Meteorology & climateLesson 1 of 4 in the course Atmospheric structure and circulation

Earth's Atmosphere: Structure, Processes, Evolution, and Human Impacts

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Earth's atmosphere is the layer of gases surrounding the planet. It supports life, influences climate, and protects the surface from some hazards arriving from space.

The atmosphere is a multi-layered mixture of gases, commonly called air, surrounding Earth's surface. Earth's gravity retains these gases, although the atmosphere gradually becomes thinner with altitude and has no sharp outer boundary.

All flashcards

What is Earth's atmosphere?
A mixture of gases, water vapor, and suspended particles retained near Earth by gravity.
What is dry air?
Air considered without its variable water vapor.
What is an atmospheric aerosol?
A suspended particle in air, such as dust, sea spray, pollen, or volcanic ash.
What is the natural greenhouse effect?
The warming influence of gases that absorb and emit infrared radiation.
What does atmospheric science study?
Earth's atmosphere and the processes that occur within it.

Quiz questions

  1. Which atmospheric layer contains nearly all water vapor and most weather?Answer: Troposphere
  2. What causes temperatures to rise through much of the stratosphere?Answer: Ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation
  3. In a typical lower-atmosphere model, what happens to pressure over an increase of about one scale height?Answer: It falls by a factor close to ee
  4. Why does Rayleigh scattering make the daytime sky appear blue?Answer: It scatters shorter blue wavelengths more strongly
  5. What distinguishes the heterosphere from the well-mixed homosphere?Answer: Gases separate more by molecular mass

Based on the Wikipedia article Atmosphere of Earth, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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