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68 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
What are the first 3 Stanley Gedzelman causes of weather?
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1) sun heating varies over earth;
2) differences in air temp causes wind; 3) rotation of earth destroys simple wind patterns; |
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What are the 4th and 5th Stanley Gedzelman causes of weather?
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4) precipitation is generally caused by cooling air;
5) pressure in atmos ALWAYS dec. w/ incheight (temp generally decreases w/in troposphere); |
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What are the 6th and 7th Stanley Gedzelman causes of weather?
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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)
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What causes wind?
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Differences in air temperatures over Earth causes wind.
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What causes precipitation?
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Precipitation is generally caused by cooling the air (think soda can and condensation). This also occurs with lows.
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______ moisture can coexist in colder air.
______ moisture can coexist in warmer air. |
less moisture can coexist in colder air.
more moisture can coexist in warmer air. |
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What happens to pressure as you increase in height?
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Pressure in the atmosphere ALWAYS decreases with increasing height.
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The PROCESS of decreasing air pressure does what to temperature?
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The PROCESS of decreasing air pressure drops temperature.
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The PROCESS of increasing air pressure does what to temperature?
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The PROCESS of increasing air pressure raises temperature.
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True or False
low pressure = low temperature |
False, L.P. does NOT equal L.T.
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True or False
high pressure = high temperature |
False, H.P. does NOT equal H.T.
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Rising air is known as a _____. Sinking air is known as a ______.
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Rising air is known as a low. Sinking air is known as a high.
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What is the controlling factor for how much water is in the atmosphere?
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Temperature is the controlling factor for how much water is in the atmosphere.
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What is the compositional breakdown for 99% of Earth's atmosphere?
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Earth's atmosphere is 78.08% Nitrogen and 20.95 Oxygen.
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What are 7 of the variable gases that make up the variable gases in our atmosphere?
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H2O, CH4 methane, CO2, O3, N2O nitrous oxide, CFC's, Aerosols/Particulates
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What is the most important and most variable gas in the atmosphere?
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Water vapor is the most important and most variable gas in the atmosphere.
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Near the poles, there is ____ % of water vapor in the atmosphere. Why?
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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.
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Near the equator, there is about ____ % of water vapor in the atmosphere. Why?
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Near the equator, there is about 4% of water vapor in the atmosphere because warmer temperatures allow the atmosphere to hold more moisture.
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Where is good ozone located and why is it good?
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Good ozone is located in the stratosphere and it is responsible for blocking UV rays.
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Where is bad ozone located and why is it bad?
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Bad ozone is located in the troposphere and is bad because it creates smog which irritates eyes and damages vegetation.
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How did the atmosphere form?
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Earth's atmosphere formed due to outgassing from Earth's interior.
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How did oxygen come into the atmosphere?
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Oxygen came about largely due to photosynthesis, first through bacteris, then later through plants.
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What structural atmospheric layers are above the stratopause?
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Thermosphere (55 to about 300mi)
Mesopause Mesosphere (30-55mi) |
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What structural atmospheric layers are below the mesosphere?
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Stratopause
Stratosphere (15-30mi) Tropopause Troposphere (surface to 10-15mi) |
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Where is the coldest part of our atmosphere?
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The coldest part of our atmosphere is at the top of the mesosphere.
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The tropopause is _____ in summer and _____ in the winter in all latitudes.
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The tropopause is higher in the summer and lower in the winter in all latitudes.
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The _____sphere is deeper at the equator and shallow at the poles.
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The thermosphere is deeper at the equator and shallow at the poles.
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Air temperature _______ with increasing height in the troposphere and _______ in the stratosphere & thermosphere.
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Air temperature decreases with increasing height in the troposphere and increase in the stratosphere & thermosphere.
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In what layer does oxygen cause air temperature to increase with height and why?
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Ozone absorbs UV, which warms the stratosphere. O2 absorbs solar rays, thereby warming the air in the thermosphere.
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Where is the homosphere?
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The homosphere is from Earth's surface up to about 60mi up. It is known as the well-mixed layer.
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Describe the heterosphere.
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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.
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Describe the ionosphere.
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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.
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What layers in the ionosphere are responsible for the northern lights and reflects AM radion waves back to Earth?
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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.
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The rate at which the air temperature decreases with height is called the ______.
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The rate at which the air temperature decreases with height is called the lapse rate.
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Define rotation.
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Rotation is the spinning of the Earth on its axis ---> gives us ~24 hours in a day
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Define revolution.
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Revolution is the movement of the Earth in orbit around the sun, which occurs about every 365.5 days.
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What determines the number of "atmospheres" that the sun rays must traverse?
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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
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Can the sun ever traverse 1 "atmos" in Austin?
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No, because the sun is in the southern sky.
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When the sun shines directly above the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5 N latitude, these Earth seasons begin:
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Vernal Equinox - March 21
Summer Solstice - June 21 See pg 45 |
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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...
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Autumnal Equinox - September 21
Winter Solstice - December 21 See pg 45 |
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What creates the "march" or "lag" in temperature?
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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.
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What is the boundary between the light and the dark part of the planet called?
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The boundary between the light and the dark part of the planet is called the circle of illumination.
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Of the 100% incoming solar radiation, __% is scattered & reflected by clouds, __% is scattered from the atmosphere, __% is absorbed by the atmosphere & clouds.
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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.
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The heat energy released when water vapor condenses is called:
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The heat energy released when water vapor condenses is called latent heat of condensation.
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The heat used to change liquid into vapor at the same temperatureis called:
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The heat used to change liquid into vapor at the same temperatureis called latent heat of evaporization.
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Of the 100% incoming solar radiation, __% is absorbded by the earth and __% is reflected by the surface.
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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.
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What are the 4 ways that energy is transferred?
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Conduction, Advection, Convection, Radiation
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What is conduction?
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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.
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What is advection?
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Advection is the horizontal transfer of any atmospheric property by the wind....think of cold fronts.
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What is convection?
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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.
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Why is the sky blue?
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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).
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What is albedo?
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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
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What 4 things cause albedo to vary?
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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 |
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Give average albedo values:
planet, fresh snow, thick clouds, water (below sun's angle/near the poles), thin clouds. |
planet__30%, fresh snow__80-85%
thick clouds__70-80%, water__50-80% thin clouds__25-50% |
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Give average albedo:
sand surfaces, green grassy areas, dry soil, wet soil, forrested areas (esp deciduous), water (directly overhead) |
sand surfaces_20-30%, green grassy areas_20-25%
dry soil_15-25%, wet soil_10% forrested areas_5-10%, water (overhead)_3-5% |
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Most variable gases are considered ____.
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Most variable gases are considered greenhouse gases.
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A "perfect absorber" absorbs all the _____ it receives. A "perfect emitter" emits the maximum ______ possible at a given temperture.
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A "perfect absorber" absorbs all the radiation it receives. A "perfect emitter" emits the maximum radiation possible at a given temperture.
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Since both the Sun & the Earth radiate with near 100% efficiency for their respective temperatures, they behave as ____ _____ ______.
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Since both the Sun & the Earth radiate with near 100% efficiency for their respective temperatures, they behave as balck body objects.
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If Earth's radiative equilibrium temperature is 0F/-18C (avg), why is the actual observed average temperature 59F/15C warmer?
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The difference in temperatures is due to greenhouse gases. Earth's atmosphere is NOT a black body!
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Define energy
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Energy is the property of a system that enables it to do work (kinetic, electrical, cehmical, etc.)
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Define temperature
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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.
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Define heat
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Heat is the form of energy transferred between objects by virtue of temperature differences.
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**Define heat capactiy
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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.
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**Define latent heat
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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.
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Water evaporates--->clouds form--->precipitation...when is heat absorbed and when is it released and what are these called?
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The cloud formation is latent heat of evaporation (absorbing) and the precipitation is latent heat of condensation (releasing).
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Latent heat of ______ is a warming process and is an important source of atmospheric ______.
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Latent heat of condensation is a warming process and is an important source of atmospheric energy.
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Latent Heat ---> heat energy is being _____ environment: melting (ice to liquid), evaporation/ vaporization (liquid to vapor), sublimation (ice to vapor)
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Latent Heat ---> heat is being taken from environment: melting (ice to liquid), evaporation/ vaporization (liquid to vapor), sublimation (ice to vapor)
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Latent Heat ---> heat energy is being _____ enviroment: condensation (vapor to liquid), deposition (vapor to ice), freezing (liquid to ice)
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Latent Heat ---> heat is being released to environment: condensation (vapor to liquid), deposition (vapor to ice), freezing (liquid to ice)
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