Unit 7

What happens in the exosphere? 

  • The International Space Station orbits and is very hot

Outermost layer 

  • Exosphere

Define ionosphere

  • A layer of charged particles that helps carry radio waves

What layer is within the thermosphere?

  • Ionosphere

What happens to temperature when altitude increases in the stratosphere and thermosphere?

  • Temp increases

The hottest layer of the atmosphere

  • Thermosphere

What is the thickest layer of the atmosphere?

  • Thermosphere

What happens to temperature when altitude increases in the troposphere and mesosphere?

  • Temp decreases

What happens in the mesosphere?

  • Shooting stars

Meaning of meso

  • Middle 

Where are the majority of holes in the ozone layer?

  • Antarctica and the North Pole

What breaks down the ozone layer, leaving holes?

  • CFCs - refrigerators, air conditioners, aerosols, and foam packaging.

What does ozone do?

  • It absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the sun

 Distance from the Earth - Ozone layer

  • 19-48 km

Why is the stratosphere hot?

  • Because it has ozone, which absorbs UV radiation

Which layer contains the most ozone?

  • Stratosphere

Define jet stream

  • A narrow belt of strong wind at the top of the troposphere that develops storms and moves them.

Which layer contains the Jet stream?

  • Troposphere

The troposphere is warmed by what?

  • Earth's surface 

What does the troposphere mostly contain?

  • Water vapor and gases

Distance from Earth - exosphere

  • Above 500 km

Distance from Earth -thermosphere

  • 85-500 km

Distance from Earth - mesosphere 

  • 50-85 km

Distance from Earth to the stratosphere

  • 10-50 km

Distance from Earth- Troposphere

  • 10 km above land and sea

5 layers of the atmosphere

  • Tropo, stratp, meso, thermo, exo

What are the layers of the atmosphere based on?

  • Temperature difference

How many layers are in the atmosphere?

  • 5

Define convection

  • Energy that is transferred by gases and liquids)

Define conduction

  • Energy is transferred by touch when the Earth's surface touches air, and air to air.

Define radiation

  • Energy is transferred by waves, and can warm a sandy beach, but also transfers energy from the sand to the air.

What heats Earth's surface?

  • The energy that is absorbed

What absorbed the sun’s energy on the Earth’s surface?

  • Oceans, lands, and atmosphere

How much of the sun's energy is absorbed?

  • 70 percent

How much of the sun's energy is reflected?

  • 30 percent

Two things that happen to sunlight on Earth

  • Reflected or absorbed

Where does most energy come from?

  • The sun

What is heat?

  • energy

Why is the Earth's atmosphere unique?

  • Because it holds the right amount of the sun's energy to support life

What does CFCS create?

  • A destroyed ozone layer

What does burning fossil fuels create?

  • Carbon dioxide

What does car exhaust create?

  • Smog

3 ways humans are changing the composition of the atmosphere

  • Car exhaust, burning fossil fuels, CFCs

What gases are in the atmosphere, and what are their percentages?

  • Nitrogen(78),oxygen(21), argon(0.93), carbon dioxide(0.033), and other small gases

Examples of liquids in the atmosphere

  • Water droplets

Examples of solids in the atmosphere

  • Dust, salt, and pollen

What is the atmosphere made up of?

  • Solids, liquids, and gases

What converted carbon dioxide into oxygen and allowed animals to live?

  • Photosynthetic life/cyanobacteria

What did volcanoes add to the atmosphere?

  • Carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and water vapor

What did the early atmosphere contain?

  • Mostly hydrogen and helium, very little oxygen

What is the atmosphere?

  • A thin layer of gases that protects Earth's surface from UV rays, has oxygen, and balances the heat received and released.

Define land breeze

  • At night, the land cools off,ff then the air above the land sinks and allows the warm air from the air to come in.

Define sea breeze

  • During the day, the land heats up and the air above the land rises and allowing the cool air from the sea to come in.

Characteristics of Polar easterlies

  • Poles to 60 degrees, cold, dense air from the  poles sinks and moves away from the poles, moves east to west

Characteristics of prevailing westerlies

  • 30-60 degrees, air movement is west to east, responsible for the USA weather

Characteristics of trade winds

  • Air near the equator warms, rises, and moves to the poles, 30 degrees latitude, gradually cools, sinks, and returns to the equator along the surface.

Characteristics of the doldrums

  • Near the equator, hot, little temp differences, so little wind

What affects the world's weather? 

  • Global wind patterns and the Coriolis effect

What causes the cold and warm air to move from the equator to the poles?

  • Coriolis effect

What does cold air do at the poles?

  • It sinks and moves toward the equator

What does warm air do at the equator?

  • It rises and moves toward the poles

What is the uneven heat of the Earth caused by?

  • The global wind patterns

What causes uneven heating of the Earth/

  • Different areas receive different amounts of sunlight

How does air move?

  • From high to low pressure

What is wind caused by?

  • Pressure differences

What does the air temperature determine in precipitation?

  • What type/kind will it be

Define precipitation

  • When water droplets combine and get enough, they will fall

Characteristics of strato

  • Low clouds

Characteristics of the alto

  • Middle elevation clouds

Characteristics of cirrus

  • High clouds

Characteristics of Nimbus clouds

  • Like cumulus but taller and darker, full of water, and sunlight cannot pass through.

Characteristics of cirrus 

  • Thin, feathery, and made of ice crystals

Characteristics of cumulus clouds

  •  Puffy, white, often with flat bottoms

Characteristics of stratus clouds

  • Smooth, even layers usually at low altitudes

How do clouds form?

  • When water vapor condenses into tiny water droplets, the air must be at the dew point, and something for the water to stick to

Define dew point

  • The temperature at which the air is saturated, and the leftover water condenses..

What is humidity measured by?

  • A psychrometer or hygrometer

What is relative humidity measured in?

  • Percentages

Define relative humidity

  • The amount of water vapor actually in the air compared to how much it can hold at a specific temperature

What holds more water vapor?

  • Warmer air makes it feel more humid

Define humidity

  • The amount of water vapor in the air

What is temp measured with

  • thermometer

What causes air molecules to move?

  • The sun's heat, the move they make at a higher temp

What is wind speed measured with?

  • Anemometer

What is wind direction measured with?

  • Wind vane

Wis Airmoving in a specific direction.

Characteristic of cold air

  • More dense and sinks, creating high pressure

Characteristics of hot air

  • Expands, becomes less dense, and rises, creating low pressure

How is pressure measured?

  • Barometer

Explain atmospheric pressure

  • When molecules closer to the surface are more densely packed(higher pressure), because they weigh all other gases pressing down on them

What is the weather?

  • The state of the atmosphere at any given time includes air pressure, wind, temperature, and moisture.

Explain an occluded front

  • When cold air moves toward a cool air mass, and forces warm air upward

Explain a stationary front

  • When the boundary between two air masses stops moving, it may last for a day, and produce light rain and wind.

Explain a warm front.

  • When warm air advances over colder air, it happens more slowly, and makes slow, steady rain fall along the front.

Explain a cold front.

  • When warm air advances over colder air, it happens more slowly, and makes slow, steady rainfall along the front.

Where does a warm, dry air mass come from?

  • Equator and over, an area of land

Where does a warm, wet air mass come from?

  • The equator and water

Where does a cold, dry air mass come from?

  • Poles of an area of land

Where does a cold, wet air mass come from?

  • Poles above water

Define a front

  • The boundary between two air masses exists because they have different properties and produce different types of weather.

What is an air mass?

  • A large body of air with temperature and moisture where it formed

Name each type of front and how they are seen on a map

  • Cold-triangles, blue

  • Warm- half circles, red

  • Stationery -Half circles and triangles, both colors

  • Occluded- same as stationary, but purple

Define Isobars

  • Connecting points of equal pressure

Define isotherms

  • Lines on weather maps with connecting points of equal temperature

What does predicting the weather involve?

  • Gathering data and using computers to make predictions about future weather patterns..

Define a meteorologist

  • Some who study and predict the weather

Define a hurricane

  • A tropical cyclone, that is a large low-pressure system that forms over the warm Atlantic Ocean, has winds that blow 75 mph or more.

How does the column of air form?

  • When winds at different heights blow in different directions and speeds

Where can tornadoes be produced

  • A thunderstorm

Define a tornado

  • A narrow, violent funnel-shaped column of spiral winds that extend downward from the cloud base towards the earth, a narrow path, but very destructive

How does thunder happen?

  • When lightning superheats the air, which makes it expand and contract rapidly, forming sound waves(thunder)

Explain lightning

  • When different parts of the cloud become oppositely charged and a current is formed through this area forms a lightning bolt

..What causes strong winds?

  • When strong updrafts of warm air and sinking rain cooled air

Where do thunderstorms occur

  • AT a cold front where warm, moist air forced rapid upward

What is a thunderstorm

  • Heavy rain, wind, thunder, lightning, and possible hail

What is a blizzard?

  • Winter storm with strong winds, temperatures, and low visibility that lasts more than 3 hours

When hazardous weather poses an immediate threat to life or property

  • A warning

When hazardous weather is possible

  • A watch

Characteristics of Polar Climates

  • Very little direct sunlight, low temps, 60-90 degrees

Characteristics of temperate climates

  • Some direct sunlight, moderate temps, 30-60 degrees

Characteristics of tropical climates

  • Near the equator, more direct sunlight and temperatures year-round, 0-30 degrees..

Earth's major climatic zones

  • Polar, temperature, and tropical

How do cities relate to climate?

  • Cities have lots of concrete, pavement, light, and people, which all absorb heat, and create higher temperatures than the outdoors, and can alter climate patterns.

What is the side of the mountain that gets less rain or is drier called?

  • The rain shadow

How do mountains affect the climate?

  • Clouds full of raindrops drop their water on top of the mountains, making it rainy or snowy. By the time the clouds get over the mountain, it's dropped most of the rain, so the other side is drier.. 

Proximity to water results in what?

  • Coastal climate and these areas generally experience warmer winters and cooler summers.

Why are mountains along the equator hot and cold?

  • Because they have more sunlight on them, but are still cold due to elevation

Why is elevation important?

  • Because low elevations are usually warm, and high elevations are cold

High latitudes receive ____ heat

  • less

Lower latitudes receive _____ heat

  • More

What does latitude affect?

  • The amount of direct sunlight

Five major factors affecting climate

  • Latitude, elevation, proximity to water, position relative to mountains, and proximity to cities

What does climate include?

  • Temp and precipitation

Difference between weather and climate

  • Weather describes day-to-day changes in atmospheric conditions, and climate describes the typical weather patterns and averages for a given location.

Describe the changes in sea level.

  • When sea water becomes warm, its volume increases, raising the sea level, andmeltingg ice raises the sea level..

Describe the changes in melting ice

  • Most glaciers are shrinking or disappearing

Describe the changes in precipitation

  • Last 100 years,, the eastern United States has received more precipitation, whereas the southwest has received less.

When have the highest temperatures occurred?

  • The last few decades

Global climate change vs. Global warming

  • Climate refers to many climate characteristics, and global refers specifically to an increase in Earth's average surface temperature..

How are humans adding more greenhouse gases?

  • By bruing fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide, and deforestation which limits the amount of plants that use carbon dioxide.

Define greenhouse effect

  • When gases in the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide and methane, absorb heat and trap it

Earth's orbit changes shape every ____ years.

  • 100,000

Earths axis ___

  • wobbles

Earth's tilt changes every ____ years

  • 41,000

Why do small movements affect the amount of incoming sunlight?

  • Because the Earth is not that stationary, it moves

What do volcanic eruptions and meteorite/comet collisions cause?

  • Large amounts of solid and liquid particles to entering the atmosphere, blocking incoming sunlight

How long does climate change take?

  • Can be long or very short

How do we know that the climate has changed over time?

  • By looking at fossil records, gas compositions in ice caves

What occurs during La Niña?

  • Strong Pacific winds are stronger than normal

What occurs during El Niño? 

  • Normally strong pacific winds weakened or reversed, also alters the jet stream which changes wind and precipitation patterns across the world.