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CM Earth Science 6-1

Unit 6 Mr. Wilbur/Barbis: Chapter 22--RB 7

Question	Answer
Atmosphere	Mixture of gases that surrounds the Earth; Protects Earth’s surface from sun’s radiation;Helps regulate temperature of Earth’s surface
Most abundant gaseous elements & percentages	Nitrogen (78%);Oxygen (21%);Argon (0.9%);Other (0.1%)
Most abundant compounds in atmosphere	Carbon Dioxide and Water Vapor
Nitrogen cycle	Removed from air by nitrogen-fixing bacteria;Changes nitrogen into nitrogen compounds;Animals eat plants that contain nitrogen;Nitrogen returned to the soil by decay of plants and animals or animal wastes;Also comes from lightning
What processes keep oxygen cycling through atmosphere	Photosynthesis: plants use sunlight, water & carbon dioxide to produce food & release oxygen;Precipitation
Importance of Ozone	Absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from sun, protects living organisms from burn
Particulates in atmosphere (solid particles)	Volcanic dust, ash from fires, microscopic organisms, mineral particles
Atmospheric pressure	Force per unit area that is exerted on a surface by weight of the gases (gravity); Force exerted equally in all directions;99% of total mass within 32 km;Temperature decreases as pressure increases
Measuring atmospheric pressure	Millimeters or inches of mercury; millibars; barometer
Standard atmospheric pressure	1 atmosphere = 760 mm of mercury = 1000 millibars (sea level = 1 atm)
Temperature inversion	Layering of warm air on top of cool air; warm air (less dense) cool air (more dense): can trap cool, polluted air beneath it.
Air pollution	Any substance in atmosphere that is harmful to people, animals, plants and/or property
3 processes of energy movement throughout atmosphere	Conduction;Convection;Radiation
Conduction	Particle collision transfers energy (best in solids)
Convection	Flow of energy from high to low temperature due to unequal heating [convection cells, wind currents] distributes heat throughout troposphere
Radiation	All energy that Earth receives from sun travels through space from sun as waves; also electromagnetic waves; can travel through space; doesn’t need particles (medium) to go through
Albedo	Fraction of solar radiation that is reflected off the Earth’s surface of an object
Greenhouse effect & importance	Warming of surface and lower atmosphere of Earth that occurs when carbon dioxide , water vapor, & other gases in the air absorb & reradiate infrared radiation
wavelengths of energy given off by Earth vs. wavelengths of energy from Sun	Cloud cover keeps radiation from leaving atmosphere;Warm moisture/cold water
Insolation	Characteristics of Earth’s surface materials that affects amount of sunshine absorbed: Texture;Color;Composition;Clouds (absorb & keep heat in, keep Earth warmer)
Factors causing temperature variations in atmosphere	Unequal heating from sun’s radiation;Slight delays in absorption of energy and increase in temperature;Latitude, surface temperatures, time of day and year
Causes of air movement	Coriolis effect;Global winds;Local winds
Global Winds	Each hemisphere contains three looping patterns of air flow called convection cells; flows from poles to equator; also called prevailing winds
Outgassing	Origin of atmosphere gases vented by volcanoes; mostly water vapor (water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen); atmosphere mostly nitrogen/oxygen; most water vapor in oceans
Pauses	Place in atmosphere where temperature changes occur; cold in upper atmosphere since no particles to conduct heat (mesopause, stratopause)
Scattering	Particles & gas molecules reflect and bend solar rays
Reflected	Sun’s rays hit surface and bounce off
Absorbed	Sun’s rays absorbed by rocks, soil, and water
Texture, color, composition	Changes how rays are absorbed, refracted or reflected; water absorbs more energy than land; water vapor stores more heat
Coriolis Effect	Curving path due to Earth’s rotation;Circulation of atmosphere & ocean affected;Winds that blow from high pressure (low temperature) to low pressure areas
Prevailing winds	Winds that blow predominantly from a single general direction over a particular point on Earth's surface (named for area of Earth’s surface they are in): Westerlies;Polar Easterlies;Doldrums/horse latitudes
Convection cells	The three looping patterns of air flow in each hemisphere
Wind Belt	Winds that flow in one main direction
Jet Stream	Narrow band of strong winds that blow in the upper troposphere; can cross prevailing winds
Local winds	Winds on a smaller scale that global winds; gentle winds are breezes
Land Breeze	When land cools more rapidly (overnight) than the water does and sea breeze is replaced by land breeze; flows from cool land to warmer water
Sea Breeze	Warm air above land rises as cool air from above water moves in to replace warm air; flows from cool water to warmer land
Trade winds	Prevailing winds that blow from east to west from 30 degrees latitude to the equator in both hemispheres
Westerlies	Prevailing winds that blow from west to east between 30 and 60 degrees latitude in both hemispheres
Polar easterlies	Prevailing winds that blow from east to west between 60 and 90 degrees latitude in both hemispheres
Doldrums	Trade wind systems of the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere meet at the equator in a narrow zone
Horse Latitudes	Subtropical high-pressure zones where air approaches 30 degrees latitude and descends causing a high-pressure zone
Valley breeze	Warm air from valleys moves up slopes
Mountain breeze	At night, cool air descends from the mountain peaks
Land vs. sea	Land surfaces heat up faster than water

Created by: vbarbis

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