Download Atmosphere - Magee Science

Atmosphere
Characteristics of Atmosphere
Study of atmosphere is called ___________________________________.
__________________ – general condition of atmosphere at a particular
time & place
__________________ – general weather conditions over many years
Our atmosphere is a mixture of chemical elements and compounds. The most abundant element is
________________ and the most abundant compounds are __________________ and ___________________.
O3 (____________________) is another important substance in our atmosphere. It is important in the upper
atmosphere to protect us from ___________________________________________________, which cause
____________________ and can lead to _____________________________________.
Oxygen in the Atmosphere:
Maintained by _______________________________ that _________________________ the atmosphere.
Nitrogen in the Atmosphere:
Nitrogen moves from __________ to ____________ to ________________ and then back again to the ______.
Atmospheric Pressure:
Ratio of _________________________ to the area of the surface on which it presses.

At higher altitudes, _________ air therefore ____________ weight which means ________ pressure

At lower altitudes, _________ air therefore ____________ weight which means ________ pressure
For example:
____________________________ – instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure
Two Types: 1. __________________ Barometer – uses liquid mercury
(Std. Pressure = 760 mm Hg = 1 atm)
2. _________________ Barometer – “without liquid”, no Hg used – it’s a sealed
container without air
LAYERS OF ATMOSPHERE
No distinct changes in pressure BUT do see changes in _________________________ with increasing
_________________________.
_______________________ - layer closest to earth
_______________________ -
Temp. decreases as you go
higher
Layer where weather occurs
contains almost all atmospheric
ozone
temperature increases as you go
higher
_______________________ - temperature decreases as you go
Higher
- coldest layer of atmosphere
_______________________ - temperature increases as you go
Higher
- difficult to measure temp. here
because air is so thin
- contains 2 regions:
- _______________________ – transmits
radio waves
-_______________________ – last part of
our atmosphere, borders with space
AIR POLLUTION
Any substance in the atmosphere that is harmful
(examples: ______________________________________________________________________________ )
_____________________________________ – gases from burning fossil fuels combine with water in
atmosphere and form acids which fall as rain or snow
________________ – general term for air pollution, combined term for smoke and fog
Solar Energy & Atmosphere
____________________________ – all forms of energy that travel through space as waves

_______________ is the form that we see, but most is _______________________ to human eyes.

All of these make up the ______________________________ and are referred to as
__________________________________________.
______________________, __________________, and ____________________________________ affect the
path of radiation from the sun and cause them to _________________________.
Solar Energy
100%
30% reflected by
clouds, dust, air,
earth’s surface
_______ percent absorbed by Earth
_______ percent absorbed by clouds
20% absorbed by
clouds, dust, & gases
_______ percent reflected by clouds
50% absorbed by
Earth’s surface
_________________________ – part of solar radiation reflected by a surface
_________________________________ – process in which atmosphere traps infrared rays over earth’s surface

_________________________ for life on earth as we know it
Radiation strikes more ________________________ at the ________________________ and is more
______________________________ at the poles.
Same amount of _______________________
spread out over a larger area, therefore the
______________________________ are
lower.
_________________________ – energy transfer by direct contact
_________________________ – energy transfer due to unequal heating
Winds
_____________________________________ in the atmosphere at the __________________________ and at
the _____________________ created a general movement of air worldwide.
Global Winds
Spinning/rotation of earth causes winds to move ___________________________ in the N. hemisphere and
__________________________ in the S. hemisphere. This is known as the ____________________________.
_____________________ – flow toward equator
between 30o and 0o latitude

Meet at the equator in a “no wind” zone
called the __________________.

At other edge of the Trade Winds is
another low/no wind belt known as the
_____________________________.
WHY? ______________ were thrown
overboard to save water when ships
weren’t moving
_______________________ – located between
40o – 60o latitude
_______________________ – from about 60o
latitude to the poles
________________________ – bands of high speed winds that exist in upper troposphere (can affect air travel)
LOCAL WINDS: often referred to as breezes, Named for where the winds come _______________
__________ Breeze – dry cool breeze FROM land to sea
__________ Breeze – dry cool breeze FROM sea to land
___________________ Breeze – during the day, warm air FROM the valley moves up the slope
___________________ Breeze – during the night, cool air FROM the mountain moves down into the valley
Water in the Atmosphere
Atmospheric Moisture
Water in the atmosphere exists in two forms other than water vapor. It can be ___________________________
or ______________________________________________.
_________________________ – phase change from liquid to gas
_________________________ – solid directly to gas (ex. dry ice at Halloween
_________________________ – vapor directly to a solid (ex. frost)
_________________________ – measure of amount of water vapor in the atmosphere

___________________ – air holds all the water vapor it possibly can
___________________________________ – ratio used to express amount of water vapor in the atmosphere

Amount of ___________________water in the atmosphere with the amount of water that
_____________________ be in the atmosphere.
___________________________ – instrument used to measure relative humidity
___________________________ – actual amount of moisture in the air
___________________________ – temperature to which air must be cooled to reach saturation.

If the dew point is below freezing, then __________________________ occurs and ________________
forms. (direct from ____________ to ____________________)
Clouds & Fog
Result from condensation of _____________________________ throughout the large volume of ___________.
Requires the presence of solid particles, called ___________________________________________.
Air temperature changes as the air expands and is compressed. These changes are known as
_____________________________________________.
3 Main Cloud Types
______________________ – sheetlike clouds

Low base (almost at the surface)

Warm air lies above cool air

Variations = _____________________, which
are dark clouds that do produce heavy rain
_________________________ – puffy vertical clouds

Forms as warm moist air rises and cools

_________________________ = variation of
high, dark storm clouds
__________________ – highest clouds

Wispy and feathery

Halo can be seen around the sun or moon, if
viewed thru a cirrostratus cloud (light rays
bend as they hit ice crystals)
___________ – a cloud that formed at the surface
Precipitation
_________________________________ – any moisture that falls from the air to earth’s surface
FORMS:
LIQUID
Liquid precipitation
LIQUID
Raindrops smaller than 0.5mm
SOLID
Most common solid, freezing up high and all the way to the ground
SOLID
Rain falls thru freezing layer at the ground
SOLID
Rain falls and only freezes upon contact with a solid surface (glaze ice)
SOLID
Lumps of ice form as winds blow frozen substance back up into clouds repeatedly
Causes of Precipitation:
A cloud produces ______________________ when its droplets or ice crystals become ____________________
to fall as ______________ or _________________.
_______________________________ – combination of different size water droplets to form large droplets that
fall as raindrops
_______________________________ – process where water droplets remain liquid at temperatures below zero
degrees Celsius
_______________________________ – special condensation nuclei that have crystalline structure similar to
ice (required for precipitation to fall)
_______________________________ – process when freezing nuclei are artificially added to clouds to force
precipitation to occur
WHY WOULD THIS BE USEFUL???


____________________________ – instrument used to measure amount of rainfall
Weather
Air Masses
Differences in air pressure worldwide create ______________________________. Air moves from areas of
______________________________ to areas of ________________________________.
_____________________________ – large body of air with uniform/same moisture and temperature
Four Main Types of Air Masses:
NAME
ABBREV.
DESCRIPTION
North American Air Masses:
3 Polar Air Masses:
 cP Canadian – from Canada into the US
 mP Pacific – from the Pacific near Alaska into the northwestern US
 mP Atlantic – from the N. Atlantic into the New England states
4 Tropical Air Masses:
 cT – only in summer, from southwest US to the northeast US
 mT Gulf – froms in the Gulf of Mexico and moves to the eastern US
 mT Atlantic – forms in the tropical N. Atlantic and travels to the eastern US
 mT Pacific – forms in the N. Pacific and rarely reach land
Fronts
When two unlike air masses meet, ____________________ differences keep them ______________________.
The boundary that is formed between the air masses is called a __________________________.
Four Main Types of Fronts:
_____________ Front:

Cold air mass overtakes a warm air mass & lifts it in the
air

Produces storms
o Squall line – long line of heavy thunderstorms
___________ Front: warm air mass overtakes a cold air mass &
rises over it
______________________ Front: 2 air masses meet, but neither
is displaced
_________________ Front: fast moving cold front lifts a warm
front completely off the ground
______________________________ refers to the region where the cold air at the _______________ meets the
warm air of the ____________________________________________.
These areas help create the beginnings of the low pressure storms known as ____________________________.
____________________________ – large storms that start typically along cold or stationary fronts

big influence of middle latitude weather in the US
____________________________ – large stormsthat center on areas of high pressure
__________________________________:

Severe tropical storm where winds exceed ________ km/hr

Develop over warm tropical oceans

Most destructive storms

Called ___________________ in the Pacific
___________________________________ – storm accompanied by thunder, lightning and strong winds

____________________ – loud noise produced by the rapid expansion and collapse of air
(caused by electricity rapidly heating the air with lightning)
_________________________
 whirling, funnel-shaped cyclone

smallest, most violent, and shortest-lived severe storm

forms when thunderstorm meets high altitude horizontal winds which causes air to rotate
__________________________ – tornadoes over the ocean (or a very large body of water)
Weather Instruments
_________________________________ – measures temperature
_________________________________ – measures wind speed
_________________________________ – determines the direction of the wind
_________________________________ – used to determine upper-atmospheric conditions
Forecasting the Weather
____________________________ – (scientists that study the weather)
They prepare weather maps that plot all the weather data gathered from many different sources.
____________________________ – lines drawn to connect points of equal atmospheric pressure

closely spaced = _____________ wind speeds

far apart = low change and _________ winds

circles = high (H) or low (L) pressure areas
Climate
Factors that Affect Climate
Average weather conditions of a region that occur over many years are referred to as _____________________.
2 Major Components:

___________________________________ – difference between high and low temp. of that assigned
time period

___________________________ – any moisture that falls from the air to earth’s surface
Other factors such as _______________________, ________________________________________________,
and ___________________________________ influence climates as well.
Latitude
The distance of a location from the equator determines ____________________________________ and
______________________________________.
The amount of solar energy depends on: 1.
2.
Wind Patterns help determine: 1.
2.
3.
4.
_____________________: periodic warming of the central Pacific Ocean that causes extreme weather on the
western edge of North and South America.
Heat Absorption & Release
Land heats _____________________ and to ________________________________ than water because the
_________________ and ____________________ constantly move the water.
This can cause seasonal winds, called ______________________________, which are common in Asia and
bring heavy rainfall.
Topography
Mountains influence _________________________ and ___________________________________________
of passing air masses.

___________ air cools as it rises

___________ air warms as it descends
Climate Zones
3 major climate zones: _________________________, ______________________________, and the
_______________________________________________________.
____________________ Climates:

Average monthly temp. of at least __________ oC

Influenced by _______ and _______ air masses

Examples: tropical rain forest, tropical desert, tropical savanna
___________________ Climates:

Temperature is never higher than _________ oC

Influenced by _______ and _______ air masses

Examples: subarctic, tundra
________________________________ Climates:

No warmer than _______ oC in the coldest month

No colder than ________ oC in the warmest month

Influenced by both ________________ and _________ air masses

Most rain results from wave cyclones

Examples: Mediterranean, humid continental, humid sub-tropical (this one is where we are!)
Local Climates:
Local conditions also play a role in determining climates.

_________________________ (help to moderate temperatures)

_________________________ (slow down winds and increase humidity)
Cities are ________________________ and have average temperatures ________ degrees _________________
that the surrounding rural areas. This is due to:

_____________ vegetation in cities

_____________ traffic & energy used for heating, lighting, & industry
Cities also get ___________________________ due to ________________, ____________________, and
________________________________ creating _______________________________________________
necessary for rain to fall.
Bonus Information on Biomes:
_____________________
Various regions of our planet
which can best be distinguished
by their climate, fauna (animals)
and flora (plants)
FIVE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
TYPES:
Desert
Forest
Grassland
Tundra
Aquatic (in oceanography)
1. __________________





Cover about 1/5 of the planet
Caused by extremely low rainfall
Vegetation consists mainly of low shrubs and small trees (small or no leaves with deep roots)
Animal life is mostly active at night or burrowing with thick skins
Main types of deserts include: _____________, _____________________, and ____________________
2. __________________





Cover about 1/3 of the planet and are found across the world
Divided into many types of forests, based on rainfall and temperature
Vegetation is primarily trees
Animal life varies based on the type of forest, but has a wide range of birds, mammals, amphibians and
reptiles
Main types of forests include: ________________________ and ___________________________
(although there are many other variations)
3. __________________





Found around the globe and serve as grazing areas for large number of animals
Unaltered areas of land where grass is the dominant plant life
Vegetation is primarily grasses. There are a few trees
Animal life consists mostly of grazing animals
Main types of grasslands include: ________________, _________________, and __________________
4. __________________






Coldest of all biomes and is known as the “ice desert” or “frozen prairie”
Located around the North Pole
Little rainfall and soil layer is frozen year-round and is known as _________________________
Vegetation is scarce and mostly consists of shrubs, lichens and mosses
Animal life of mammals adapted to this cold environment with extra layers of fat and the ability to
hibernate
Main types include: ____________________________ and ___________________________________