Chapter 16
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What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is over a short period of time and constantly changing, while climate is over a long period of time and is a generalized composite of weather.
What are the most important elements of weather and climate?
• Temperature • Humidity • Cloudiness • Sunshine • Precipitation • Air pressure • Wind speeds and direction
What is the percentage composition of nitrogen in clean, dry air?
78 percent
What is the percentage composition of oxygen in clean, dry air?
21 percent
What is the maximum percentage of water vapor in air?
Up to about 4 percent
What is the primary role of ozone (O3) in the atmosphere?
Ozone absorbs most of the harmful ultraviolet light, acting as a shield for life.
Where is ozone primarily concentrated in the atmosphere?
Between 10 and 50 kilometers above the surface
What are aerosols?
Tiny solid and liquid particles that can reflect sunlight and help color sunrise and sunset.
What is the environmental lapse rate?
The rate at which air temperature decreases with increasing height, averaging 6.5 degrees Celsius per kilometer.
What is the outer boundary of the stratosphere called?
Stratopause
What is the temperature trend in the mesosphere?
Temperature decreases with altitude.
What is the thermosphere characterized by?
No well-defined upper limit and gases moving at high speeds.
What causes the seasons on Earth?
Changing sun angle and changing length of daylight.
What is the tilt of Earth’s axis?
23 ½ degrees
What is the date of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere?
June 21-22
What is the date of the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere?
December 21-22
What occurs during the autumnal equinox?
The sun’s vertical rays are located at the Equator (0 degrees latitude) on September 22-23.
Fill in the blank: Heat is always transferred from _______ to cooler objects.
warmer
What are the mechanisms of heat transfer?
• Conduction • Convection • Radiation
What is the bottom layer of the atmosphere?
Troposphere The troposphere is where weather occurs and is closest to the Earth’s surface.
What happens to temperature in the troposphere as altitude increases?
Temperature decreases with altitude This phenomenon is referred to as the environmental lapse rate.
What is the name of the outer boundary of the troposphere?
Tropopause
What layer of the atmosphere is located about 12-50 km above the Earth’s surface?
Stratosphere
What happens to temperature in the stratosphere as altitude increases?
Temperature increases at the top