Meteorology-Climatology-and-Geography.pdf

What is the atmosphere?

Question

Gaseous envelope surrounding the Earth

Answer

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paul bautista

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Questions in this set (49)

What is the atmosphere?

Gaseous envelope surrounding the Earth

What influences physical, chemical, and biological activities on Earth?

Atmosphere's condition and changes

What is another name for the study of the lower atmosphere and its changes?

Atmosphere physics

What is the science of weather and atmospheric phenomena?

Meteorology

How can meteorology be defined?

Study of the atmosphere

What does marine meteorology study?

Meteorology of seas and oceans

What is the term for a phenomenon where temperatures in the stratosphere increase by 30-40°C in a few days?

Explosive warming of the stratosphere

What does aeronomy investigate?

Chemical and physical atmospheric properties

What is the altitude range of the mesosphere?

50 to 80km

What does bio-meteorology study?

Interactions of organisms and atmosphere

How does temperature change with altitude in the mesosphere?

Decreases with altitude

What are the concentric spheres of the atmosphere based on temperature?

Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere

How does temperature change with altitude in the troposphere?

Temperature decreases with altitude

Where does the temperature decrease cease in the troposphere?

Tropopause

What is the approximate temperature at the mesopause?

-95 C

What is the name of the atmospheric layer where temperatures rise rapidly above the mesopause, reaching nearly 1000°C?

Thermosphere

What is the height of the tropopause over the equator?

Approximately 18km

Which lighter gases escape to space in the exosphere?

Hydrogen and helium

What is the height of the tropopause over the poles?

Approximately 8km

What is the outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere called, where gases gradually merge into interplanetary space?

Exosphere

Which two gases primarily compose the atmosphere?

Nitrogen and oxygen

What is the approximate temperature at the tropopause over the equator?

-80 C

What is the approximate temperature at the tropopause over the poles?

-56 C

What factors cause the height and temperature of the tropopause to vary?

Seasons and weather

What percentage of the atmosphere by volume is nitrogen?

78 percent

What percentage of the atmosphere by volume is oxygen?

21 percent

What types of tropopauses are separated by breaks?

Polar, extra-tropical, tropical

What do breaks in the tropopause facilitate?

Exchange of air

What atmospheric phenomena can be observed in the troposphere?

Inversions and isothermal layers

Name some of the gases that make up the remaining 1 percent of the atmosphere by volume.

Argon, carbon dioxide, neon, helium, krypton, xenon, hydrogen, ozone, methane, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides

What force holds atmospheric gases to the Earth?

Pull of gravitation

Approximately what percentage of the atmosphere's mass is contained in the troposphere?

75 percent

What is the role of oxygen in sustaining life on Earth?

Essential for life and combustion

What is the role of nitrogen in the atmosphere?

Slows down the burning process

Which atmospheric layer is above the troposphere?

Stratosphere

Up to what altitude does the stratosphere extend?

50km

What percentage of the atmosphere does carbon dioxide constitute?

0.03 percent

What is the name of the upper boundary of the stratosphere?

Stratopause

What is the role of carbon dioxide in relation to plants?

Provides food for plants through photosynthesis

What causes the temperature increase in the stratosphere?

Absorption of ultraviolet radiation

Between what altitudes is ozone mostly found?

20 and 50km

In which layer does the absorption of ultraviolet radiation occur in the stratosphere?

Ozone layer

What type of radiation does ozone absorb?

Absorbs ultraviolet radiation

What type of radiation do carbon dioxide and water vapor absorb?

Absorb infrared radiation

How does the atmosphere act as a protective cover for the Earth?

Regulating heat flow

What factors influence the moisture content in the atmosphere?

Latitude, temperature, wind, atmospheric systems

In what phases can water be present in the atmosphere?

Vapour, liquid, or solid

How does water vapor change as altitude increases?

Decreases

What are atmospheric aerosols?

Suspension of fine solid and liquid particles