geo quiz 1 - pressure, layers, radiation (class 3)

How does air pressure change with height

Air pressure decreases as altitude increases because there is less air above you pushing down. Air pressure is greatest at sea level and decreases with height.

why does air pressure decrease with height?

because air molecules are farther apart the higher in the atmosphere you go

what are the four layers of the atmosphere, in which layers does temperature increase or decrease

1. troposhere - decreases

2. stratosphere - increases

3. mesosphere - decrease

4. thermosphere - increase

in which layer of the atmosphere does weather occur?

troposphere

why does temperature increase with height in the stratosphere?

Temperature increases with height in the stratosphere because ozone absorbs the Sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation, heating the air.

what is radiation and what does wavelength measure

Radiation is energy traveling as electromagnetic waves — the only form of heat transfer that needs no medium, which is how sunlight crosses empty space to reach Earth.

• wavelength defines regions of the electromagnetic spectrum

electromagnetic spectrum in order from longest to shortest wavelength

radio, microwaves, infrared, visible light, UV, x-rays, gamma rays

which visible color has the longest wavelength and which has the shortest

longest: red

shortest: purple

which parts of the electromagnetic spectrum carry most incoming and outgoing energy in earths climate

• Incoming energy: Mostly shortwave radiation — especially visible light and some UV from the Sun.

• Outgoing energy: Mostly longwave (infrared) radiation — heat emitted by Earth.

as an object gets hotter does it emit more or less radiation? do wavelengths become shorter or longer?

• Hotter object → emits MORE radiation

• Hotter object → shorter wavelengths

does earth or the sun emit shorter-wavelength radiation, why?

the sun bc its hotter than the earth

what do shortwave and xlongwave radiation mean in Earth’s climate

• Shortwave radiation: High-energy radiation coming from the Sun to Earth, mainly visible light and UV.

• Longwave radiation: Lower-energy infrared (heat) radiation emitted from Earth back toward space.

albedo? what do albedos of 0 - 1 mean? what’s earth’s albedo?

the fraction of light that is reflected, 0 = all light absorbed 1 = all light reflected, Earths = 0.3

that has a higher albedo, snow and ice or ocean water? what happens to albedo when snow melts?

snow and ice

When snow melts, albedo decreases because darker surfaces absorb more sunlight instead of reflecting it.

Snow melts → lower albedo → more sunlight absorbed → more warming

why can melting sea ice lead to additional warming?

Melting sea ice causes more warming because it lowers albedo. Dark ocean water absorbs more sunlight than bright ice, causing more heating and more ice to melt.

Ice melts → lower albedo → more sunlight absorbed → more warming.

what are the three main destinations of incoming sunlight when it reaches earth?

1. reflected back to space

2. absorbed by the atmosphere

3. absorbed by Earth’s surface

if temperature is steady, why must incoming shortwave equal outgoing long wave?

equal energy in and out stabilizes temperature

about how much warmer is Earth because of the natural greenhouse effect?

33 degrees celsius

how does the natural greenhouse effect warm earth’s surfaces?

• Shortwave radiation passes through atm to surface, no interaction w greenhouse gasses, warming surface

• Surface emits longwave radiation but Greenhouse Gases absorb outgoing longwave radiation and then emit it towards space or back toward the surface 

  • Trap outgoing longwave rad and prevent it from going back to space resulting in a warmer earth than expected