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astronomy test 2
chapter 7
27
Astronomy
Undergraduate 1
10/21/2011

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Term
what phenomenon causes all weather and wind on earth?
Definition
convection
Term
what are the two main constituents of earth's atmosphere?
Definition
O2 and N2
Term
which of the following is plate tectonics not responsible for?
Definition
erosion
Term
in which layer of earth's atmosphere do weather and convection occur?
Definition
troposphere
Term
how much hotter is earth because of the greenhouse effect?
Definition
40k
Term
what have seismic studies discovered about earth's core?
Definition
the outer core is liquid: the inner core is solid
Term
which of the following is not involved in the production of earth's magnetic field?
Definition
oceans
Term
what is the primary cause of the aurorae(northern and southern lights)
Definition
charged particles interacting with the atmosphere
Term
what are the Van Allen belts?
Definition
zone of high energy particles in the magnetosphere
Term
what natural phenomenon on earth provides information on the structure of earth's core?
Definition
earthquakes
Term
what is the cause of tectonic plate motion?
Definition
convection in the upper mantle
Term
which of the following is a list of the primary layers of earth's atmosphere in order of increasing altitude above earth's surface?
Definition
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Ionosphere
Term
at which phrase of the moon do the highest and lowest tides occur?
Definition
full and new
Term
which of the following layers of the earth is unique among the terrestrial planets?
Definition
hydrosphere
Term
what gas is the primary constituent of our atmosphere?
Definition
nitrogen
Term
the critical part of the atmosphere for protecting life on the ground from excessive ultraviolet radiation is the
Definition
ozone layer
Term
in what part of our atmosphere do we live?
Definition
troposphere
Term
the greenhouse effect works by trapping
Definition
the heat from the sun in earth's atmosphere
Term
the region around earth where magnetic field traps charged particles is the
Definition
Van Allen Radiation Belts
Term
at what phase are the tides least noticeable?
Definition
third quarter
Term
what is true of spring tides?
Definition
the difference between low and high tides would be greatest
Term
if there were significantly more greenhouse gases, such as CO2, in earth's atmosphere, then
Definition
the ozone hold would get larger
Term
which of the following layers of the earth is unique among the terrestrial planets?
Definition
hydrosphere
Term
on a cloudless day, what happens to most of the visible light headed toward earth?
Definition
it reaches earth's surface, where some is reflected and some is absorbed
Term
on a day with complete cloud cover, what happens to the visible light head toward earth?
Definition
the clouds reflect much of it back to space, though some still reaches the surface
Term
what happens to the energy that the ground absorbs in the form of visible sunlight?
Definition
it is returned upward in the form of infrared light
Term
the greenhouse effect raises earth's surface temperature (from what it would be otherwise) because the infrared light radiated by earth's surface____
Definition
is temporarily absorbed by greenhouse gases and then re-emitted in random directions
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