Esci 1210 Exam 3 Study Guide: Earth Science Terms & Definitions

What are the DOMINANT major gases in earth's atmosphere

Nitrogen (78%) & Oxygen (21%)

What are the dominant minor gasses in earths atmosphere?

Argon (0.93%) & Carbon Dioxide C02 (0.04%)

What are the other 3 components of the atmosphere, and what is each one's significance

Water Vapor: source of all clouds and precipitation

Aerosols: solid/liquid particles suspended within the atmosphere

Ozone: unusual form of oxygen, considered pollution at ground level

What is the lowermost layer of our atmosphere called

Troposphere

Why are all clouds and "weather" confined to this lowermost layer

troposphere has 99% of the atmosphere = water vapor = contains heat energy that drives storms

What in God's green Earth is the "Greenhouse Effect"

1. Solar radiation exists as visible light

2. Earth absorbs light

3. Earth re-radiates energy into atmosphere

4. Atmospheres absorbs energy by water vapor and carbon dioxide

5. These gases cause the atmosphere to warm up

6. Which then warms up the ground

How does density of an air mass relate to its ability to rise or sink

Falling air: compressed, warms, going away from dew point= few clouds; Warm air is less dense

Rising air: expanding, air cooling, closer to dew point=clouds; Cold air is more dense

Falling air

Compresses, warms, goes away from dew point = few clouds

Rising air

Expands and cools=clouds

Warm air

less dense and sinks

Cool air

more dense and rises

How does the temperature of an air mass relate to its water vapor CAPACITY

water vapor capacity of an air mass is temperature dependent; as temperature decreases the air's water vapor capacity also decreases

What does the term "Relative Humidity" mean

The airs water vapor content divided by the air's water vapor capacity

high relative humidity

cool and foggy

low relative humidity

hot and dry

What does the term "saturated" mean when it comes to air masses

100% relative humidity = saturation

What does the term "Dew Point" mean when it comes to air masses

The lowest temperature air can be cooled at constant pressure before becoming saturated

What is condensation, and what absolutely positively MUST happen to an air mass for condensation to occur within it, What two things always happen to an air mass when it rises?

Vapor to Liquid: is a warming process that adds heat to the air

• requires cooling and rising air

Evapoartion

Liquid to gas

Condensation

Gas to liquid

By what four ways may air rise

1. Orographic lifting

2. Frontal wedging

3. Convergence

4. Density differences

Air rising - orographic lifting

air is forced up and over a mountain range where the mountain range acts like a giant ramp

Air rising - Frontal wedging

occurs along fronts; leads to different temperatures, densities, moisture content

Air rising - density differences

a pocket of air can be heated higher/hotter then the surrounding air = warmer air is less dense = it will rise above surroundings

Air rising - convergence

where air flows onto land from two opposite directions over a peninsula or narrow strip of land

clouds of vertical development(500-18,000 meters, 1600-60,000 feet), grow to heights of 30-60,000 feet tall

Cumulonimbus and Cumulus

Cumulonimbus

bad news, severe weather clouds, towering clouds associated with heavy rainfall, Thunder, lightning, hail and tornadoes

Cumulus

Cumulus- dense billowy clouds characterized by flat bases, fair(nice) weather clouds

low clouds(below 2000 meters, 6500 feet)

Stratus and Nimbostratus

Stratus

low uniform layer resembling fog but not resting on the ground. may produce drizzle

Nimbostratus

amorphous layer of dark Gray clouds, one of the chief precipitation producing clouds, rain or snow, moderate precipitation, ½ -1 day of rain/snow

High clouds (above 6000 meters, 20,000 ft)

Cirrus, cirrostratus, cirrocumulus

How in the world do clouds form

expands and then cools below its dew point to condense and form clouds

What is an isobar?

shows atmosphere pressure

Closely spaced isobars

strong winds

Widely spaced isobars

gentler winds

Define "wind"

pressure will be put on the surface below air molecules move from high pressure to low pressure areas in the horizontal movement of air molecules = wind.

What is the "Coriolis Effect"

Winds are bent or deflected as they move from high pressure to low pressure due to the Earth's rotation

What is a cyclone

Converging surface winds, Low pressure system

Do winds flow into or out of a cyclone

into

Do they flow clockwise or CCW around a cyclone

ccw

What is an anticyclone

Diverging surface winds, High pressure system

Do winds flow into or out of an anticyclone

out

Do they flow CW or CCW around an anticyclone

cw

Why are clouds and precipitation often associated with cyclones

1. A system of low-pressure warm air is lifted

2.lifting air that expands, cools, causes condensation

3. leads to precipitation

Mid latitude cyclone

starts at stationary front and ends at occluded front• 500 miles across, lasts 4 to 10 days, moves from West to east across the United states

West limb of MLC

continental polar air=cold front

East limb of MLC

East limb of MLC=warm front

What is an Air Mass

large pancake of air contained within the troposphere, similar temperatures, density, moisture content throughout the mass

Continental Artic

very cold and very dry

Continental Polar

cold, cool, dry

Continental Tropical

warm, hot, dry

Maritime Polar

cold, cool, humid

Maritime Tropical

warm, hot, humid

What is a Front

Boundaries between air masses

Warm Fronts

Forms when a warm air mass pushes against a colder one and the warmer air will replace the colder air

Cold Fronts

Forms when cooler air mass is pushing out a warmer air mass and the colder air replaces the warmer air.

What is the presently accepted hypothesis for the origin of the Solar System, What are the steps needed to form the Solar System if this hypothesis is correct

The nebular hypothesis

1. nebula collapse due to gravity

2.Collapse causes the cloud to spin into a disc shape and is heated material is concentrated at the center of the disk which eventually forms the sun

3.outer part of the disc causes condensation forming particles

4.collisions between these particles grew the objects we now call moons, planets, asteroids

What are the different components (i.e., objects) that make up the Solar System

• One star = our sun• 8 planets• Planetoids• many moons• asteroids• comets

How many planets exist in our Solar System

8

Know the order (from closest to farthest) of the planets in their orbit around the sun.

Know the order (from closest to farthest) of the planets in their orbit around the sun.

• In order from closest to the sun to furthest away: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

What effect does the size of the planet have on the thickness and composition of its atmosphere

• thickness of a body's atmosphere is related to its size, the larger the object the stronger the gravitational pull is which attracts lighter material like gases

• bodies were significant atmospheres have low temperatures at the surface and strong gravities

Inner Rocky

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars- Small, dense, mostly rock and metal, close to sun

Outer gaseous

jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune- Big, low density, mostly gasses. Saturn has a density less than water=would float in water

What is the "Asteroid Belt

where most asteroids reside in our solar system

Where is the asteroid belt located within the Solar System

between mars and jupiter

What evidence supports the contention that asteroids have collided with planet earth

"meteor crater", in Arizona, Mexico and Canada

What is a comet

dirty ice balls" frozen gases holding bits of rock, dirt, dust, 2-25 miles in diameter, travel in highly elliptical orbits and visit every certain number of years(the period)

Understand how the coma and the tail of a comet develop.

• as a comet approaches the sun the solar wind particles pushes against the comet and begins to vaporize some of the comets gases causing them to glow(ionization) forming the coma. solar winds strip gases off of the coma to create the ionic tail

Coma

Shell of ionized gasses that glow brightly

Ion tail

long and always pointed away from the sun which shows us that the solar winds extends in every direction

What is the astronomical name for "shooting star"

meteor

Why do we see a streak of light when we observe a shooting star

all the particles that enter Earth's atmosphere at a high speed and friction between the atmosphere and the particles generate heat causing the particles to glow

what is a METEOR SHOWER? How are meteor showers related to comets?

earth enters the debris train we see a meteor shower

Why is the Moon considered to be dead

no plate tectonics, no active volcanoes, no tectonic moon quakes, no linear mountain belts and no atmosphere

Terrain types on the moon: 2. Mare/Maria

giant impact craters that have been flooded and filled with basalt lava flows mostly circular, low, relatively flat areas

Terrain types on the moon:

Highlands; mountainous terrain, pelted by meteors and asteroids, the oldest part, made out of anorthosite

What is the latest and greatest theory that explains the origin of the Moon

The giant impact theory

How do the Aurora Borealis(northern) & the Aurora Australis(southern) form

solar wind can ride the lines of force down into the atmosphere giving the gases and electric charge causing them to glow.

Why do they most often occur at high latitudes (near the poles)

magnetic force that enter and exit planet earth near the poles

What do humans on earth see when a lunar eclipse occurs

when the moon passes into earth's shadows

Lunar eclipse/blood moon

Moon passes into earths shadows completely

penumbral shadow

partial lunar eclipse, a portion of the moon's disc is darkened

Umbral Shadow

produces a total lunar eclipse, entire disk goes dark

How must the Sun, Earth, and Moon be positioned for a lunar eclipse to occur

Sun, earth, moon

What do humans on earth see when a solar eclipse occurs, How are the Umbra and Penumbra related to partial eclipses and total eclipses

• Partial solar eclipse- to see you must be in the moons penumbral shadow

• Total solar eclipse- to see you must be in the moons umbral shadow

• Annular eclipse- the moon's disk blocks out the central portion of the sun leaving a ring of light around the moon's disk = a ring of light around the moon.

How must the Sun, Earth, and Moon be positioned for a solar eclipse to occur

sun, moon, earth

What is the angle to which the earth's axis has been tilted from vertical

23.5

Why does Planet Earth have seasons

During one half of the year the southern hemisphere faces the sun more directly and during the other half of the year the northern hemisphere faces the sun more directly.

What is an Equinox

everyone has the same amount of daylight and darkness minutes but not the same noon sun angle.

What is a Solstice

summer solstice (June 21st) = day of the highest noon sun angle and greatest amount of daylight minutes

o winter solstice (December 21st)= lowest noon sun angle and least amount of daylight minutes.

What is a galaxy

Star clusters often called "cities of the universe"

What is a nebula

Giant clouds of gas and dust

In which galaxy is our Solar System located

milky way

What kind of galaxy is it

barred spiral

What is the currently accepted theory that explains the beginning of our universe

The big bang

What is the most impressive piece of evidence that supports this theory

universe is expanding in all galaxies are moving away from each other.

What is the inescapable implication of a Universe that has a beginning

has a cause to exist

universe began to exist

universe has a cause