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Definitions |
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circulate
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move around
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hurricane
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large storm system
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exosphere
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the atmospheres outermost layer
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Trophosphere
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where all the weather is
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ionosphere
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layer of electrically charged particles in the thermosphere that absorbs AM radio waves during the day and reflects them back at night
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Heat
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utility to warm a building
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mesosphere
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the atmospheric layer between the stratosphere and the thermosphere
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magnetosphere
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the magnetic field of a planet
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mixture of electrons and positive ions
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plasma
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barometer
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instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure
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westerlies
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global winds located between 40 degrees and 60 degrees latitude that flow from the southwest in the Northern Hemisphere and from the northwest in the Southern Hemisphere
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Gases
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78% Nitrogen; 21% Oxygen; <0.04% Carbon Dioxide
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nitrogen
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most abundent gas in our atmposphere
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pollutants
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the stuff that destroys the atmosphere
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stratopause
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separates the stratosphere and the mesosphere
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radiation
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is the transfer of energy through space by visible light
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electromagnetic spectrum
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complete range of wavelengths of radiation
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alto
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Middle clouds often that the prefix __________.
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carbon monoxide
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colorless, odorless gas from volcanic eruptions, forest fires, bacterial activities, and fuel combustion; very deadly when inhaled in large amounts; emitted also from the exhausts from autos
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stratosphere
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The second lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere; the ozone layer is located in the upper stratosphere. p. 32
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Evaporation
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Crucial step in the water cycle,when the sun heats up water in rivers or lakes or the ocean and turns it into vapor or stream
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atmosphere
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the envelope of gases that surrounds the planet
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Greenhouse Effect
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warming that results when solar radiation is trapped by the atmosphere
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temperature inversion
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air temperature that may actually increase w/height, producing this condition
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insolation
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100% of solar constant, incoming solar radiation.
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Major gases of the atmosphere
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Nitrogen and Oxygen
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saturated
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the condition of being filled to capacity
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Volume
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The amount of space an object takes up.
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When the air temperature, dew point temperature, and wet-bulb
temperature are all equal, what is this point called?
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saturation
RH=100%
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Carbon Cycle
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The repeating movement ( or recycling) of Carbon on Earth.
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Ozone layer
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a layer in the stratosphere (at approximately 20 miles) that contains a concentration of ozone sufficient to block most ultraviolet radiation from the sun
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air pollution
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the contamination of the atmosphere by the introduction of pollutants from human and natural sources.
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How does the jet stream behave over time? (i.e., what is the flow like?)
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....h
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In which layer of the atmosphere would you find charged particles?
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Thermosphere
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Density
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The amount of mass in a given volume
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troposphere
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the layer of the atmosphere closest to Earth's surface where most clouds and weather are located
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What is the second layer of the atmosphere?
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Stratosphere
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_____ ______ is an Electromagnetic wave with shortest wavelength and __________ energy.
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Gamma rays, highest
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condensation
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the process of water vapor changing to a liquid
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Polar Easterlies
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In the pattern of prevailing winds, winds that blows from the polar high toward the subpolar low. These winds, however, shouldn't be thought of as persistent winds, such as trade winds.
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primary pollutants
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pollutants that are put directly into the air by human or natural activity
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airmass
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large body of air thats on the characteristics of the area over forms
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Greenhouse Gas
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Gases that help slow movement of heat energy away from the earth by absorbing infrared radiation (heat). Greenhouse gases include: carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide.
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what % of solar energy from the sun reaches earth
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45
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sea breeze
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movement of air from sea to land during the day when cooler air from above the water moves over the land, forcing the heated, less dense air above the land to rise
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pascal (Pa)
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the SI pressure unit; equal to one newton of force applied per square meter, 1 Pa=1 N/m2
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Air pressure
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-The measure of the force with which air molecules push on a surface.
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Photochemical Smog
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the brown haze that develops in sunny cities. it is formed by the action of sunlight on pollutants such as hydrocarbons and nurtogen oxides. these chemicals react to form a brownish muzture of ozone and other pollutants.
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occluded front
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two cold masses push warm mass above; severe storms
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It Decreases
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What happens to the Temperature as the altitude increases in the Troposphere
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water vapor
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Zero to four percent of the air is this.
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how are secondary pollutants formed
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when primary pollutants react with other primary pollutants or naturally occuring substances
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What produces the strongest Coriolis force?
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Fast winds & high latitudes
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Thermal Conduction
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Transfer of a energy as heat through a material
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What would you expect to find in the mesosphere?
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meteoroids burn up
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On an upper air map, ridges are...
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elongated areas of high heights.
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A falling barometer indicates what?
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the probability that rainy weather is on it's way.
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What is an occluded front?
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Warm air is pinched aloft resulting in the formation of a new frontal surface, referred to as an occluded front or an occlusion
• Occluded fronts form between the cold air mass (behind the old cold front) and the cool air mass ahead of the old warm front
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What is London-type smog composed of?
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London-type smog is a mixture of water vapors and smoke.
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Name the dry air gasses that make up the atmosphere and the percentage they make up.
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Nitrogen- 78%, Oxygen- 21%, Co2/water vapors, and trace gases.
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