chapter 9 Flashcards

1
Q

the gravitationally bound outer gaseous layer that envelopes and surrounds a planet, star & moon

A

atmosphere

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2
Q

young planets captured some of the surrounding hydrogen & helium that filled the protoplanetary disk

A

atmosphere phase 1

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3
Q

sunlight heated the atmospheres and rapid thermal motion of light atoms and molecules caused the primary atmospheres to escape

A

atmosphere phase 2

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4
Q

volcanoes & comets release gas, water, and other molecules to form a secondary atmosphere

A

atmosphere phase 3

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5
Q

more massive planets retain an atmosphere while smaller objects cannot

A

atmosphere phase 4

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6
Q

11.2 km/s

A

escape velocity of earth

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7
Q

collision of fast-moving ions with a surface or atmosphere that causes the loss of material from the surface/atmosphere

A

sputtering

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8
Q

the acceleration (downward) due to gravity measured at the surface of a planet/star

A

surface gravity

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9
Q

the solar heating of air in an enclosed space, resulting primarily from the inability of the hot air to escape

A

atmospheric greenhouse effect

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10
Q

atmospheric gasses–such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, and halogens– that are transparent to visible radiation but absorb sunlight/heat

A

greenhouse gases

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11
Q

4/5 nitrogen and 1/5 oxygen

A

earth’s atmosphere

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12
Q

formed when UV light from the sun breaks molecular oxygen into its individual atoms, then recombines to form a new molecule

A

ozone

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13
Q

the atmospheric layer immediately above the troposphere; between 10-50 km in altitude

A

stratosphere

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14
Q
  • materials that participate in accelerating chemical reactions, but are not modified in the process
  • ex: halogens
A

catalyst

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15
Q

5 x 10^8 kg

A

mass of earth’s atmosphere

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16
Q
  • the lowest layer of atmosphere that humans live and breathe in
  • contains 90% of the atmospheric mass
A

troposphere

17
Q

the amount of water vapor held by a volume of air at a given temp.

A

relative humidity

18
Q

the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere; altitude of 50-90 km

A

tropopause

19
Q
  • layer of atmosphere greater than 90 km and 600 km
  • warmest layer
A

thermosphere

20
Q

a layer high in the atmosphere which most atoms are ionized by solar radiation

A

ionosphere

21
Q

a large region filled with electrons, protons, and other charged particles from the sun that have been captured by earth’s magnetic field

A

magnetosphere

22
Q
  • a toroidal ring of high-energy particles that surround a planet
  • glowing rings cause auroras
A

radiation belt

23
Q

the cycle of air moving between the equator & the poles of a planet

A

hadley circulation

24
Q

the east-west component of a wind

A

zonal winds

25
Q

the planet-wide circulation pattern of a planet’s atmosphere

A

global circulation

26
Q

a combination of low-pressure region and the Coriolis effect which produces a circulating pattern

A

cyclonic motion

27
Q

the high-pressure region and the circulating systems experience rotation and the Coriolis effect

A

anticyclonic motion

28
Q

very thin atmosphere (mercury & the moon)

A

exospheres

29
Q

the avg state of an atmosphere, including it’s temperature, humidity, winds, etc.

A

climate

30
Q

the state of the atmosphere (temp, humidity, rain, winds) for a particular period of time, not the overall atmospheric conditions

A

weather

31
Q

the study of changes in earth’s climate throughout its history

A

paleoclimatology

32
Q
  • industrial revolution released more CO2
  • rapid growth of human population reduces population of trees
A

2 major changes to earth’s climate/atmosphere

33
Q

the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere from human activities, such as burning fossil fuels

A

anthropogenic climate change