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Flashcards in The Atmosphere Deck (10)
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1
Q

What are the different layers of the atmosphere, in order from bottom to top?

A

Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere.

2
Q

With regards to X-axis and Y-axis what’s the best way to plot, for example, height against temperature on a graph of atmospheric profiles?

A

It is usually to plot the the dependent variable (the thing being measured, or output; temperature, in this case) on the Y-axis and the independent variable (the factor that is being controlled in an experiment, or input; altitude, in this case) on the X-axis. But since atmospheric height altitude/height, is difficult to measure, with atmospheric profiles, it is best to plot height on the Y axis - since it is increasing, thus seems natural - and temperature on the X-axis.

3
Q

What is the lapse rate?

A

It is the average temperature decrease of a pocket of air as it rises through the tropopause.

4
Q

If the temperature of a pocket of air rising from the earth’s surface drops at 6ºC km-1 (the observed background lapse rate), at what atmospheric section does it begin to warm? and why?

A

The temperature begins to increase at the stratosphere because it is a thin, stable ozone layer that absorbs solar radiation.

5
Q

What is a trace gas?

A

One that makes up a small proportion of the sample, like Argon.

6
Q

What is the latitude of the Equator, North Pole and South Pole?

A

Equator: 0˚
North Pole: 90˚
South Pole 90˚

7
Q

What is a hemisphere?

A

Each half of the Earth, either north or south of the equator, is a hemisphere (hemi is greek for ‘half’, latin for ‘semi’)

8
Q

When does a solstice and a equinox occur?

A

A solstice occurs when the sun is overhead a tropic at midday and an equinox when it is overhead the equator at midday.

9
Q

How much time does it take the Earth to orbit around the sun? i.e a gregorian year?

A

365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds

10
Q

Who introduced the leap year, how long ago, and why does it happen?

A

Julian Cesar introduced the leap year 200 years ago and it happens to keep our calender up-to-dat with the