ATMO Exam 1

ATMO Exam 1 The atmosphere is composed mainly of what two gases? - Nitrogen (78%) & Oxygen (21%) Where is ozone found and why is it important? - Stratosphere: it absorbs UV rays (up to 30km) Troposphere: Near the ground, it acts as a pollutant (10-17km) Which component has the biggest variation from place to place? - Water vapor is the main variable constituent (up to 4%), followed by CO2 A compound is added to the air at a rate of 2 Tg/year, and removed at this same rate. If the total amount of this compound in the atmosphere is 4000 Tg, what is the residence time? - Residence Time = Rate of Creation// Rate of Destruction 1 year(?) What does density measure? Suppose we cool the air without changing the pressure. How would the density change? - Measures the amount of a substance present in a given amount of space. D= M/V Density increases What does pressure measure? How is it related to weight of the atmosphere? - The force exerted by a given volume of air outward on its surroundings. Pressure= outward force exerted / area of surface The weight of the air above a certain point is held up by a the pressure force exerted by the air below. Why are the record high pressures found in places like Siberia and Montana (and not Hawaii or Texas)? - If the surface pressure is 1000 mb, what percentage of the atmosphere (by weight or mass) is above 700 mb? - Below: [(1000-700)/1000]*100= 30% Above: 70% In the stratosphere, the temperature increases with height, while the pressure decreases. So how does the density change with height? - As temperature increases with height, density decreases What are the four main layers of the atmosphere and how does temperature vary across each? - 4)Thermosphere (temp. increases w/ height) 3)Mesosphere (temp. decrease w/ height) 2)Stratosphere (temp. increases w/ height) 1) Troposphere (temp. decrease w/ height) Why does temperature decrease with height in the troposphere but then increase with height in the stratosphere? - In the absence of solar absorption, the temperature tends to decrease with height (Troposphere/Mesosphere) How many degrees Celsius are between freezing and boiling? How many degrees F? And K? - Celcius: 100 Fahrenheit: 180 Kelvin: 100 A temperature of 25 C is what in F? - 77 F 180 Degrees Fahrenheit for every 100 of Celsius (9 Degrees for every 5 Degrees of Celsius + 35 degrees F) Why does land heat up faster than water on a hot day? And how does this diff erence result in the sea breeze? - Specific Heat of Water is higher than that of Land (more energy is required to increase the temp. of water). This causes the air over the ocean to be cooler (high pressure) than the air over the land (low pressure);