Unit 2 Science Study guide
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214 Terms
What is meteorology?
The science of the atmosphere and the weather it produces.
What are the four things meteorologists measure?
Temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation.
What is temperature?
How hot or cold the air is.
What is humidity?
How much water vapor is in the air.
What is wind?
How fast and which direction air moves.
What is precipitation?
Rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
What might falling barometer readings mean?
Storms or bad weather may be coming.
What is weather?
The state of the air in one place over hours to days.
What is climate?
The long-term average and range of weather over 30+ years.
Why is the Sun the energy source behind weather?
It heats Earth and drives the movement of air and water.
What is the percentage of nitrogen in dry air?
78.08%.
What is the percentage of oxygen in dry air?
20.95%.
What is the percentage of argon in dry air?
0.93%.
What is the percentage of carbon dioxide in dry air?
0.04%.
Which gas is used by plants in photosynthesis and is a greenhouse gas?
Carbon dioxide (CO₂).
Why is water vapor a variable gas?
Its amount changes depending on location and weather.
What is the range of water vapor in the air?
0–4%.
Where is about 99% of water vapor found?
The troposphere.
Where is most ozone found?
The stratosphere.
What does ozone protect us from?
Harmful UV radiation, especially UV-B and UV-C.
What are the five atmospheric layers from the ground up?
Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere.
How does temperature change with height in the troposphere?
It decreases.
How does temperature change with height in the stratosphere?
It increases.
How does temperature change with height in the mesosphere?
It decreases.
How does temperature change with height in the thermosphere?
It increases.
How does temperature change with height in the exosphere?
The slideshow does not specify.
In which layer does all weather occur?
The troposphere.
About how much of the atmosphere's mass is in the troposphere?
About 75%.
Which atmospheric layer is the coldest?
The mesosphere.
What happens to most meteors in the mesosphere?
They burn up.
Where do auroras occur?
The thermosphere.
What is the greenhouse effect?
Some gases trap heat like a blanket, keeping Earth warm enough for life.
How does the ozone layer protect Earth?
It absorbs harmful UV rays.
How does air protect Earth from radiation?
It scatters and absorbs cosmic radiation.
How does the magnetosphere help Earth?
It works with the atmosphere to make the surface livable.
How does oxygen help sustain life?
It lets animals breathe and make energy.
How does nitrogen help sustain life?
It is a building block of proteins and DNA.
How does water vapor help sustain life?
It supplies water for life and ecosystems.
What is insolation?
Sunlight that reaches Earth.
What causes Earth's seasons?
Earth's tilt.
Why is distance from the Sun not the cause of seasons?
Earth's tilt changes the angle and amount of sunlight each hemisphere receives.
What happens during the June solstice in the Northern Hemisphere?
It leans toward the Sun and has the longest day.
What happens during the December solstice in the Northern Hemisphere?
It leans away from the Sun and has the shortest day.
What happens during the equinoxes?
Neither hemisphere leans toward the Sun; day and night are about equal.
What is albedo?
The amount of sunlight a surface reflects.
What is the albedo of fresh snow?
About 85%.
What is the albedo of the ocean?
About 6%.
Which warms faster, asphalt or snow?
Asphalt, because it has low albedo and absorbs more sunlight.
What is radiation?
Energy traveling as waves, even through empty space.
What is an example of radiation in weather?
Sunlight heating Earth.
What is conduction?
Heat passing directly from one object to another by touch.
What is an example of conduction in weather?
The ground warming the air touching it.
What is convection?
Heat carried by moving air or water.
What is an example of convection?
Warm air rising.
What happens in a convection current?
Warm air rises, cools, sinks, and circulates.
How does convection form clouds?
Rising air cools and forms clouds.
How can convection build thunderstorms?
Strong updrafts build storm clouds.
What pressure forms when air rises?
Low pressure at the surface.
What pressure forms when air sinks?
High pressure at the surface.
What is wind?
Air moving from high pressure to low pressure.
What weather is usually associated with high pressure?
Sinking air, clear skies, and dry weather.
What weather is usually associated with low pressure?
Rising air, clouds, and precipitation.
What is the Coriolis effect?
The curving of moving air because Earth rotates.
Which way does moving air bend in the Northern Hemisphere?
To the right.
Which way does moving air bend in the Southern Hemisphere?
To the left.
Where is the Coriolis effect strongest?
Near the poles.
Where is the Coriolis effect almost zero?
At the equator.
What are the three global circulation cells?
Hadley, Ferrel, and Polar.
What latitudes does the Hadley cell cover?
0°–30°.
What latitudes does the Ferrel cell cover?
30°–60°.
What latitudes does the Polar cell cover?
60°–90°.
What surface winds are produced by Hadley cells?
Trade winds (easterlies).
What surface winds are produced by Ferrel cells?
Westerlies.
What surface winds are produced by Polar cells?
Polar easterlies.
What is the ITCZ (doldrums)?
A rainy, calm belt near the equator where trade winds meet.
Why is the ITCZ rainy and calm?
Air rises where the trade winds meet, creating low pressure and rain.
Why are areas where air sinks usually dry?
Sinking air creates high pressure and dry weather.
What is the jet stream?
A fast, narrow river of wind high in the atmosphere that steers storms.
How high is the jet stream?
About 9–12 km.
How fast can the jet stream move?
About 150–300+ km/h.
Which direction does the jet stream usually flow?
West to east.
How do ocean currents affect weather and climate?
They move warm and cold water around the globe, carrying heat.
What is El Niño?
Warming of the central and eastern tropical Pacific.
What is La Niña?
Cooler-than-normal water in the eastern tropical Pacific.
What does ENSO stand for?
El Niño–Southern Oscillation.
Why does a sea breeze happen during the day?
Land heats faster than water, so cool sea air moves onto land.
Why does a land breeze happen at night?
Land cools faster than water, so air flows from land to sea.
What is a valley breeze?
During the day, sun-warmed slopes send air rising up the mountain.
What is a mountain breeze?
At night, cool air sinks down into the valley.
What is a monsoon?
Seasonal winds that bring a very wet summer and a dry winter.
What is evaporation?
The Sun turns water into vapor.
What is transpiration?
Plants release water vapor from their leaves.
What is condensation?
Rising vapor cools into cloud droplets.
What is precipitation in the water cycle?
Droplets or ice grow heavy and fall.
What are runoff and infiltration?
Water flows back to the sea or soaks into the ground.
Which water-cycle step releases heat that fuels thunderstorms and hurricanes?
Condensation.
What is humidity?
How much water vapor is in the air.
What is relative humidity?
How close the air is to being full of water vapor.
What is dew point?
The temperature at which water vapor turns into liquid.
Which holds more water vapor, warm air or cold air?
Warm air.