WX 201: Exam 1 Flashcards

Temperature and Atmospheric Layers

• The temperature of the tropopause is significantly colder than at Earth's surface.
• The troposphere is the atmospheric layer with the most mixing and overturning of air.
• Air molecules are retained near Earth due to gravity.

Ozone and Atmospheric Composition

• Ozone in the stratosphere absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation.
• Water vapor typically occupies less than 4% of the air's volume near Earth's surface.
• Near Earth's surface, the air is denser due to a higher concentration of air molecules.

Wind and Atmospheric Pressure

• Wind direction indicates the direction from which the wind is blowing, not where it is going.
• Atmospheric pressure consistently decreases with altitude.

Variable Gases and Weather

• Water vapor is classified as a variable gas in Earth's atmosphere.
• Almost all weather on Earth occurs in the troposphere.

Temperature Profiles and Lapse Rate

• The lapse rate defines the rate of temperature decrease with increasing altitude.
• At night, in cold and dry conditions, atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude.

Composition of Air

• In air at Earth’s surface, nitrogen comprises about 78% and oxygen about 21%.
• Water is the only substance that exists naturally as a solid, liquid, and gas in the current atmosphere.

Atmospheric Layers and Heat Transfer

• The troposphere is the atmospheric layer where humans reside.
• Advection refers to the horizontal transport of atmospheric properties by wind.
• The latent heat of condensation is the heat energy released when water vapor converts to liquid.

Greenhouse Effect

• The atmospheric greenhouse effect results mainly from the absorption and re-emission of infrared radiation by the atmosphere.