Geoscience Flashcards
(113 cards)
1
Q
Definition of weather
A
Weather is the condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place
2
Q
What does the Earth’s atmosphere consist of?
A
Nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases, and particles of liquids and solids.
3
Q
What are the four most common gases in dry air?
A
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Carbon Dioxide
Other gases (trace gases)
4
Q
There is more water vapor in the desert than in the rain forest. True or False?
A
False. There is more water vapor in the rain forest than in the desert
5
Q
Air is dry. True or False
A
False. Air is not dry. Air contains water vapor.
6
Q
What does air contain?
A
Water vapor
7
Q
How is water vapor different from steam?
A
Water vapor is invisible. It is WATER in the form of a gas.
Steam is made up of tiny droplets of liquid water.
8
Q
Give an example of how one part of the atmosphere affect other parts of the atmosphere.
A
9
Q
Where does the hurricane’s energy mostly come from?
A
the sun
10
Q
Define density
A
Density - the amount of mass in a given volume of air
11
Q
How do you calculate density of a subtance?
A
By dividing its mass by its volume
12
Q
If there are more molecules in a given volume, the density is greater.
True or False?
A
True.
13
Q
The fewer molecules there are, the more dense it is.
True of False?
A
False. The fewer molecules there are, the less dense it is.
14
Q
Define air pressure
A
Air pressure is the result of the weight of a column of air pushing on an area
15
Q
Why doesn’t air pressure crush our desk?
A
Because the molecules in air push in all directions (down, up, sideways). The air pushing down on top of our desk is balanced by air pushing up on the bottom of our desk.
16
Q
What is an air column?
A
the weight or pressure of the air in a certain space
17
Q
If we can’t see air, how do we know it exists?
A
Because air in the atmosphere consists of atoms and molecules, which have mass
18
Q
What instruments measure air pressure?
A
A barometer
19
Q
name 2 common kinds of barometers
A
Mercury barometers
Aneroid barometers
20
Q
What does the word “aneroid” mean?
A
without liquid
21
Q
What units are used to measure air pressure?
A
inches of mercury
millibars
22
Q
When looking at a mercury barometer, what happens to it when there is greater air pressure?
A
greater air pressure forces the column of mercury higher (mercury in the tube rises)
23
Q
How does altitude affect air pressure and density?
A
Air pressure decreases as altitude increases.
When air pressure decreases, density decreases too.
24
Q
Define altitude
A
It is the distance above sea level
25
What is another word for altittude
Elevation
26
John is hiking at 6km above sea level.
Peter is hiking at 3 km above sea level.
James is just starting at sea level.
Which hiker experiences the least air pressure on him?
John
27
As you go up in height, what happens to the density of the air?
Decreases
28
Why do you run out of breath quicker when you try to run at the top of a tall mountain than when you run on sea level?
Because the air is less dense at a high altitude, and each cubic meter of air you breathe has fewer oxygen molecules than at sea level. So you would become short of breath more quickly at a higher than lower altitude.
29
What are the four main layers of the atmosphere?
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
30
What is the later of Earth that we live in?
Troposphere
31
What does "tropo" mean in troposphere?
Turning or changing
32
What is the troposphere?
It is the layer at the atmosphere in which Earth's weather occurs
33
Name a few characteristics of the troposphere
It is the shallowest layer
It is the most dense
It contains almost all the mass of the atmosphere
34
Which atmosphere's layer is the most dense?
troposphere
35
Which is the second layer of the atmosphere?
Stratosphere
36
Name a few characteristics of the Stratosphere
It contains the ozone layer
It is cold, about -60 degrees Celcius
37
Name a few characteristics of the Stratosphere
It contains the ozone layer
It is cold, about -60 degrees CelciusW
38
Which layer of the straosphere is warmer? The upper, middle, or lower?
The upper Stratosphere is warmer than the lower Stratosphere
39
Which layer of the Stratosphere contains a layer of air where there is much more ozone than in the rest of the atmosphere?
Middle portion of the Stratosphere
40
What is ozone?
A form of oxygen that has three atoms in each molecule.
41
When ozone absorbs energy from the sun, what happens?
When ozone absorbs energy from the sun, the energy is converted into heat, warming the air.
42
What is another function of the ozone layer?
It protects living things from ultraviolet radiation from the sun
43
Name the layer that is above the stratosphere
Mesosphere
44
What does meso in Mesosphere mean?
middle
45
What is the meosphere
It is the layer of the atmosphere that protects earth's surface from being hit by most meteoroids
46
Name the outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere
Thermosphere
47
The Thermosphere has no definite outerlimit. True or False
True. It has no definite outer limit. It extends from 80km above earth's surface outward into space
48
How many layers are in the Thermosphere
the Thermosphere has 2 layers
49
What are the 2 layers of Thermosphere called
ionosphere
exosphere
50
Where does most energy in earth's atmosphere come from?
the sun
51
How does energy in earth's atmosphere travel to earth?
The energy travels to earth as electromagnetic waves
52
What are electromagnetic waves?
A form of energy that can move through the vacuum of space
53
What form does most energy from the sun travel to earth?
in the form of visible light and infrared radiation.
A smaller amount arrives as ultraviolet radiation
54
Why are there different colors in a rainbow?
The different colors are the result of different wavelengths.
55
Which colors in visible light have the longest wavelengths
Red
Orange
56
Which colors in visible light have the shortest wavelengths
Blue
Violet
57
What is radiation
Direct transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves
58
Name 2 characteristics of infrared radiation
It has wavelengths that are longer than wavelengths for red light
It is not visible by humans, but can be felt as heat
59
What is ultraviolet radiation?
It is an invisible form of energy with wavelengths that are shorter than wavelengths for violet light
60
Which kind of wavelength can cause sunburn?
Ultraviolet radiation
61
Name two kinds of nonvisible radiation
infrared radiation
ultraviolet radiation
62
What happens to the sun's energy when it reaches earth?
1) Sunlight passes through the atmosphere before it reaches the earth
2. Some sunlight is absorbed or reflected by the atmosphere before it can reach the surface
3) The rest of the sunlight passes through the atmosphere to the surface
63
Name two kinds of radiation that are absorbed in the thermosphere?
infrared radiation
ultraviolet radiation
64
What is scattering?
The process in which dust size particles and gases in the atmosphere disperse light in all directions
65
how much (in %) of the energy that reaches earth's surface is absorbed by land and water and changed into heat?
50%
66
what happens to 50% of the energy that reaches the earth's surface?
it is absorbed by land and water and changed into heat.
Then earth's surface radiates some energy back into the atmosphere as infrared radiation
67
What happens to 5% of the energy in lower atmosphere and at earth's surface?
5% of the energy in the lower atmosphere and at earth's surface is reflected back into the atmosphere
68
What happens to some of the energy that got absorbed by earth's surface?
It is radiated back into the atmosphere
69
What happens to 25% of incoming sunlight when reaching the lower atmosphere and earth's surface?
They get absorbed by clouds, dust, and gases in the atmosphere
70
Describe the greehhouse effect
1. sun's energy reaches the earth
2. earth's surface is heated
3. some heat is radiated into space
4. some radiated heat is absorbed by gases in the atmosphere
71
Why is the greenhouse effect important?
It keeps Earth's atmosphere at a temperature that is comfortable for most living things
2) It helps make the Earth's average temperature remain fairly constant.
72
Define temperature
Temperature is the average amount of energy of motion of each particle of a substance
73
Define thermal energy
Total energy of motion in the particles of a substance
74
Which has more thermal energy? Tea in the big pot or tea in a small cup?
Tea in a big pot has more thermal energy because it has more mass
75
How is air temperature measured?
thermometer
76
name the temperature scales
farenheit
Celcius
77
How to convert farenheit to celcius
(F - 32) / 1.8 = Celcius
78
How is heat transferred?
heat is thermal energy that is transferred from a hotter object to a cooler one.
79
Name three ways that heat is transferred
convection
conduction
radiation
80
Define Convection
Transfer of heat by the movement of a fluid
81
Define conduction
Transfer of heat between two substances that are in direct contact
82
Define radiation
Direct transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves
83
Infrared radiation can be seen and felt. True or false?
False. Infrared radiation cannot be seen. It can only be felt
84
Which substances do NOT conduct heat well?
Air
Water
Liquid
Gases
85
Which substances allow conduction to work well?
Some Solids (e.g. metals)
86
Which type of heat transfer can keep paper that is placed above a warm radiator/ heater in the air?
Radiation
87
How is heat transferred within the Troposphere?
by convection
88
How does heating of the troposphere work?
1) sun's radiation heats earth's surface during the day, and the land gets warmer than the air
2) ground level air warms up, its molecules move more rapidly
3) they bump into each other, and move further apart, which makes the air less dense
4) cooler, denser air sinks toward the surface, forcing the warmer air to rise
5) upward movement of warm air and downward movement of cool air form convection currents.
89
What causes air to move?
Differences in air pressure cause the air to move
90
What is wind?
Wind is the movement of air parallel to earth's surface
91
How do winds move?
They move from high pressure to low pressure
92
How are most differences in air pressure caused?
Caused by the unequal heating of the atmosphere
93
What happens to air when it is heated?
It expands and becomes less dense
94
Why does air pressure decrease when it's heated?
When it is heated, it expands and becomes less dense. When it becomes less dense, its air pressure decreases
95
How is wind direction determined?
Wind vane
96
How is wind speed measured
anemometer
97
What is windchill factor?
The increased cooling that a wind can cause is called windchill factor
98
What are local winds?
Winds that blow over short distances
99
How are local winds caused?
The unequal heating of earth's surface within a small area causes local winds
100
What are 2 types of local winds?
sea breezes and land breezes
101
Explain how sea breezes are formed
1) During the day, the land warms up faster than the water
2) Air over the land gets warmer than air over water
3) Warm air that is less dense expands and rises, creating low pressure
4) cool air blows from over the water and moves underneath warm air --> causing sea breeze
102
What is a sea breeze
local wind that blows from an ocean or lake
103
What is a land breeze
the flow of air from land to a body of water that happens at night
104
What are global winds
Global winds are winds that blow steadily from specific directions over long distances
105
How are global winds caused?
Global winds are created by unequal heating of Earth's surface.
106
How is global wind and local wind different?
Global winds occur over a large area.
Local winds form only when large scale winds are weak.
107
Which area of the earth below has the highest temperature?
North Pole
South Pole
Equator
The sun hits the Equator most directly, so temperature in this area is much higher than temperature near the poles
108
How do global winds develop?
Temperature differences between the equator and the poles produce giant convection currents in the atmosphere.
Warm air rises at the equator, and cold air sinks at the poles.
Air pressure is lower near the equator and greater near the poles.
Difference in pressure causes winds at earth's surface to blow from the poles toward equator.
But when it's higher in the atmosphere, air flows away from the equator toward the poles.
These air movements produce global winds
109
What is the Coriolis Effect?
earth rotates, which makes the wind seem curved
110
Which of the following is correct?
A. Land warms up faster than water
B. Water cools more quickly than land
C. At night, air over water is warmer than air over land.
D. During the day, air over land is warmer than air over water
A, C, D
111
True or False?
Land breeze occurs when cooler air moves to take warmer air's place in the morning
False.
Sea breeze occurs when cooler air moves to take warmer air's place in the morning
112
True or False?
Land breeze occurs when cooler air moves to take warmer air's place at night.
True
113
Winds are typically named based on?
Where they came from (land or sea)
