Weather

Question 1

Order of the atmospheric layers

Answer 1

Troposphere
Tropopause
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
Exosphere

Question 2

Facts about the troposphere

Answer 2

• high density layer (all others compress it)
• goes to an altitude of 16km at the equator, and 8km at the poles
• contains most of the atmosphere’s moisture
• most weather occurs here
• temperatures range from 20 degrees Celsius at the bottom to -50 degrees Celsius at top

Question 3

Facts about the tropopause

Answer 3

The border between the troposphere and the stratosphere

Question 4

Facts about the stratosphere

Answer 4

• above the tropopause
• ranges from 12km to 50km
• air is cold, dry, and clean
• contains ozone layer (blocks UV rays from the sun)
• temperature increases as altitude increases

Question 5

Facts about the mesosphere

Answer 5

• the middle layer
• extends from 50km to 80km
• temperature and density of gases is extremely low

Question 6

Facts about the thermosphere

Answer 6

• low density of molecules but higher energy producing higher temperatures than in the mesosphere
• electromagnetic waves from the sun are absorbed here, which increases the temperatures
• extends from 80km to 500km
• also called the ionosphere because high-energy radiation from the Sun causes particles to become electrically charged ions
• charged ions produce auroras

Question 7

Facts about the exosphere

Answer 7

• thin, outermost layer

- can be called space, because there are so few particles

Question 8

What is the composition of air?

Answer 8

78% nitrogen
21% oxygen
1% other gases

Question 9

Percentage of salt water in the hydrosphere?

Answer 9

97.5%

Question 10

Percentage of fresh water in the hydrosphere?

Answer 10

2.5%

Question 11

Percentage Canada has of fresh water?

Answer 11

10% of earth’s fresh water (0.25 of all water)

Question 12

Weather

Answer 12

The conditions outside considered from day to day

Question 13

Climate

Answer 13

Weather conditions of an area averaged over many years

Question 14

Perihelion

Answer 14

Closest point on earth from the sun

Question 15

Aphelion

Answer 15

Furthest point away on earth from the sun

Question 16

Where will there ever be no shadow in the northern hemisphere?

Answer 16

The Tropic of Cancer

Question 17

Where will there ever be no shadow in the southern hemisphere?

Answer 17

The Tropic of Capricorn

Question 18

Atmosphere

Answer 18

The blanket of air and moisture that surrounds Earth

Question 19

Air mass

Answer 19

A body of air with horizontally uniform temperature, humidity, and pressure

Question 20

High pressure system

Answer 20

A whirling mass of cool, dry air that generally brings fair weather and light winds

Question 21

Low pressure system

Answer 21

A whirling mass of warm, moist air that generally brings stormy weather with strong wings

Question 22

Wind

Answer 22

A current of air moving approximately horizontally

Question 23

Prevailing wind

Answer 23

A wind from the direction that is most usual at a particular place or season

Question 24

Coriolis effect

Answer 24

Defined as how a moving object seems to veer towards the right in the Northern hemisphere and left in the Southern hemisphere

Question 25

Jet stream

Answer 25

Forms when two air masses of very different temperature and pressure meet up. The more drastic the temperature change, the faster the jet stream will be.

Question 26

Front

Answer 26

A boundary separating two masses of air of different densities

Question 27

Bernoulli’s principle

Answer 27

Bernoulli’s Principle states that when speed of a fluid is high the pressure is low. The denser higher pressure air will always love to a less dense lower pressure air to seek a balance