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Chapter 11 (Atmosphere)

What is the composition of Earth’s atmosphere?
What are some properties of air?
How does altitude affect air pressure and density?
What are the four main layers of the atmosphere and what are their properties?
How does energy from the sun travel to Earth?
What happens to the sun’s energy when it reaches Earth?
How is temperature measured?
How is heat transferred?
What causes winds?
How do local winds and global winds differ?

User Radu Gheorghiu
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1) composition of Earth’s atmosphere: About 78% of the gases in the Earth's atmosphere are nitrogen, 21% are oxygen, and 1% are other gases. The layers that contain these gases are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere, each of which is distinguished by specific characteristics like temperature and pressure.

2) properties of air: Many gases, water vapors, and dust particles are all mixed together to form air. There is pressure in the air. It is colorless and odorless and has mass and occupies space.

3) The effect of altitude on air pressure and density: The number of gas molecules in the air decreases with height, making the air less dense than air closer to sea level. Air at a higher height exerts more pressure than air that is thinner.

4) the four main layers of the atmosphere: The troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere are the primary layers, in order from lowest to highest. The troposphere is the lowest part of the atmosphere. It has the majority of our weather, including clouds, rain, and snow. The temperature in this region of the atmosphere drops by around 6.5°C every kilometer as one travels more above the planet. Depending on the weather, the actual temperature difference with height changes from day to day. The stratosphere rises to a height of around 50 km above the tropopause. The majority of the ozone in the atmosphere is found there. Because this ozone absorbs ultraviolet (UV) energy from the sun, the temperature rises with height. Over the summer pole and the winter pole, stratospheric temperatures are highest and lowest, respectively. The mesosphere, the region above the stratosphere is called the mesosphere. Here the temperature again decreases with height, reaching a minimum of about -90°C at the "mesopause". The thermosphere is above the mesopause, where temperatures once more rise with height. The sun's powerful ultraviolet and X-ray radiation is what causes this rise in temperature. Since the powerful solar radiation knocks electrons off molecules and atoms, converting them into "ions" with a positive charge, the region of the atmosphere above about 80 km is also known as the "ionosphere."

5) Traveling of the energy from the sun to earth: The radiation carried by electromagnetic waves travels from the sun to Earth. Visible light and infrared light make up the majority of the energy that travels through the upper atmosphere and reaches Earth's surface. This light is primarily in the visible spectrum.

6) Energy released from the Sun is emitted as shortwave light and ultraviolet energy. When it reaches the Earth, some are reflected back to space by clouds, some are absorbed by the atmosphere, and some are absorbed in the Earth's surface.

7) Measurement of the temperature: Thermometers are used to measure the air's temperature. Common thermometers have a glass rod inside which is a very thin tube. A liquid is delivered to the tube from a reservoir, or "bulb," at the thermometer's base. Sometimes the liquid is reddish alcohol, and other times it is mercury.

8) Transferring of heat: There are three methods by that thermal energy can be transferred: conduction, convection, and radiation. Conduction is the transfer of heat energy between adjacent molecules that are in touch with one another.

9) Winds are caused by the uneven heating of the Earth by the sun and the rotation of the Earth, which is the movement of air. Light breezes to natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes are all types of winds.

10) difference between local winds and global winds: Local winds are those that only cover a small region. Local geographical factors, such as proximity to an ocean, have an impact on them. They include monsoons as well as land and ocean breezes. Belts of global winds exist all throughout the world.

User Poyraz
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Answer: 1 Earth's atmosphere is composed of about 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 0.9 percent argon, and 0.1 percent other gases. Trace amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and neon are some of the other gases that make up the remaining 0.1 percent.

2 Air takes up space. ...

Air is made of gases, including nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, and other materials. ...

Air exerts pressure. ...

Air has weight. ...

Air can be compressed. ...

Air is affected by temperature.

3 Air pressure is higher at lower altitudes. Air density is higher at lower altitudes. There is more space between air molecules at higher altitudes. There is less oxygen to breathe at the top of a high mountain than there is at sea level.

4 The atmosphere can be divided into layers based on its temperature, as shown in the figure below. These layers are the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere and the thermosphere. A further region, beginning about 500 km above the Earth's surface, is called the exosphere.

5 The Sun's energy gets to the Earth through radiation, which you can prove just by standing outside and letting the sun's rays warm your face on a sunny day. ... The energy lost is emitted as light or electromagnetic radiation. Energy that is absorbed by an atom causes its electrons to "jump" up to higher energy levels.

6 Energy released from the Sun is emitted as shortwave light and ultraviolet energy. When it reaches the Earth, some is reflected back to space by clouds, some is absorbed by the atmosphere, and some is absorbed at the Earth's surface. ... Shortwave radiation reflected back to space by clouds.

7 Temperature is measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have used various reference points and thermometric substances for definition. ... The lowest theoretical temperature is absolute zero, at which no more thermal energy can be extracted from a body.

8 There are three ways heat is transferred into and through the atmosphere: radiation. conduction. convection.

9 Wind is the movement of air, caused by the uneven heating of the Earth by the sun and the Earth's own rotation. ... Differences in atmospheric pressure generate winds. At the Equator, the sun warms the water and land more than it does the rest of the globe.Nov 15, 2012

User Genobis
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