Flashcards
atmosphere
Cards in this deck (22)
- 1What is the atmosphereThe layers of gases surrounding the earths surface, make up 1% of the earths diameter
- 2Composition of the atmosphere-Nitrogen (78%)
-Oxygen (21%)
-Other (1%)
(Barry, Chorley 2010) - 3Structure of the atmosphere-Troposphere
-Tropopause
-Stratosphere
-Stratopause
-Mesosphere
-Mesopause
-Thermosphere
-Exosphere - 4Key thinkers/Discoveries in atmospheric science-Robert Boyle and Jacques Charles/ideal gas law
-Joseph Fourier, Svante Arrhenius/Greenhouse effect
- Alan Brewer and Gordon Dobson/Brewer-Dobson circulation
-George Hadley/Hadley circulation
-Coriolis/Coriolis effect - 5Troposphere- 0-15km above sea level
-Region where weather takes place
-75% mass of the atmosphere
-Contains virtually all atmospheric water
-Pressure and temperature decrease with height at 6.5°C/km
-Hadley circulation occurs here - 6Tropopause-Boundary between troposphere and stratopshere
-Height is correlated with sea level temperature and pressure
-Height between 8 km at poles and 16 km at equator - 7Stratosphere-Up to 50 km in height
-Contains the ozone layer
-Temperature increase from -55°C to 0°C due to absorption of UV by ozone
-Due to low tempurature clouds can form at poles despite dryness
-CFCs in stratosphere are broken down by sunlight to form chlorine, this then reacts with and breaks down ozone, - 8Stratopause-Boundary between stratosphere and mesosphere
-15°C to 0°C
-50 km in height - 9Mesosphere-50 km to 80 km in height
-Temperature drops with height increase to -100°C
-pressure decreases rapidly - 10Mesopause-Boundary layer between mesosphere and thermosphere
- Contains part of the ionosphere
-Oxygen and Ozone absorb ionising radiation causing temperature increase - 11Thermosphere- Outer layer of the atmosphere
- 80 km to 550 km
- Atmospheric density is extremely low
- Temperature up to 1500°C due to absorption oh high levels of UV radiation
- Makes up most of the ionosphere - 12Exosphere- Above the mesosphere
- More than 550km, out into space
- Satellites orbit in this region, experiencing only a little drag - 13Ionosphere- Upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere
- Ionisation occurs from UV and cosmic radiation
- Reflects short wave radio
- Aurora occurs here: high energy nitrogen particles caught by magnetic field, spiral towards the poles, exciting nitrogen paritcles causing them to glow - 14Lapse rateRate of fall in temperature with height
Environmental lapse rate = 6.5°C/km (linear)
Moist adiabatic lapse rate = 10°C/km (Linear)
Dry adiabatic lapse rate = 6°C/km (non linear) - 15TurbosphereThe area of the troposphere where mixing of chemical in the earths atmosphere occurs by convection rather than by diffusion
- 16Hadley circulation-Circulation of winds upwards from the equator to the subtropics and down to sea level and return to equator (convection currents)
-Broken into cells: Hadley cells equator to tropics, Ferrel cells 30° - 60°, then 60° to the poles are polar cells - 17Coriolis effectThe deviation of an object right (Northern hemisphere) or left (southern hemisphere) from a north/south path
- 18Brewer-Dobson circulationOzone levels are greater at the poles than the tropics, despite being created at the tropics due to atmospheric waves driving air currents
- 19Geostrophic winds-Wind accelerates from high to low pressure
- Deflects wind along a curved path, right angle to coriolis
- Balances Coriolis effect - 20Stable and unstable air- Stable air: rising air is cooler than its surrounding air and as such stops rising, restoring force on displaced air
- Unstable air: rising air is warmer than it's surrounding air and so continues to rise, accelerating force on displaced air - 21Trade wind inversionAn increase in temperature with height.
Can result in: trapped pollution, prevention of convection currents by acting as a cap, when cap is broken the releasing of volumes of moist air can result in storms - 22References- Boeker and Grondelle (2001) Environmental science: physical principles and applications
- Barry and Chorley (2010) Atmosphere, weather and climate
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- Environmental Studies Flashcards on atmosphere, created by joe church on 30/04/2017.
- Created by
- joe church · Apr 2017
- Updated
- Apr 30, 2017
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