envs274 exam 1 and 2

ranking of gasses in the atm according to their abundance (from highest to lowest)

nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide

function of nitrogen in the atmosphere

dilutes O to prevent rapid burning at Earth’s surface, and taken up by organisms to be incorporated into proteins

oxygen

produced by plants during photosynthesis

characteristics used to distinguish different layers of the atmosphere

temperature, chemical composition, and density

order of atmospheric layers in order of increasing distance from Earth

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere

stratopause

separates the stratosphere and mesophere

ozone

gasses responsible for generating heat in the stratosphere

because of the temperature profile of the stratosphere, there is little (___) movement of gasses in the stratosphere

horizontal

the temperature in the stratosphere (___) as the altitude (___)

increases, increases

the transfer of heat through space by electromagnetic radiation

radiation

as hot air masses (___), they are replaced by the surrounding cooler, (___) dense air, which we feel as wind

rise, more

physical principal that underlies Earth’s radiation budget

photoelectric effect

incoming solar radiation from the sun is mostly in the form of (___) radiation

infrared

(___) of the long-wave radiation emitted by the Earth escapes to space through the atmospheric window ??

lesat

colder objects emit photons with (___), while hot objects emit light with (___)

low frequency, high frequency

the Earth releases energy back into the atmosphere as (___)

infrared radiation

greenhouse gasses (___) energy emitted by th Earth

absorb and re-emit

process that does not release carbon into the atmosphere

growth of plants

emitters or methane

natural wetlands, agricultural activities, fossil fuel extraction, transportation

nitrous oxide is produced by (___)

agricultural activities, natural biological processes, fossil fuel burning, industrial processes

F-gasses

chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride

Global Warming Potential

a measure of climate impacts based on atmospheric lifetime and energy absorption properties

as greenhouse gas concentrations increase and global temperatures rise, the total amount of water vapor in the atmosphere (___), (___) the warming effect

increases, amplifying

a measure of the speed of the molecules in the gas

temperature

the approximate maximum wavelength of earth’s emissions spectrum

10 micrometre

wavelength emitted photons are strongly absorbed by earth’s atmosphere

60 micrometres

wavelength in the infrared range that would be considered to fall within an atmospheric window

10 micrometre

urban and rural areas

area where ambient air pollution is a problem

nitrogen dioxide

major constituents of photochemical smong and it is formed through the reaction with gasses in the presence of sunlight

ozone

gas that is commonly released from the combustion of fuels in the transportation and industrial sectors

carbon monoxide

a colorless, odorless and tasteless toxic gas produced by incomplete combustion of carbonaceous fuels such as wood, petrol, charcoal, natural gas and kerosene

sulfur dioxide

a colorless gas with a sharp odor produced from burning coal and smelting of mineral ores

breathing air with a high concentration of (___) reduces the amount of (___) that can be transported in the bloodstream to critical organs like the heart and brain

CO, O2

largest source of SO2 in the atmosphere

burning of fossil fuels by power plants

harmful effect of SO2

short term exposures can harm the human respiratory system, high concs can lead to the formation of SOx that contribute to formation of harmful particulate matter pollution, and contribute to acid rain which can harm sensitive ecosystems

bonds of matter

where chemical energy is stored

joule

the standard unit of energy

positive sign

energy given off by a system

to calculate the energy change during a reaction, the difference is taken between the sum of the energies of the bonds in the (___) and the sum of the energies of the bonds in the (___)

products, reactants

exothermic reaction

heat energy is released

heat

the movement of atoms and molecules

ammonia

not considered a member of NOx

NOx in the atmosphere

contributes to nutrient pollution in coastal waters

ozone occurs in the (___) atmosphere

lower

tropospheric ozone is not emitted directly into the air, but is created by chemical rxns of (___) and (___)

NOx, VOC

involved in acid rain formation

NOx and SO2

photochemical reactions

reactions initiated by a photon

free radicals

species with unpaired and an odd number of electrons that are very reactive

during a temperature inversion, (___) air overlays (___) air creating favorable conditions for smog formation

warm, cold

photochemical smog components

ozone, NOx, aldehydes

not a toxic chemical produced in photochemical smog

benzene

best way to prevent smog formation

control release of NOx

boiling points of non-volatile chemicals

high

stratosphere

where most ozone is concentrated

UVB

radiation that ozone absorbs, preventing it from reaching the planet’s surface where it causes health effects

physiological of plants

affected by UVB

linked to destruction of ozone in the ozone layer

Cl and Br

total amount of ozone will decrease in the atmosphere

if ozone is created at a slower rate than it is destroyed

in the stratosphere, (___) is created primarily by the rxn of UV light with (___)

O3, O2

ozone breaks down into free O atoms, which re-join with an O molecule to reform ozone, which converts harmful radiation into (___)

heat