surface to the air above it due to ________, which also causes ______

stratosphere; UV; Ozone Layer; 50; 90; 100; destroyed

The _________ contains the Ozone layer which protects the Earth from ____ radiation. The _______ _______ is the layer in the stratosphere that contains the most ozone (O3) particles. Ozone absorbs ___% of the UV-a, ____% of the UV-b, and ______% of the UV-c. Ozone can be _______ by a variety of chemicals, such as chlorine, nitrogen, bromine, or hydrogen

mesosphere; friction

The _______ contains most meteors burn up here; there are enough gases present to create ______ and heat

thermosphere

The ________ contains the ionosphere, a high concentration of charged particles that have gained or lost an electron (ions)

exosphere; low

The ________ is mostly composed of hydrogen and helium. Due to the extreme ____ density, these molecules rarely collide

decreases; temperature

Pressure _______ with altitude and “Pauses” mark inflection points in the ______ profile

Ozone-depleting substances; lower; inactive

__________ __________ (ODS) release chlorine or bromine when they are exposed to intense UV light in the stratosphere. Unlike some other anthropogenic pollutants, they are not destroyed in the ________ atmosphere (they are inert, which means ______)

Chlorofluorocarbons

______________ (CFCs) were used for refrigeration, air conditioning, packaging, insulation, solvents, and aerosol propellants

Hydrofluorocarbons; less; temporary; greenhouse gases

__________ (HFCs) contain hydrogen, fluorine, chlorine, and carbon. They are ______ potent than CFCs. HFCs were introduced along with hydrochlorofluorocarbons as _________ replacements to CFCs; they are also ______ ______

Montreal Protocol; Ozone

The _______ ______ reduced then banned chlorine- and bromine- based chemicals (especially CFCs!). By doing so, we were able to close the hole in the ________

Ground-level ozone

_________ ________ can be produced in polluted areas (typically urban areas) when oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) interact with heat and sunlight

tropics; 23.5; 23.5; 2/3; subtropics

The ______ are characterized by summer-like weather all year long. They lie between ______°N (Tropic of Cancer) and ______°S (Tropic of Capricorn) latitude, thus they cover _______ of the Earth’s surface! The _______ extend from 23° to 30° latitude in both the northern and southern hemispheres

incoming shortwave; outgoing longwave

Net radiation = _______ _______ radiation – ________ ________ radiation

Differential heating

_________ ________ is the uneven heating of Earth by the Sun due to Earth’s approximately spherical shape.

Atmospheric circulation

________ _______ fixes the surplus-deficit imbalance on shorter timescales, leading to oceanic and atmospheric heat transport

Pressure Gradient Force; Coriolis Force; Frictional Force; boundary layer

Three forces are responsible for wind:

1. The ______ _______ _____: air moves from areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure

2. The ______ _______: airborne objects (like parcels of air) have an apparent deflection due to the rotation of the Earth

The ________ _______: objects on the Earth surface, such as uneven topography, trees, etc., slow the movement of wind. This can also occur between atmospheric layers. The _______ _________ is the layer of air adjacent to the Earth’s surface, where friction significantly impacts air movement. The thickness varies with conditions, like temperature and wind speed.

convection cell; cooling at higher elevations; cold air sinks; warming at surface; warm air rises; circulation; Coriolis Effect; Hadley; Ferrel; Polar

This represents a ______ _____. Label the following points:
A: ________ _____ ______ ________

B: ______ ______ _____

C: ______ _____ _____

D: _______ _______ ______
This process helps fuel atmospheric ________. The ________ _______ causes three main types (starting from the equator) are _______ cells, ______ cells, and _______ cells

Convection

_______ is a process driven by heat transfer, particularly radiation, conduction, and the cooling of air once it reaches higher elevations

Solar radiation; no

______ _______ is the transmission of thermal energy in the form of electromagnetic waves (there is _____ physical contact)

Conduction

______ is a direct transfer of heat between masses (there is physical contact)

Air pressure

______ _______ is the amount of force exerted by air molecules over a specific area of surface

more; higher; less; lower; lower; denser

At lower altitudes, there are _____ air molecules above you, so air pressure is ______. At higher altitudes, there are ______ air molecules above you, so air pressure is _______. Since warm air is less dense, the area below a warm air mass has ______ air pressure than an area below a cold air mass (which is _______).

Ideal Gas Law

The ______ _____ ____ is 𝑃𝑉 = 𝑛𝑅𝑇

Internal energy; adiabatic cooling

_______ _______ is converted to perform ideal gas law. This energy expenditure results in the decrease in temperature. This is called _______ ______

Hadley cells

______ ______ are driven by temperature differences at equator; tropical and subtropical climates

Ferrel cells

______ ______ rotate primarily due to convection in Hadley and Polar cells (friction), not heat differences at the equator and poles; mid-latitudes

Polar cells

_______ ______ are the smallest of the cells, caused by temperature differences like Hadley cells

Convergence

net inflow of air in an area (air masses go towards each other)

Divergence

net outflow of air in an area (air masses move away from each other)

Deserts; high; stable; sinking; faster; dry heat; little

_______ because ____ pressure areas tend to be characterized by dry and _____ conditions. This is because of the ______ air; air needs to move up to cool and allow condensation and precipitation to occur. Dry air tends to heat or cool _____ due to its lower specific heat capacity (water has a higher specific heat capacity). In areas like the Southwest where the sun is very intense, you feel extreme warm temperatures in the day and a drastic swing to cold temperatures at night. People refer to this as _____ _____! Without moisture, there is _____ vegetation (the vegetation that does exist is adapted to lower amounts of rainfall). This creates sandier conditions, and low shrubbery is common.

Coriolis Effect; left; right; zero; increases

______ ______ is where an object moving a long distance over the surface of the Earth is deflected during travel due to the rotation of the Earth below it. Objects are deflected to the _____ in the southern hemisphere. Objects are deflected to the _______ in the northern hemisphere. This is _____ at the Equator and ______ moving poleward with latitude

Bermuda High;

The _____ ______ is a semi-permanent high-pressure system that develops over the North Atlantic Ocean during the summer

Hydrosphere; ocean; freshwater

______ is the composition of all water on Earth. 96% of the water is in ______. 2.5% _______ (mostly frozen)

Cryosphere; Frozen water

_______ is subset of hydrosphere. ______ ______ (permafrost). Glaciers and ice caps, ground ice, permafrost, snow

Geosphere; Crust; Mantle; Core

________ is comprised of the solid earth that

contains all rocks and sediments

• _______: less dense silicates

• _______: more dense silicates

• _____: nickel and iron

• Lithosphere = breaks while Asthenosphere = flows

Biosphere; photosynthesis; carbon

_______ is comprised of all living and recently dead materials. Energy is acquired through ______ and chemosynthesis. Current composition of nutrients: ______, nitrogen, phosphorus

system; isolate; various

We consider Earth as a ______, so we can _______ individual components and understand the flow of matter and energy to different reservoirs through ______ pathways