APES Unit 4.4-4.9

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