Study Questions - The Atmosphere

1. What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere?

2. What are the four layers of the Earth's atmosphere?

3. What are the causes of change in temperature with increasing altitude in each layer?

4. What are the most important causes of temperature variation between different latitudes?

5. What is the solar altitude? At what latitudes is the solar altitude highest?

6. When do the Sun's most direct rays strike the Tropic of Capricorn? the Tropic of Cancer?

7. What are the most important causes if variation in temperature at any given latitude?

8. What is the difference between conduction, convection and transmission?

9. Most solar energy which reaches the Earth's surface in what part(s) of the electromagnetic spectrum?

10. Approximately 50% of the solar radiation which enters the atmosphere reaches the Earth's surface. What processes keep the other 50% from reaching the surface?

11. In what region of the electromagnetic spectrum is energy which the Earth's surface radiates back into the atmosphere?

12. What is the greenhouse effect?

13. Does the greenhouse effect occur naturally, or is it solely a result man's industrial activities?

14. What are the most abundant greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere?13. What is latent heat? How does latent heat affect local air temperatures during melting/evaporation and freezing/condensation?

15. What is specific heat? Why do land surfaces heat more rapidly that bodies of water?

16. What is the difference between absolute humidity and relative humidity?

17. What is the dew point? Why does dew form?

18. What is adiabatic temperature change? How is the adiabatic temperature change different for 'dry' air versus 'wet' air?

19. Why is the wet air adiabatic rate lower than the dry air adiabtic rate?

20. What are the four types of fog? What causes each?

21. What are the causes of cloud formation?

22. What is an isobar?

23. What is the pressure gradient force?

24. What is the Coriolis effect? How is the direction of wind currents changed by the Coriolis Effect?

25. What is a geostrphic wind? Where does they occur? Why do they not occur at Earth's surface?

26. What is the difference between a cyclone and an anticyclone? What are the common names for each? How do they typically affect surface temperature and precipitation?

27. What are the four types of weather fronts? How and why does the amount and intensity of precipitation differ along each?

28. What is a mid-latitude cyclone? How does one typically develop? In what direction does a mid-latitude cyclone typically move?

29. What is a Hadley cell?

30. What is an equatorial low and a subtropical high? At what latitudes are they found? How do they differ from one another?

31. What causes the Trade Winds?

32. What causes the Westerlies?

33. What impact do the Trade Winds and Westerlies have on gyres in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres? (refer to notes on the oceans)

34. What is the subpolar low? At what latitude is it found?

35. What is the cause of a jet stream? Where are the subtropical jet stream and the polar jet stream located with respect to Hadley cells?