1What is the atmosphere?
The thin envelope of gasses that surround the planet
2What is air pressure?
the pressure caused by the weight of a column of air pushing down on an area
3What is altitude?
elevation from sea level
4Which gas makes up 78% of the atmosphere?
nitrogen
5Which gas makes up 21% of the atmosphere?
oxygen
6Which gas make up the remaining atmosphere
argon, carbon dioxide, methane, and ozone
7Not including nitrogen/oxygen, what do the other elements in the atmosphere do?
trap the heat from the sun to insulate the earth
8What are the four layers of the atmosphere?
thermosphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, troposphere
9Which layer is the uppermost and has the lowest density of air?
thermosphere
10True/False: Mesosphere protects earth from meteorites
True
11Which layer has the ozone layer?
Stratosphere
12True/False: Weather occurs in the stratosphere?
no; occurs in troposphere
13How does altitude affect air pressure?
higher altitude = less air pressure since less gravity to pull air particles down on an area
14What is precipitation?
any form of water that falls from the clouds and reaches Earth’s surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail
15True/False: Transpiration is the process of molecules on the surface of a liquid becoming a gas
False; evaporation
16What is the change in state from a gas to liquid?
condensation
17True/False: Transpiration is the process by which water is lost through a plant’s leaves
True
18What is respiration?
Everytime a person or animal breathes out they release water vapor
19What are three ways that water vapor enters the atmosphere?
transpiration, evaporation, respiration
20True/False: Condensation is a method where water enters into the atmosphere.
False
21What is humidity?
measure of the amount of water vapor that is in the air
22True/False: A meteorologist studies meteors.
False; they study and predict weather
23What is an air mass?
a huge body of air that has similar temperature, humidity, and air pressure at any given height
24What is a front?
boundary where unlike air masses meet but don’t mix
25How does a cold front form?
cold air mass + warm air mass
26What can a cold front cause?
heavy rain, winds, thunderstorms, and tornadoes
27How does a warm front form?
fast moving warm air mass overtakes a slow cold air mass
28What can a warm front cause?
light rain, snow; clouds can be up for days
29How does an occluded front form?
warm air mass gets caught between two cold air masses forming it
30What can an occluded front cause?
clouds to gather; rain and snow may fall
31How does a stationary front form?
sometimes cold and warm air masses meet, but neither move one another
32What can a stationary front cause?
many clouds and sometimes precipitation