science review test 1 Flashcards
(35 cards)
what are the layers of the atmosphere?
thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere
what is a characteristic for thermosphere?
oxygen absorbs radiation
what is a characteristic for the mesosphere?
air is thin
what is a characteristic for the stratosphere?
where UV light is filtered
what is a characteristic for the troposphere?
where weather occurs
what is the composition of the atmosphere?
78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% argon, 1% other
what does it mean that the earth is like a greenhouse?
human-made emissions in the atmosphere are trapping heat loss
where are places on earth that absorb solar radiation?
dark places
what happens if earth absorbs more solar radiation?
will get hotter
where are places on earth that reflect solar radiation?
deserts, ice, clouds
what happens if earth reflects more solar radiation?
gets colder
why is it important that incoming solar energy equals outgoing solar energy?
so its balanced
what are the 5 main GHG’s?
water vapor, methane, nitrious oxide, CFC’s, carbon dioxide
where does water vapor come from?
evaporation
where does methane come from?
burning fossil fuels
where does nitrous oxide come from?
emitted during agricultural
where do CFC’s come from?
air thropogenic compounds
where does carbon dioxide come from?
natural sources
what happens to the climate when there are fewer GHG’s in the atmosphere?
would be cold because there would be nothing to capture the heat near the surface
what happens to the climate when there are more GHG’s in the atmosphere?
temperature of earth would increase
does mars or venus have more GHG’s?
venus
what happens to the climate on venus?
causes the climate to be severely hot
how does water vapor act in our atmosphere? (1)
evaporates from the earth’s surface
how does water vapor act in our atmosphere? (2)
condenses into the clouds and then either turns into rain or snow
