Weather & Climate, Ch 1-2

Front 1

What are the first 3 Stanley Gedzelman causes of weather?

Back 1

1) sun heating varies over earth;
2) differences in air temp causes wind;
3) rotation of earth destroys simple wind patterns;

Front 2

What are the 4th and 5th Stanley Gedzelman causes of weather?

Back 2

4) precipitation is generally caused by cooling air;
5) pressure in atmos ALWAYS dec. w/ incheight (temp generally decreases w/in troposphere);

Front 3

What are the 6th and 7th Stanley Gedzelman causes of weather?

Back 3

6) PROCESS of dec air pressure --> temp dec; PROCESS of inc air pressure --> temp inc; 7) clouds/precipitation caused by rising air (lows), clear skies caused by sinking air (highs)

Front 4

What causes wind?

Back 4

Differences in air temperatures over Earth causes wind.

Front 5

What causes precipitation?

Back 5

Precipitation is generally caused by cooling the air (think soda can and condensation). This also occurs with lows.

Front 6

______ moisture can coexist in colder air.
______ moisture can coexist in warmer air.

Back 6

less moisture can coexist in colder air.
more moisture can coexist in warmer air.

Front 7

What happens to pressure as you increase in height?

Back 7

Pressure in the atmosphere ALWAYS decreases with increasing height.

Front 8

The PROCESS of decreasing air pressure does what to temperature?

Back 8

The PROCESS of decreasing air pressure drops temperature.

Front 9

The PROCESS of increasing air pressure does what to temperature?

Back 9

The PROCESS of increasing air pressure raises temperature.

Front 10

True or False

low pressure = low temperature

Back 10

False, L.P. does NOT equal L.T.

Front 11

True or False

high pressure = high temperature

Back 11

False, H.P. does NOT equal H.T.

Front 12

Rising air is known as a _____. Sinking air is known as a ______.

Back 12

Rising air is known as a low. Sinking air is known as a high.

Front 13

What is the controlling factor for how much water is in the atmosphere?

Back 13

Temperature is the controlling factor for how much water is in the atmosphere.

Front 14

What is the compositional breakdown for 99% of Earth's atmosphere?

Back 14

Earth's atmosphere is 78.08% Nitrogen and 20.95 Oxygen.

Front 15

What are 7 of the variable gases that make up the variable gases in our atmosphere?

Back 15

H2O, CH4 methane, CO2, O3, N2O nitrous oxide, CFC's, Aerosols/Particulates

Front 16

What is the most important and most variable gas in the atmosphere?

Back 16

Water vapor is the most important and most variable gas in the atmosphere.

Front 17

Near the poles, there is ____ % of water vapor in the atmosphere. Why?

Back 17

Near the poles, there is 0% of water vapor in the atmosphere because the air is too cold for the water to coexist. Deserts also have 0% water vapor, but is because they are landlocked.

Front 18

Near the equator, there is about ____ % of water vapor in the atmosphere. Why?

Back 18

Near the equator, there is about 4% of water vapor in the atmosphere because warmer temperatures allow the atmosphere to hold more moisture.

Front 19

Where is good ozone located and why is it good?

Back 19

Good ozone is located in the stratosphere and it is responsible for blocking UV rays.

Front 20

Where is bad ozone located and why is it bad?

Back 20

Bad ozone is located in the troposphere and is bad because it creates smog which irritates eyes and damages vegetation.

Front 21

How did the atmosphere form?

Back 21

Earth's atmosphere formed due to outgassing from Earth's interior.

Front 22

How did oxygen come into the atmosphere?

Back 22

Oxygen came about largely due to photosynthesis, first through bacteris, then later through plants.

Front 23

What structural atmospheric layers are above the stratopause?

Back 23

Thermosphere (55 to about 300mi)
Mesopause
Mesosphere (30-55mi)

Front 24

What structural atmospheric layers are below the mesosphere?

Back 24

Stratopause
Stratosphere (15-30mi)
Tropopause
Troposphere (surface to 10-15mi)

Front 25

Where is the coldest part of our atmosphere?

Back 25

The coldest part of our atmosphere is at the top of the mesosphere.

Front 26

The tropopause is _____ in summer and _____ in the winter in all latitudes.

Back 26

The tropopause is higher in the summer and lower in the winter in all latitudes.

Front 27

The _____sphere is deeper at the equator and shallow at the poles.

Back 27

The thermosphere is deeper at the equator and shallow at the poles.

Front 28

Air temperature _______ with increasing height in the troposphere and _______ in the stratosphere & thermosphere.

Back 28

Air temperature decreases with increasing height in the troposphere and increase in the stratosphere & thermosphere.

Front 29

In what layer does oxygen cause air temperature to increase with height and why?

Back 29

Ozone absorbs UV, which warms the stratosphere. O2 absorbs solar rays, thereby warming the air in the thermosphere.

Front 30

Where is the homosphere?

Back 30

The homosphere is from Earth's surface up to about 60mi up. It is known as the well-mixed layer.

Front 31

Describe the heterosphere.

Back 31

There heterosphere is about 60mi up and beyond. Due to the small number of atoms/molecules, O & N settle to the bottom and H & He rise above. This is also known as compositional layering.

Front 32

Describe the ionosphere.

Back 32

The ionosphere is about 45mi up and beyond. It is not a layer, but rather an electrified region. Molecules (N) and atoms (O) are readily ionized by solar radiation.

Front 33

What layers in the ionosphere are responsible for the northern lights and reflects AM radion waves back to Earth?

Back 33

Layers D, E, & F (L -> H). During daytime, all are present. At night, D & E disappear, which is what leads to better AM reception at night.

Front 34

The rate at which the air temperature decreases with height is called the ______.

Back 34

The rate at which the air temperature decreases with height is called the lapse rate.

Front 35

Define rotation.

Back 35

Rotation is the spinning of the Earth on its axis ---> gives us ~24 hours in a day

Front 36

Define revolution.

Back 36

Revolution is the movement of the Earth in orbit around the sun, which occurs about every 365.5 days.

Front 37

What determines the number of "atmospheres" that the sun rays must traverse?

Back 37

More of an angle determines the number of "atmospheres" that the sun rays must traverse. 1 "atmos" - 90 overhead, 2 "atmos" - 30 above horizon, 3 "atmos" - 5-10 above horizon

Front 38

Can the sun ever traverse 1 "atmos" in Austin?

Back 38

No, because the sun is in the southern sky.

Front 39

When the sun shines directly above the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5 N latitude, these Earth seasons begin:

Back 39

Vernal Equinox - March 21
Summer Solstice - June 21
See pg 45

Front 40

When the sun shines directly above the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.5 S latitude, it is the furthest south and these Earth seasons begin...

Back 40

Autumnal Equinox - September 21
Winter Solstice - December 21
See pg 45

Front 41

What creates the "march" or "lag" in temperature?

Back 41

Sun rays are mostly NOT absorbed in the atmosphere. The solar rays are shortwaves, and when the rays "bounce" back, they are longwaves and warm surface temperature. This causes a lag in temperature.

Front 42

What is the boundary between the light and the dark part of the planet called?

Back 42

The boundary between the light and the dark part of the planet is called the circle of illumination.

Front 43

Of the 100% incoming solar radiation, __% is scattered & reflected by clouds, __% is scattered from the atmosphere, __% is absorbed by the atmosphere & clouds.

Back 43

Of the 100% incoming solar radiation, 20% is scattered & reflected by clouds, 6% is scattered from the atmosphere, 19% is absorbed by the atmosphere & clouds. That's 45% accounted for by the clouds and atmosphere.

Front 44

The heat energy released when water vapor condenses is called:

Back 44

The heat energy released when water vapor condenses is called latent heat of condensation.

Front 45

The heat used to change liquid into vapor at the same temperatureis called:

Back 45

The heat used to change liquid into vapor at the same temperatureis called latent heat of evaporization.

Front 46

Of the 100% incoming solar radiation, __% is absorbded by the earth and __% is reflected by the surface.

Back 46

Of the 100% incoming solar radiation, 51% is absorbded by the earth and 4% is reflected by the surface. That is, 55% is accounted for by the earth.

Front 47

What are the 4 ways that energy is transferred?

Back 47

Conduction, Advection, Convection, Radiation

Front 48

What is conduction?

Back 48

Conduction is the transfer of heat by molecular activity from one substance to another, or through a substance. Transfer is always from warmer to colder regions. The atmosphere is NOT a good conductor.

Front 49

What is advection?

Back 49

Advection is the horizontal transfer of any atmospheric property by the wind....think of cold fronts.

Front 50

What is convection?

Back 50

Convection refers to atmospheric motions that are predominantly vertical, such as rising air currents due to surface heating. This is extremely important: convection is what causes thunderstorms.

Front 51

Why is the sky blue?

Back 51

Rayleigh scattering of sunlight in clear atmosphere is the main reason why the sky is blue: Rayleigh and cloud-mediated scattering contribute to diffuse light (direct light being sunrays).

Front 52

What is albedo?

Back 52

Albedo is the percent of radiation returning from a surface compared to that which it strikes. Think: high albedo-->highly reflective, low albedo-->low reflectivity

Front 53

What 4 things cause albedo to vary?

Back 53

1) place to place, time to time
2) due to cloud cover & particulate matter
3) due to the angle of sun rays
4) due to the nature of Earth's surface

Front 54

Give average albedo values:
planet, fresh snow, thick clouds, water (below sun's angle/near the poles), thin clouds.

Back 54

planet__30%, fresh snow__80-85%
thick clouds__70-80%, water__50-80%
thin clouds__25-50%

Front 55

Give average albedo:
sand surfaces, green grassy areas, dry soil, wet soil, forrested areas (esp deciduous), water (directly overhead)

Back 55

sand surfaces_20-30%, green grassy areas_20-25%
dry soil_15-25%, wet soil_10%
forrested areas_5-10%, water (overhead)_3-5%

Front 56

Most variable gases are considered ____.

Back 56

Most variable gases are considered greenhouse gases.

Front 57

A "perfect absorber" absorbs all the _____ it receives. A "perfect emitter" emits the maximum ______ possible at a given temperture.

Back 57

A "perfect absorber" absorbs all the radiation it receives. A "perfect emitter" emits the maximum radiation possible at a given temperture.

Front 58

Since both the Sun & the Earth radiate with near 100% efficiency for their respective temperatures, they behave as ____ _____ ______.

Back 58

Since both the Sun & the Earth radiate with near 100% efficiency for their respective temperatures, they behave as balck body objects.

Front 59

If Earth's radiative equilibrium temperature is 0F/-18C (avg), why is the actual observed average temperature 59F/15C warmer?

Back 59

The difference in temperatures is due to greenhouse gases. Earth's atmosphere is NOT a black body!

Front 60

Define energy

Back 60

Energy is the property of a system that enables it to do work (kinetic, electrical, cehmical, etc.)

Front 61

Define temperature

Back 61

Temperature is the degree of hotness or coldness of a substance measured by a thermometer. It is also a meausre of the average speed or kinetic energy of the atoms & molecules in a substance.

Front 62

Define heat

Back 62

Heat is the form of energy transferred between objects by virtue of temperature differences.

Front 63

**Define heat capactiy

Back 63

Heat capacity is the ratio of heat absorbed (or released) by a system compared to the corresponding rise (or fall). Think of comparing the amount of energy needed to heat a gram of water vs a gallon of water. Therefore, mass is quite relevent.

Front 64

**Define latent heat

Back 64

Latent heat is the heat energy required for change of state (primarily of water). It refers to the amount of energy released or absorbed by a chemical substance during a change of state that occurs without changing its temperature, meaning a phase transition such as the melting of ice or the boiling of water.

Front 65

Water evaporates--->clouds form--->precipitation...when is heat absorbed and when is it released and what are these called?

Back 65

The cloud formation is latent heat of evaporation (absorbing) and the precipitation is latent heat of condensation (releasing).

Front 66

Latent heat of ______ is a warming process and is an important source of atmospheric ______.

Back 66

Latent heat of condensation is a warming process and is an important source of atmospheric energy.

Front 67

Latent Heat ---> heat energy is being _____ environment: melting (ice to liquid), evaporation/ vaporization (liquid to vapor), sublimation (ice to vapor)

Back 67

Latent Heat ---> heat is being taken from environment: melting (ice to liquid), evaporation/ vaporization (liquid to vapor), sublimation (ice to vapor)

Front 68

Latent Heat ---> heat energy is being _____ enviroment: condensation (vapor to liquid), deposition (vapor to ice), freezing (liquid to ice)

Back 68

Latent Heat ---> heat is being released to environment: condensation (vapor to liquid), deposition (vapor to ice), freezing (liquid to ice)