Studied by 10 people
List five gases that Earth’s atmosphere is comprised of from most to least abundant
Nitrogen, Oxygen, Water Vapor, Argon, Carbon Dioxide
What are the five layers of the atmosphere from closest to farthest?
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere
What are characteristics of the troposhere?
First layer, where weather occurs, most dense, Ozone (O3) is most harmful here
What are characteristics of the stratosphere?
Second layer, less dense, thickest O3 layer needed to absorb UV rays
What are characteristics of the mesosphere?
Middle layer, coldest temperatures, even less dense, vaporizes foreign objects
What are characteristics of the thermosphere?
Hottest temperatures, absorbs X-rays and UV radiation, where Aurora Borealis occurs due to charged gas molecules from solar radiation
What are characteristics of the exosphere?
Outermost layer, merges with space, least dense
Describe the temperatures of each atmospheric layer based on the temperature gradient
Troposphere: temperature decrease (further from earth)
Stratosphere: temperature increase (uv rays)
Mesosphere: temperature decrease (least dense)
Thermosphere: temperature increase (radiation absorbed)
What is the coriolis effect?
The deflection of objects traveling through the atmosphere due to Earth’s spin
Which tropic is 30 degrees North?
Tropic of Cancer
Which tropic is 30 degrees South?
Tropic of Capricorn
Describe what happens in a Hadley Cell
Equator receives direct sunlight, which makes warm air rise and condense
The warm air expands and cools, then rains to create a tropical climate below it
The now dry air cools down more and sinks at 30°N and 30°S, creating deserts around the equator
What is Insolation?
The amount of exposure to sun rays
What does the solar intensity of insolation depend on?
The angle that Earth is tilted at, the amount of atmosphere that sun rays have to pass through
Which part of the Earth has the highest insolation?
Equator
What occurs during solstices? When do they occur?
In June and December, the N/S hemispheres is most tilted towards the sun
What occurs during equinoxes? When do they occur?
In March and September, the N/S hemispheres are equally facing the sun
What is Albedo?
The proportion of light that is reflected by a surface
How does albedo affect surface temperature?
Some places will have different surface temperatures due to their ground having higher/lower albedo
What is an Urban Heat Island?
Where Urban areas will be hotter because asphalt has a lower albedo
How does geography affect climate?
Mountains block wind and create rain shadows, oceans moderate temperature and add moisture into the air
What are rain shadows?
A phenomenon that creates desert conditions on one side of a mountain and temperature conditions on the other
How do rain shadows occur?
Warm, moist air from the ocean travels up the windward side of a mountain, creating temperate conditions. Dry air then travels down the leeward side of the mountain and creates desert conditions.
What are Geysers?
Large ocean circulation patterns caused by global wind
What are upwelling zones?
Areas of the ocean where winds blow warm surface water away from land, replacing it with colder water
What are the benefits of upwelling?
By replacing warm water with colder water, it replenishes O2 and nutrients, which benefits fisheries
What is Thermohaline circulation?
The circulation of water that connects all of the world’s oceans and mixes salt/nutrient/temperature throughout
What is the El Nino Southern Oscillation?
A pattern of shifting atmospheric pressure/ocean currents between South America and Australia/Southeast Asia
What happens to the trade winds during El Nino?
Trade winds weak and reverse directions going from West to East
What happens to the climate during El Nino?
Suppresses upwelling on the West South American coast and creates warmer climates that harm fisheries, creates cooler climates in Australia/Southeast Asia
What happens to the trade winds during La Nina?
Trade winds blowing from East to West are stronger than normal
What happens to the climate during La Nina?
Increases upwelling and creates cooler than normal climates on the West South American Coast that benefit fisheries, creates warmer climates in Australia/Southeast Asia
What do warmer climates do?
Increases raining, flooding, pressure
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