Earth's Atmosphere
This gas makes up about 78% of Earth’s atmosphere.
What is nitrogen?
Compared to cold air, this type of air is less dense and rises.
What is warm air?
Global wind patterns are caused by uneven heating of Earth’s surface by this.
What is the sun?
Seasons are caused by this feature of Earth, not its distance from the Sun.
What is Earth’s axial tilt?
A long-term pattern of average weather over time, not day-to-day conditions.
What is climate?
This gas makes up about 21% of the atmosphere and is essential for respiration.
What is oxygen?
Cold air is more dense, causing it to do this.
What is sink?
This effect is caused by Earth’s rotation and makes winds curve to the right in the Northern Hemisphere.
What is the Coriolis Effect?
This term describes the amount of solar energy reaching Earth’s surface.
What is insolation?
This factor largely determines a region’s climate by affecting temperature.
What is latitude and insolation, or angle of the sun hitting the earth?
“These Spheres Mask The Earth” is a mnemonic used to remember these layers of the atmosphere.
What are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere?
Air at this relative temperature can hold more moisture.
What is warm air?
These convection cells are found near the equator.
What are Hadley Cells?
Cities tend to be warmer than surrounding rural areas due to this effect.
What is the urban heat island effect?
This effect causes dry conditions on the leeward side of a mountain range.
What is the rain shadow effect?
This lowest layer of the atmosphere is where weather occurs and most living things exist.
What is the troposphere?
This occurs because as air becomes colder, it can't hold as much water vapor.
What is condensing and clouds/precipitation?
These prevailing winds blow from west to east in the mid-latitudes.
What are the Westerlies?
This type of weather front forms when a fast-moving cold front overtakes a warm front.
What is an occluded front?
Compared to inland areas, coastal areas usually have this type of temperature pattern.
What are more moderate temperatures?
In this atmospheric layer, temperature increases with altitude because ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation.
What is the stratosphere?
This type of circular air current is caused by warm air rising, cooling, and sinking.
What is a convection cell?
Low pressure at the equator is caused by this air movement.
What is warm air rising?
This front forms when two air masses meet but neither one moves forward.
What is a stationary front?
The El Nino climate pattern is caused by this change in global wind patterns, causing a shift in the Pacific Ocean temperature.
What are weakened tradewinds?