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Atmospheric Structure
Heat Transfer Mechansims
Temperature Controls
Potpourri
Fate of Incoming Radiation
100
What is the lowest layer of the atmosphere?
Troposphere
100
A tea kettle is on a hot stove burner. Which heat transfer mechanism occurs between the kettle and the burner?
Conduction
100
How can mountains affect local temperature differences?
Mountains can act as a barrier, preventing warm/cool air from reaching a location AND/OR places located on mountain ranges have higher altitudes, which decreases the local temperature.
100
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place. Weather is constantly changing. Climate is based on observations collected over many years. It includes "average weather" and "extreme weather".
100
What is the term that describes what happens to radiation when it hits a surface and bounces back at the same angle and with the same intensity?
Reflection
200
In which layer is the most ozone located?
Stratosphere
200
Which type of heat transfer occurred between the lamp and the soil/sand in your lab?
Radiation
200
Define "albedo"
Albedo is the fraction of radiation reflected by a surface.
200
What is the degree of tilt on Earth's axis?
23.5 degrees
200
What is the difference between reflection and scattering?
Reflection occurs when radiation hits a surface and bounces back at the same angle and with the same intensity. Scattering occurs when radiation hits a surface and bounces off in all different angles with rays of lower intensity (larger wavelength).
300
In which two layers does temperature increase as altitude increases?
Stratosphere & Thermosphere
300
Describe the transfer mechanism of Convection.
The transfer of heat by mass movement or circulation within a substance.
300
Which heats faster, water or land? Give 2 reasons why.
Land heats faster and cools down faster. Reasons: 1. Water has a higher specific heat. 2. Water is transparent while land is opaque. 3. Warm surface water mixes with cool water below it. 4. Evaporation occurs at water's surface, which cools down heated water.
300
As atmospheric altitude increases, what happens to atmospheric pressure?
Pressure decreases as altitude increases. Always.
300
When radiation is absorbed, light wave energy is converted into ____________.
Molecular motion
400
In which two layers does temperature decrease as altitude increases?
Troposphere & Mesosphere
400
Compare a campfire, a cup of warm coffee, and a slice of pizza. Which is emitting the most radiation AND why?
The campfire is emitting the most radiation because it has the highest temperature. This is one of the laws that governs radiation.
400
How does cloud cover affect daytime and night time temperatures. Explain why.
With cloud cover during the day, solar radiation gets reflected back into space by the clouds, due to their high albedo. This creates cool daytime temperatures. When clouds are present at night, radiation reflected off of land gets reflected back down to the ground once it reaches the clouds. Again, this is due to clouds high albedo.
400
Describe the greenhouse effect and why it is important for Earth.
The greenhouse effect is the trapping of radiation in the atmosphere due to the selective absorption of gases. Gases, such as water vapor and CO2, allow solar radiation to pass through to Earth's surface. When that radiation is absorbed & emitted back from Earth's surface, it's wavelength has increased and atmospheric gases trap in (absorb) the radiation.
400
Which "fate" explains why a dark room with no windows still has light. Explain.
This is due to scattering. The radiation ray breaks up into multiple rays moving in all directions. This is called diffused light.
500
Describe the what happens to temperature as altitude increases in the stratosphere AND explain WHY.
As altitude increases, temperature increases. This is because ozone is concentrated in the upper portion of the atmosphere and traps in radiation.
500
Compare a campfire, a microwave heating up some Ramen Noodles, and a slice of pizza. Which object is probably emitting the longest wavelength AND why?
The pizza is emitting the longest wavelength because it has the lowest temperature. Hotter objects emit shorter wavelengths.
500
Which hemisphere has the most temperature variation? Explain why.
The Northern Hemisphere, or land hemisphere, has the largest temperature variation. This is because land heats and cools much quicker than water. This makes it easy for temperatures to change quickly and dramatically on land. Extreme temperature ranges will always be located on land.
500
Draw a graph the shows the relationship between temperature & altitude in the atmosphere. You should label each layer of the atmosphere. (Don't worry about exact units)
Example.
500
What percentage of solar radiation is lost into space due to reflection and scattering?
30% -20% from clouds -5% from land -5% from atmosphere