Final Exam Chapter 1 Earth and its Atmosphere Basic Atmospheric Constituents o Permanent Gases Nitrogen Oxygen and Argon o Variable Gases Water Vapor Carbon Dioxide and Ozone Weight Density o mass gravity o Mass Volume Pressure Force Area OR mass gravity o o Units millibar mb or hectopascal hPa area Phases of Water Greenhouse gas us ab atmospheric gas which absorbs some of the outgoing radiation emitted from Earth o Condensation water vapor liquid water o Evaporation liquid water water vapor o Precipitation a collective term for falling rain snow or ice o Water vapor Without water vapor surface temperatures would be colder Average global temperature with GHG 15C 59F Average global temperature without GHG 18C 0F Vertical structure of Atmosphere o Pressure decreases with height o Standard atmospheric pressure at sea level 1013 25 mb 1013 25 hPa 29 92 in Hg o Lapse Rate rate at which the temperature decreases with height When temperature increases with height it is called a temperature inversion Typically lapse rate is positive when temperature decreases with height and negative when temperature increases with height Layers of the Atmosphere o Troposphere Surface to 11km Lowest layer of the atmosphere Temperature generally decreases with increasing height avg 6 5 C km o Stratosphere 11km to 50 km Temperature generally increases with increasing height temperature inversion negative lapse rate High concentrations of ozone in this layer Ozone absorbs the sun s UV radiation o Mesosphere 50 km to 85 km Temperature decreases with decreasing height Air density is very low Air pressure is very low 1 mb o Thermosphere 85 km to 120 km Temperature increases with height Temperatures here vary from day to day Charged particles from the sun interact with air in the thermosphere to create auroras northern lights Chapter 2 Energy Warming the Earth and the Atmosphere Energy the ability to do work on a given amount of matter o Potential Energy total amount of energy in an object which has the potential to do work PE mass gravity height o Kinetic Energy energy of motion any moving object contains kinetic energy KE mass velocity 2 Temperature a measure of the average kinetic energy of a substance Heat the energy in the process of being transferred from one object to another due to the temperature differences o Specific Heat The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance one degree between them Celsius different types of surfaces have different specific heat values o Latent Heat The heat energy required to change a substance from one state to another Phase changes COOLING heat energy taken from environment melting evaporation sublimation HEATING heat energy released to environment Condensation freezing deposition o Radiation energy propagated in the form of electromagnetic waves Albedo the percentage of radiation that is reflected from a given surface o Conduction the transfer of heat by molecular activity from one substance to another or through a substance Heat transferred by conduction flows from warm to cold regions o Convection the transfer of heat by the mass movement of a fluid such as water or air Electromagnetic Radiation o Electromagnetic waves can be described by their wavelength Chapter 3 Seasonal and Daily Temperatures Determines seasons o The tilt of the Earth Seasons o Perihelion Earth s closest distance to the sun occurs in January o Aphelion Earth s farthest distance from the sun occurs in early July o June 21 At noon the sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer NH summer solstice 12 hours of daylight everywhere in NH 24 hours of daylight at the Artic Circle 66 5N SH winter solstice 12 hours of daylight everywhere in the SH 24 hours of darkness at the Antarctic Circle 66 5S o Sept 22 o Dec 21 At noon the sun is directly overhead at the equator NH autumnal fall equinox SH vernal spring equinox At noon the sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Capricorn NH winter solstice 12 hours of daylight everywhere in the NH 24 hours of darkness at the Arctic Circle 66 5N SH summer solstice 12 hours of daylight everywhere in the SH 24 hours of daylight at the Antarctic Circle 66 5S o Mar 20 At noon the sun is directly overhead at the equator NH vernal spring equinox SH autumnal fall equinox Daytime warming o Sun warms the ground RADIATION o Ground warms the air within a few centimeters of the ground CONDUCTION o Thermals transport the warm air to higher altitudes CONVECTION Daily Maximum Temperature o Usually around mid to late afternoon o Factors influencing the time of the maximum daily temperature include o Factors influencing the maximum daily temperature Cloud cover Nearby bodies of water Mid latitude cyclones All above factors Wind Vegetation Soil moisture Nighttime Cooling o Radiational Cooling Temperatures at the earth s surface begin to cool o Atmosphere is a poor conductor of heat ground cools faster than the atmosphere Near surface layer temperature increases with height temperature inversion AKA radiation inversion or nocturnal inversion Daily Minimum Temperature o Usually right before the sun comes up o Factors influencing the daily minimum temperature Cloud cover Clouds absorb IR radiation emitted from the earth s surface and re emit some of it back to the earth s surface Like a blanket keeping the heat in Causes minimum temperatures to be higher Wind Humidity Acts to mix the cold near surface air with the warmer air above it Bring warmer air to surface cooler air higher Causes minimum temperatures to be higher If air is humid then as the near surface air cools fog or dew may form Fog and or dew may formation cause a release of latent heat of condensation Energy released warm heat Causes minimum temperatures to be higher Length of the night Longer nights allow more time for radiational cooling o Ideal conditions for radiational cooling are o Mean average daily temperature average daily maximum and minimum temperature o Daily diurnal range of temperature the difference between the daily maximum and daily minimum Clear skies Calm winds Low humidity Long nights Daily Temperature Variations temperature Greatest near the surface Greatest on dry cloud free days Conditions often fund in deserts o Factors that limit diurnal temperature ranges Clouds High humidity Large bodies of water Regional temperature variations o The most important factors in determining temperature characters of a given region are Latitude Land and water distribution Ocean currents
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