Ch. 18 - Earth's Atmosphere Quiz

What is the atmosphere?

air care

the envelope of gases that surrounds a planet

atmosphere

the kinds of gases the atmosphere contains

composition

on what day was the atmosphere created?

day 2

What changed the composition of the atmosphere?

The Flood

what is the percentage of oxygen

21%

what is the percentage of nitrogen

78%

gases near the earth's surface are uniformly mixed

up to an altitude of about 80km

homosphere

layers of different gases

arranged by atomic weights

heteropshere

lowest layer

where most of our weather happens

troposphere

temperature increases with increased altitude

up to about 50km

stratosphere

narrow, high-altitude winds that come from the stratosphere

jet streams

temperature decreases with increased altitude

up to about 80km

still a uniform mix of gases

mesosphere

what is the order of the atmospheric regions?

troposphere, stratosphere, and mesosphere

thermopause at about 500km

true space begins at about 100km

high temperatures(meteoroids are burned up)

thermosphere

transitional to interplanetary space

gases can escape Earth's gravity

exosphere

what is the carbon cycle

the flow of carbon between the atmosphere and the Earth

nitrogen cycle

atmospheric oxygen must be converted to organic or fixed nitrogen compounds

Ozone molecule: O3

20-50km above Earth's surface

_______ absorbs ultraviolet energy

vital for life on earth =]

ozone layer

75km up to about 500km above Earth's surface

layer of ionised atoms

reflects radio communication waves

ionosphere

60,000-100,000 above Earth's surface

Discovered by James Van Allen (Van Allen Belts)

Protects earth from charged particles

Aurora borealis and aurora australis

magnetosphere

electromagnetic waves

solar wind

most of the radiant energy received by the earth is in the visible and infrared wavelengths

the radiant sun

1.367KW of the sun's energy falls on each sq. meter of the atmosphere

the solar constant

direct contact between the earth's surface and the atmosphere

conduction

What is the most efficient of the three methods?

conduction

vertical movement of warmed masses of air into cooler region

convection

the lower atmosphere traps and absorbs infrared energy

the greenhouse effect

gases that contribute most to absorbing heat

greenhouse gases

what do we need to create models for?

to help us understand the atmosphere and protect its features