Atmosphere
What is the atmosphere?
the fluid layer of gases that surrounds the Earth
describe meteorology
Meteorology studies the weather in terms of sun, rain, clouds, temperature, wind, etc.
Describe what happens in a cyclone
When air gets hot, it rises and leaves an area of low pressure on the surface
what is precipitation?
water that falls from the clouds to the ground in many forms
what is atmospheric pollution?
the presence in the air of substances or energy that are not part of it and may produce health risk for living things.
What are the two most common gases in the atmosphere?
Oxygen
Nitrogen
What is the climate?
a set of meteorological phenomena through a larger period of time (years) which characterise a bigger region.
what is humidity?
the volume of water vapour which a mass of air contains
describe how rain forms
small drops of liquid water in the clouds, join and form bigger drops, they stop to be suspended and they fall to the earth surface.
Can atmospheric pollution be produced by something natural?
yes!
ex. volcanoes, forest fires, etc.
Name 3 of the 5 layers of the atmosphere
Trophosphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is more specific to one place and describes conditions at a certain time
Climate talks about a longer time and a bigger area
What causes wind?
The air moves from high pressure areas to low pressure areas, horizontally
how does snow form?
small drops of water form micro ice crystals that consolidate (join) in the shape of a star, forming snowflakes
What are two ways humans produce atmospheric pollution?
Solid particles like smoke and ashes produced during petroleum and coal burning
Noise pollution.
Light pollution
Radioactive pollution.
What are the functions of the atmosphere?
Atmosphere as a shield: protection of the planet
Regulation of the temperature of the planet
Atmosphere and biosphere
What does a pulviometer do?
What is an anticyclone?
Cold air is more dense, so it descends and produces an area of high pressure on the surface
how is hail different from snow?
hail is made at higher levels of the atmosphere because of storm winds so it freezes
hail is much larger than snow and it can hurt when if falls
Name a pollutant that humans put in the atmosphere
sulphuric gases
carbon dioxide
CFCs
it absorbs ultraviolet radiation
Name two meteorological instruments used to study weather and say what they measure
Barometer: atmospheric pressure.
Hygrometer: humidity in the air.
Pluviometer: rain precipitation.
Thermometer: temperature.
Anemometer: wind speed.
describe condensation
When it cools, water vapour condenses and becomes small drops of liquid water
it forms a cloud: a huge amount of small drops that remain suspended in the air.
how cold does it have to be to snow?
0 C or less
What happens when we have too much CO2?
we increase the greenhouse effect