Ap Environmental Science Ch 22

Front 1

Atmosphere

Back 1

thin layer of gasses that envelops the Earth

Front 2

What is the composition of the atmosphere by percentage of each gas?

Back 2

Nitrogen: 78%
Oxygen: 21%
Argon: 0.9%
Carbon Dioxide: 0.03%

Front 3

The atmosphere is a _______ system

Back 3

dynamic, meaning it changes continuously

Front 4

The atmosphere is fueled by ______

Back 4

sunlight

Front 5

troposphere

Back 5

lower part of the atmosphere (lower 10-12 km), weather occurs here

Front 6

The top of the troposphere has a constant temperature of -60°C. This produces a ________ on the troposphere

Back 6

tropopause (a cold trap like a lid)

Front 7

stratosphere

Back 7

lies above the troposphere. This is where the atmosphere warms because of increasing altitude. Clouds are made here from the condensation of water.

Front 8

stratospheric ozone layer

Back 8

extends from the tropopause to 40 km. Protects life in the lower atmosphere from radiation and contains ozone (O3).

Front 9

pressure

Back 9

force per unit area

Front 10

atmospheric pressure

Back 10

weight of overlying atmosphere per unit area. Decreases with altitude because there is less air weight.

Front 11

temperature

Back 11

relative hotness/coldness of materials. Can be measured with a thermometer. Is equal to the measure of thermal energy (kinetic energy of motion of atoms).

Front 12

air characterizations

Back 12

pressure, temperature, and water vapor content

Front 13

saturated air

Back 13

air that holds maximum amount of water it can, given the particular temperature. (No more water vapor can be added).

Front 14

relative humidity

Back 14

a measure of how close the air is to saturation

Front 15

latitudinal belts

Back 15

doldrums near the equator with little air movement

Front 16

trade winds

Back 16

northeast/southeast prevailing winds

Front 17

horse latitudes

Back 17

belts centered around 30 N and 30 S of the equator with descending air and high pressure.

Front 18

sedimentation

Back 18

particles heavier than air settle out as a result of gravity.

Front 19

rain out

Back 19

precipitation that physically and chemically flushes material out of the atmosphere

Front 20

oxidation

Back 20

reaction in which oxygen is chemically combined with another substance usually forming an acid.

Front 21

photodissociation

Back 21

solar radiation breaks down chemical bonds. This is how ozone can break down into oxygen in the atmosphere

Front 22

climate

Back 22

refers to the representative/characteristic conditions for a region of Earth for long time periods (years, seasons)

Front 23

weather

Back 23

conditions of an area over short periods of time (hours, days, weeks)

Front 24

classification of climate

Back 24

done by latitude

Front 25

climate categories

Back 25

tropical, subtropical, midaltitudinal (continental), subarctic (continental), arctic, humid continental, Mediterranean, monsoon, desert, and tropical wet-dry

Front 26

microclimate

Back 26

local climatic conditions that can produce local effects that vary from one tree to another, from one rock to another

Front 27

urban dust zone

Back 27

result of pollution, cities have 10 times the dust particles than rural areas

Front 28

climate change

Back 28

fluctuation in the mean annual temperature of Earth

Front 29

ocean conveyor belt

Back 29

a global circulation of ocean waters characterized by strong northward movement of warm waters of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean

Front 30

Earth system science

Back 30

study of how our planet works as a system by establishment of worldwide measurement stations, documentation of global changes, and development of quantitative models to help future decisions.

Front 31

tools for evaluating global change

Back 31

geologic record
monitoring
mathematical models

Front 32

global circulation models (GCMs)

Back 32

models that predict the flow of surface water, groundwater, ocean circulation, and atmospheric circulation to predict changes on a global scale.

Front 33

dedrochronology

Back 33

study of annual growth rings of trees to derive information for GCM models

Front 34

global warming

Back 34

natural or human induced increase in the average global temperature of the atmosphere near Earth's surface

Front 35

The temperature of Earth's surface is determined by:

Back 35

amount of sunlight received amount of sunlight reflected
retention of heat by the atmosphere
evaporation/condensation of water vapor

Front 36

Earth is the intermediate between the ____ and the _____ in the overall heat system

Back 36

source (sun), sink (space)

Front 37

electromagnetic spectrum

Back 37

consists of gamma rays, X rays, ultraviolet light, visible light, infrared radiation, television waves, radio waves, and radar.

Front 38

greenhouse effect

Back 38

gasses that trap heat and act lie the glass panels in a greenhouse in Earth's atmosphere.

Front 39

greenhouse gasses

Back 39

water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Front 40

anthropogenic processes

Back 40

resulting from human activities

Front 41

forcing

Back 41

process of changing global temperature

Front 42

global dimming

Back 42

process of reduction of incoming solar radiation by reflection from particles and their interaction with water vapor in the atmosphere (clouds)

Front 43

polar amplification

Back 43

solar energy that is absorbed by ice free water and not effected by sea ice