Barron's: The Leader in Test Preparation 7th Edition

AP Environmental Science

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Unit 1: Earth Systems and Resources

2: The Atmosphere

• Nitrogen 78%, Oxygen 21%, Water Vapor 0-4%, Carbon Dioxide <1%, Methane <1%, Nitrous Oxide <1%, and Ozone <1%.

Structure

• The Earth consists of the Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, and Thermosphere.

Weather and Climate

• Weather- the current physical properties being influenced outdoors (temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind speed/direction).
  
• Climate- future weather patterns in a given place (over a period of years). 
• Radiation- flow of electromagnetic radiation.
• Conduction- the transfer of heat through solid substances. 
• Convection- the transfer of energy from hot to cold regions in the Earth's atmosphere. 

      -Convection helps determine weather patterns. 

• Climate can be influenced by: altitude, carbon cycle, clouds, greenhouse effect, heat, latitude, mountains, pollution, volcanoes...etc...
• Air mass- large body of air with similar temperatures and moistures. 
• Albedo is the ability to be reflective. The ocean water has a low albedo, so it's not as reflective as snow or ice, which has a higher albedo.
• Clouds- collections of water droplets or ice crystals in the atmosphere. 
• Important greenhouse gases:

-Water vapor, Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.  

• Human activity:

-Deforestation, urbanization, heat island effects, and the release of greenhouse gas pollutants or burning of fossil fuels can harm the climate.

• Temperatures decrease when the altitude increases, and temperatures increase as the altitude decreases. 
• Pollution occurs when greenhouse gases are emitted from natural sources and human sources.
• Location:

-Humidity determines how high or low air pressure zones are and where the landmasses are distributed.

• The Earth's daily rotation on its axis determines the daily temperature cycles. 

-The Earth is typically colder at night when the sun isn't out. 

• Earth's procession determines the amount of energy received by the sun. 
• Volcanic eruptions can be projected into the stratosphere causing it to warm up, and for tropospheric cooling.
• Different patterns of the wind are influenced by temperatures, gradients, and the Coriolis effect. 
• The Coriolis effect says that Earth's rotation on its axis causes wind to spiral clockwise in high-pressure areas and counterclockwise in low-pressure areas. 
• Three Types of Air Circulation:

-Hadley

-Ferrel

-Polar

• Hurricanes occur in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific. 

-A severe weather phenomenon that begins in warm oceans with lots of wind. Subtropical regions with high-pressure zones tends to allow for large amounts of evaporation. 

-Ex: Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy. 

• Tornadoes are large masses of air swirling that occur from April throughout July.

-Winds can reach 300 mph.

-Tornadoes are most frequent in the "Tornado Alley." 

-Cyclones can last days while tornadoes barely last for hours. 

• Monsoons are strong winds that blow from cold to warmer regions depending on the season.
• If rainfall were to increase, flooding, soil erosion, and nutrient leaching would also increase. 
• If rainfall were to decrease, then starvation, species extinction, water shortages, and forest fires could occur.
• Food webs and biodiversity would be negatively effects by warmer or cooler water temperatures, as some marine species may not be able to live in these conditions.

-Hurricanes and tornadoes would increase with warmer temperatures, as well as a shift weather patterns and disease outbreaks.