WX-201 Test 1 study guide latest updated
Atmosphere
is a mixture of gas molecules, microscopically small suspended particles of solid and liquid, and falling
precipitation
Meteorology
is the study of atmosphere and the processes that cause what we refer to as the "weather"
permanent gases
those that form a constant proportion of the atmospheric mass
Variable Gases
those whose distribution in the atmosphere varies in both time and space
Homosphere
region from the earth's surface to 50 miles
Heterosphere
layer above homosphere
Nitrogen
N2 makes up 78.08 of the atmosphere
Oxygen
O2 makes up 20.95 of the atmosphere
Argon
Ar makes up .93 of the atmosphere
Water Vapor
H2O most abundant of the variable gases .25 of atmosphere
Photosynthesis
Removes CO2 from atmosphere and it is the process by which green plants convert light energy into
chemical energy.
Carbon Dioxide CO2
Important variable gas .04
Hydrologic cycle
The process by which water is being cycled between the planet and the atmosphere
Aerosols
, Small solid particles and liquid droplets in the air
Condensation Nuclei
virtually all cloud droplets that form in nature do so on suspended aerosols
ozone
is the form of oxygen in which three O atoms are joined to form a single molecule and is essential to
life on earth because it absorbs lethal ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
Mesosphere
extends to a height of about 50 mi (80km) and temperature in this layer decreases with altitude
Ionosphere
In between mesosphere and thermosphere "electrical properties" contains electrically charged
particles called ions which help reflect AM radio waves back toward earth and cause auroras.
Troposphere
Lowest of the four temperature layers, it is where most of the weather occurs and is marked by
temperature decreases with height.
Tropopause
Transition layer after the troposphere that marks the level at which temperature ceases to decrease
with height.
Inversion
Situations where temperature increases with height
Stratosphere
Layer above the tropopause where temperature increases with altitude. The upper part of this layer,
heating is almost exclusively the result of the UV radiation being absorbed by ozone
Stratopause
located above the stratosphere, transition layer where temperature increases with altitude.
Ozone Layer
It is the layer that absorbs lethal UV radiation from the sun
Thermosphere
This layer is located above the mesosphere and the temperature increases with height due to the high
amount of kinetic energy in each molecule possesses
Auroras
contains electrically charged particles called ions which help reflect AM radio waves back toward
earth and cause this
Atmosphere
is a mixture of gas molecules, microscopically small suspended particles of solid and liquid, and falling
precipitation
Meteorology
is the study of atmosphere and the processes that cause what we refer to as the "weather"
permanent gases
those that form a constant proportion of the atmospheric mass
Variable Gases
those whose distribution in the atmosphere varies in both time and space
Homosphere
region from the earth's surface to 50 miles
Heterosphere
layer above homosphere
Nitrogen
N2 makes up 78.08 of the atmosphere
Oxygen
O2 makes up 20.95 of the atmosphere
Argon
Ar makes up .93 of the atmosphere
Water Vapor
H2O most abundant of the variable gases .25 of atmosphere
Photosynthesis
Removes CO2 from atmosphere and it is the process by which green plants convert light energy into
chemical energy.
Carbon Dioxide CO2
Important variable gas .04
Hydrologic cycle
The process by which water is being cycled between the planet and the atmosphere
Aerosols
, Small solid particles and liquid droplets in the air
Condensation Nuclei
virtually all cloud droplets that form in nature do so on suspended aerosols
ozone
is the form of oxygen in which three O atoms are joined to form a single molecule and is essential to
life on earth because it absorbs lethal ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
Mesosphere
extends to a height of about 50 mi (80km) and temperature in this layer decreases with altitude
Ionosphere
In between mesosphere and thermosphere "electrical properties" contains electrically charged
particles called ions which help reflect AM radio waves back toward earth and cause auroras.
Troposphere
Lowest of the four temperature layers, it is where most of the weather occurs and is marked by
temperature decreases with height.
Tropopause
Transition layer after the troposphere that marks the level at which temperature ceases to decrease
with height.
Inversion
Situations where temperature increases with height
Stratosphere
Layer above the tropopause where temperature increases with altitude. The upper part of this layer,
heating is almost exclusively the result of the UV radiation being absorbed by ozone
Stratopause
located above the stratosphere, transition layer where temperature increases with altitude.
Ozone Layer
It is the layer that absorbs lethal UV radiation from the sun
Thermosphere
This layer is located above the mesosphere and the temperature increases with height due to the high
amount of kinetic energy in each molecule possesses
Auroras
contains electrically charged particles called ions which help reflect AM radio waves back toward
earth and cause this
