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27 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Troposphere
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-Extends 12-15 km
-Layer in the atmosphere in contact with the surface -Temp decreases with height, heated from below -contains all weather, clouds -80% of mass of atmosphere |
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Pauses
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Isothermal sections above spheres
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Stratosphere
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-extends to 50 km in height
-layer above troposphere -temp increases with height because of absorption of ultraviolet light by ozone (inversion) -stable air layer |
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Mesosphere
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-extends 80km in height
-layer above stratosphere -temp decreases with height because of lack of contact with ground, lack of ozone |
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Thermosphere
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-layer above mesosphere
-temp increases with height because of energy from gamma and x-ray absorption due to the earth's magnetic field -density of air is very thin, holds little heat -drifts off to nothingness above 120km |
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Mixed Layer
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-Warm, surface layer stirred by winds
-50-75 meters thick, relatively isothermal |
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Thermocline
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Transitional layer where there is a decrease in water temperature with depth
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Deep Water
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Cold, deep isothermal layer. 4 degrees C
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Halocline and Pychnocline
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transitional layers, depth highly dependent on latitude
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Specific Heat
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amount of energy required to raise one gram of a substnace one degree C
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Turbulent mixing
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warm bubbles of air rise and are replaced by colder air from aloft
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Isotherm
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Line of constant air temperature
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Rayleigh Scattering
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-omnidirectional scattering by gas molecules smaller than the radiation wavelength.
-Blue light is scattered by an order of magnitude greater than red light |
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Mie Scattering
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-Forward scattered by aerosols with similar sizes to the radiation wavelength
-all light is scattered equally- gray haze |
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Barometer
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istrument that measures atmospheric pressure
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Mercurial Barometer
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Measures atmospheric pressure as an equivalent weight of a column of mercury
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Aneroid Barometer
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uses pressure exerted against at a partial vacuum to measure air pressure
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Pressure Gradient
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variation in atmospheric pressure from one place to another
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Pressure Gradient Force
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acts in a direction from higher to lower pressure
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Isobars
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Lines of constant pressure
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Sea Breeze
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Air is forced to flow onshore
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LAnd Breeze
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Aire is forced to flow offshore
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Coriolis Force
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apparent force caused by the rotation of the earth. Causes objects to be deflected to the right of their path of motion in the NH and left in the SH
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Friction
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a drag force that inhibits forward movement
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Cyclone
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Isolated low pressure system
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Anticyclone
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Isolated high pressure system
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Gyres
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Oceans flow in a circular motion
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