Earth Science - Geology, the Environment, and the Universe – Unit 4, Chapter 11;271-294; 2 per page

Vocabulary

conductive

convection

exosphere

mesosphere

ozone

radiation

stratosphere

thermosphere

troposphere

condensation

dew point

heat

humidity

lifted condensation level

relative humidity

temperature

temperature inversion

coalescence

condensation nuclei

evaporation

latent heat

orographic lifting

precipitation

stability

water cycle

Comprehension Questions

  1. What did the ancient Greeks think that air was?
  2. What is the extent of the Earth’s atmosphere?
  3. What gases make up the atmosphere?
  4. How much water vapor is in the atmosphere at any given time?
  5. Why is the level of both carbon dioxide and water vapor critical?
  6. Why is it important that water is the only substance in the atmosphere that exists in three states?
  7. What three solids are found in the atmosphere?
  8. Why is ozone important?
  9. In which layer of the atmosphere does most of the weather take place?
  10. Why would the thermosphere not seem warm to a human passing through it even though it can be 1000oC?
  11. Which substances emit radiation?
  12. What percentage of incoming solar radiation is absorbed directly or indirectly by the Earth’s surface?
  13. What happens to the energy radiated by Earth’s surface?
  14. Why does conduction affect only a very thin layer near Earth’s surface?
  15. In your own words, explain how convection operates in the atmosphere.
  16. How does the difference between heat and temperature relate to the atmosphere?
  17. Why are there no negative numbers on the Kelvin scale?
  18. Why is the dew point important?
  19. What is the dry adiabatic lapse rate?
  20. Why does the density of the air increaseas you get closer to the bottom of the atmosphere?
  21. Explain the relationship between temperature and density.
  22. How can a temperature inversion worsen air-pollution problems?
  23. What can wind be thought of in its simplest form?
  24. Why do wind speeds increase at higher elevations?
  25. In what way does relative humidity vary with temperature?
  26. When is air considered saturated?
  27. When happens when warm, moist air rises, expands and cools in a convection current?
  28. In your own words, explain how collisions of air masses of different temperatures create clouds.
  29. What three things determine the rate at which an air mass cools?
  30. When is latent heat stored in water vapor released?
  31. What happens when a mass of rising air reaches its lifted condensation level?
  32. Who developed the cloud classification system?
  33. How are stratus clouds often formed?
  34. Describe cirrostratus clouds.
  35. What clouds are associated with thunderstorms?
  36. What are the four main types of precipitation?
  37. How is hail formed?
  38. Where does the water cycle receive its energy?
  39. What atoms destroy ozone molecules?

Written Answer Write a paragraph with a minimum of six sentences to explain what you have learned in this lesson. Be sure to include a topic sentence, four detail sentences, and a concluding sentence.