Atmosphere Notes Part 1
A. Atmosphere Characteristics
a. Weather vs. Climate
i.
Weather - _________ changing, refers to the state
of the ____ at any given pace and time.
ii.
Climate - observations that have been based over
_____ years (Describe a _____ or ______)
b. Properties that we measure
i.
For both ___________ and _______
1. _____________
2. Temperature
3. _____________
4. Type/Amount of precipitation
5. Air Pressure
6. Speed/Direction of wind
c. Composition of the atmosphere
i.
Major Components
1. ______________, ___________, Argon/
Carbon Dioxide
ii.
Variable Components
1. _________________, Dust Particles, Ozone
d. Water Vapor
i.
The _________ of all _______ and _________
ii.
Absorbs ________ and _______ given off by Earth
e. Ozone
i.
__________ us from harmful rays, allows for all the
different types of life to be on our planet
f. Air Pollutants
i.
Three types
1. ______ - emitted from an identifiable source
2. ________ - not directed into the air
3. ________ - reactions by sunlight
g. Height of the Atmosphere
i.
It thins as you travel up with there are to few gas
particles to _____ us
h. Structure of the Atmosphere
i.
Pressure Change 1. The ___________ of the air above you
2. Heavy to light
ii.
Temperature Change
1. Hot to Cold
i. Layers of the Atmosphere
i.
Four Layers
1. ___________ - temp goes down when altitude
goes up, most weather here
2. ___________ - ozone is here, temp increases
3. ___________ - temp goes down
4. ___________ - temp increases, little amount of
atmosphere found here
j. Earth Movements
i.
Earth motions
1. __________ - spinning around the ________
(day)
2. __________ - around the _______ (year)
k. Earth’s Orientation
i.
Causes for different seasons
1. Summer Solstice (June 21 - 22)
2. Autumnal Equinox (September 22 - 23)
3. Winter Solstice (December 21 - 22)
4. Vernal (Spring) Equinox (March 21 - 22)
B. Heating the Atmosphere
a. Heat vs. Temperature
i.
Heat - ___________ transferred from one object to
another, a difference in __________.
ii.
Temperature - the ______ of the average energy in an
individual object
b. Energy Transfer (Heat)
i.
Three ways
1. Conduction, Convection, Radiation
c. Conduction
i.
The _______ of heat through matter by activity
1. i.e. Molecules hitting each other
2. Heat flows from ______ to ______
d. Convection
i.
Heat transfer: mass movement or ________ within a
substance
1. ex. water boiling in a pot
e. Radiation
i.
Can travel through ______
ii.
Four Laws
1. All objects emit _______ energy
2. Hotter emits more than ________
3. ___________ bodies = shortest wavelengths
4. Absorb and emit radiation
f. Electromagnetic Waves
i.
The _________ is the ultimate source of energy
ii.
Different waves have different wavelengths
g. Solar Radiation
i.
Three different results
1. Energy __________ by an object
2. Energy is not _________ to the object
3. Energy can _______ off an object
h. Reflection vs. Scattering
i.
Reflection - light ________ off an object
ii.
Scattering - weather rays that travel in ______
directions
i. Absorption
i.
_________ absorb solar energy and heat up the
_______
ii.
Greenhouse Effect - when air stays heated up to help
maintain life on Earth
C. Temperature Controls
a. What is it?
i.
Any factor that causes temperature to ______ from
place to place and from time to time.
1. Differences in receipt of solar radiation
(_________ in the angle of solar rays, _____ of
day, latitude)
ii.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Other factors include
1. Heating of land/water, altitude, geographic
position, cloud cover, ocean currents
Land and Water
i.
Land - Heats more ________ and to higher temps,
________ more rapidly and to lower temps, high temp
__________.
ii.
Water - Heats and cools _________ and has a more
regulated _________
Geographic Position
i.
Coastal Location 1. ___________ - wind blows onto shore
a. Cool summers and mild winters,
California Coast
2. _________ - wind blows towards the ocean
a. More continental patterns of weather,
New York Coast
Altitude - ______ from sea level
Cloud Cover and Albedo
i.
Albedo and cloud cover relate
1. Day
a. Clouds have a _______ albedo and
______ back a large portion of the
sunlight back into space.
b. ________ temp in the lower atmosphere
2. Night
a. Clouds act as a ______, keeps solar
radiation in
b. Cloudy nights are ________ then clear
nights
Isotherms
i.
Allows us to study _________ temperature patterns
ii.
Effects of the controlling factors of temp
1. Especially latitude
2. Distribution of land and water
3. Ocean currents
iii.
Trend ________ to ________ and shows a decrease in
temps from the tropics to the poles.
D. Water in the Atmosphere
a. The Key!
i.
_________ __________ - causes condensation and
_____________
b. States of Water
i.
Three - _____________ ______________and
____________
c. Terms to know
i.
Latent Heat - used to melt ice that does not produce a
temp ______ (hidden)
ii.
Evaporation - liquid to gas
iii.
Condensation - water vapor change to liquid
d. Sublimation vs. Deposition
i.
Sublimation - _________________________________
ii.
Deposition - __________________________________
e. Humidity
i.
How much _______ _______ is in the air
1. Types
a. Saturation, Relative Humidity, Dew
Point, Measuring Humidity
ii.
Saturation
1. When warm air contains more water vapor than
cold air
a. Ex. Water leaving will equal water in the
atmosphere
iii.
Relative Humidity
1. A ration of the _______ water vapor content
compared to the _______ of water vapor air
can hold
2. Lower air temp = ________ relative humidity
3. Rising air temp = ________ relative humidity
iv.
Dew Point
1. The temp at which a ________ of air would
need to be cooler to reach saturation
v.
Measuring Humidity
1. ___________ - most common way to measure
humidity
E. Cloud Formation
a. Temperature Change
i.
Adiabatic Temp Change - when air is allowed to
_________ (cools) and __________ (warms)
1. Dry = cooling and heating
2. Wet = latent heat + cooling and heating
b. Lifting the Air
i.
Types
1. Orographic Lifting, Frontal Wedging,
Convergence, Convective Lifting
c. Orographic Lifting
i.
_________ terrains act as barriers
1. Mountains
d. Frontal Wedging
i.
Front - Warm air and cool air _______
ii.
Helps to keep North America Wet
e. Convergence
i.
When the atmosphere ________ together as it
________
1. Ex. Florida peninsula has lots of ________ in
the afternoon
f. Convective Lifting
i.
The heating and ______ of air, creating ________
1. Ex. Birds use them, hang gliders use them
g. Air Stability
i.
Stable air remains in ________
ii.
Unstable air tends to __________
1. Ex. Hot air balloon
h. Measurements
i.
Radiosondes - ___________ weather data in the
atmosphere, measures the environmental lapse rate
i. Temperature inversions
i.
Air temp ________ with height
ii.
On nights when the cold air is _________ to the top
and warm air to the bottom
j. Stable vs. Unstable
i.
Stable - little to no weather
ii.
Unstable - lots of weather
k. Condensation
i.
The air has to be _________ for condensation to form
ii.
Condensation ________ - a surface for water vapor to
attach too.