atmosphere and weather test review

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere

ultraviolet rays from the sun by blocking and absorbing them

zig-zaggin temps (in troposhere, with rising altitude, temperatures drop... stratosphere rising altitude temperatures rise.....)

pressure decreases as altitudes raise

• 78% nitrogen
• 21% oxygen
• .9% argon
• .03% carbon dioxide
• small % of others

nitrogen

gases like methane, chlorofluorocarbons, and carbon dioxide that act as a shield to trap heat in the earth's atmosphere.

human activity such as fossil fuel burning and deforestation (polution)

the rise in temperature that the earth experiences because certain gases trap energy from the sun. Without this, heat would escape back into space.

an change in global temps/precipitation/wind over time

evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff

the process of a liquid changing into vapor (heat)

the cycle of evaporation and condensation that controls the distribution of the earth's water

process of a vapor changing into a liquid (cooling)

water that falls to the ground in a liquid/solid form (rain, snow, hail...)

precipitation that cannot be absorbed by the ground and moves over the surface

the sun

the heating and cooling of air (hot air rises, cool air sinks...) and pressure differences

the deflection of a moving mass of water/air to the right in Northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere

coriolis effect

• #1 = The Sun: causes the water to evaporate
• #2= Clouds (condensation): process of a vapor changing into a liquid
• #3 = Evaporation: the process of a liquid changing into vapor (heat)
• #4 = Precipitation: water that falls to the ground in a liquid/solid form (rain, snow..)
• #5= The Ocean (runoff :p) precipitation that cannot be absorbed by the ground and moves over the surface

the earth's rotation and polar winds

• humid air= less dense
• less humidity=greater density
• high density=cool temps
• low density=high temps

land heats faster than water so during the morning, the warm air rises off the land and is replaced by the cooler air coming off the water.. visa-versa at night (land cools faster than water too...)

light winds that persist over equilateral regions of earth

saturated (humid) air is cooled below its new point causing water droplets to condense around dust particles in the atmosphere

line drawn on a weather map/chart linking similar temps

lines drawn to indicate regions of similar pressure

boundary between air masses of different temperature/pressure

• Circle shows cloud cover
• upper left=temperature
• MISSING>>>>upper right=air pressure between 960-1050
• lower left= dewpoint
• flag=wind direction and wind speed (1/2 flag=5 knots... 1 flag=10 knots)
• (should be) directly left=precipitation

amount of water vapor held in the air

water falling from clouds- including rain, snow, sleet, and hail- whose form is determined by air temp

causes moving air and water to turn left in s hemisphere and turn right in n hemisphere due to earth's rotation

stratus cloud that forms when air is cooled to its dew point near the ground

state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place, determined by factors including air pressure, moisture in air, temp, and wind

measure of the amount of moisture held in the air compared with the amount it can hold at a given temp; range from 1% to 100%

layer of the stratosphere with a high concentration of ozone; absorbs most of the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation

energy transferred by waves or rays

earth's air, which is made up of a thin layer of gases, solids, and liquids; forms a protective layer around the planet and is divided into five distinct layers...

transfer of heat by the flow of material

process in which water vapor changes into a liquid

transfer of energy that occurs when molecules bump into each other

large, severe storm that forms over tropical oceans, has winds of at least 120 km/h and loses power when it reaches land

a type of energy that comes to earth from the sun, can damage skin and cause cancer, and is mostly absorbed by the ozone layer

layer of earth's atmosphere that is closest to the ground, contains 99% of the water vapor and 75% of the atmospheric gases; where clouds and weather occur

studies weather and uses information from doppler radar, weather satellistes, computers and other instruments to make weather maps and provide forecasts

barometer.... millibars

where they come from

warm front

cold front

stationary front

high pressure... clockwise, out, down

low pressure... counterclockwise, in, up

warm and wet... precipitation

cool and dry... clear