Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Environmental Geology Test 3
HML
53
Geology
Undergraduate 2
04/29/2012

Additional Geology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Oxygen level at 15,000 feet as compared to sea level
Definition
1/2 of that at sea level
Term
Altitude FAA says you should have an oxygen mask
Definition
10,000 feet
Term
If Oxygen level were to drop below ___%, life on earth would cease to exist
Definition
44%
Term
ppm of CO2 it takes to begin the runaway greenhouse effect
Definition
400 ppm
Term
primeval atmosphere composition
Definition
Hydrogen and Helium
Term
relative humidity
Definition
percentage based upon how much water vapor the air can hold at that temperature.
Term
Temperature drop ratio as the air rises
Definition
3.5 degrees F per thousand feet.
Term
What does too much oxygen in the atmosphere do to our bodies?
Definition
Our bodies cannot assimilate it and enzymes can decompose
Term
temperature in outer space
Definition
-270 degrees C
Term
Temperature of the core of the sun
Definition
made of plasma and is 15 million degrees C
Term
Range of temperatures that we can live in
Definition
0-40 degrees C
Term
how do we measure atmospheric pressure
Definition
mercury barometers(less common) and anaeroid barometers
Term
Chance of what goes up if atmospheric pressure DEcreases.
Definition
chance of storms
Term
layer we live in and its altitude
Definition
troposphere, about 9 miles high
Term
airplanes fly in the ______ because why?
Definition
fly in the tropopause because air in the stratosphere does not interact much with the troposphere so we don't want chemicals to get stuck in the strat.
Term
Reason Temp increases as we move upward in the stratosphere
Definition
Ozone absorbs UV rays. Chloroflorocarbons can break down ozone, which lets more UV down into the troposphere.
Term
coldest point in the lower atmosphere
Definition
tropopause
Term
where does all weather exist?
Definition
troposphere
Term
when was the Clear Air Act enacted?
Definition
1963
Term
Main source of SO2(sulfur dioxide) is...
Definition
coal fires
Term
creation of acid rain
Definition
combination of sulfur dioxide and different nitrogen oxides with water.
Term
Reason LA's pollution is so bad.
Definition
LA is located in a basin. Behind the city are the San Gabriel mountains. Air coming in from the ocean gets trapped in the basin. Sitting over the city most of the year is the N Pacific Anticyclone.
Term
Another city with bad pollution becauase it's in a basin
Definition
Denver
Term
We receive how much of the sun's solar energy?
Definition
1/2billionths absorbed at the earth's surface
Term
Average rainfall in Fayetteville
Definition
46 inches per year.
Term
Seattle's average rainfall
Definition
33 inches per year... lith, misty rain, though.
Term
time period on instrumental climate record for the planet
Definition
1880 to present
Term
Degree temp increase needed to melt glaciers
Definition
2 degrees C
Term
Degree decrease that would cause glaciation
Definition
2.5-3 degrees C
Term
albedo
Definition
meteorological term for "the notion of reflectivity." Every syrface on the planet has it.
Term
how much incoming radiation moving down through the earth's atmosphere do clouds reflect?
Definition
50-55%
Term
most albedo-- most reflective surface on the planet
Definition
snow and ice: 80-90% reflectivity
Term
where are the places on earth that are warming the quickest and why?
Definition
high latitude locations undergoing a loss of albedo surfaces.
Term
albedo of grass
Definition
15-25% reflectivity- results in a lower temp on grass than on asphalt
Term
albedo of bare sand
Definition
30-60%. pure white sand has higher albedo than black sand.
Term
major geomorphic beings on planet earth.
Definition
humans
Term
50% of radiation hits the earth's surface: what is absorbed and what is reflected?
Definition
47% is absorbed, 3% is reflected.
Term
breakdown of clouds' function in radiation
Definition
reflect 23% AND absorb 19%
Term
percent of radiation that is scattered
Definition
8%
Term
greenhouse effect
Definition
Term
what would the temperature of Earth be if we had no greenhouse gases?
Definition
0 degrees C
Term
how do we get our 47% of absorbed solar radiation out?
Definition
7% convection
23% evaporation from oceans and earth's surface
17% lost by long wave radiation
Term
convection:
Definition
warm air that rises upward vertically. convection results in the formation of clouds(cumulonimbus)
Term
methane
Definition
one of the most potent greenhouse gases
Term
sublimation
Definition
turns ice into vapor(620 cal absorbed) then back into ice
Term
energy required for water to be evaporated into the atmosphere
Definition
540 cal per gram
Term
how much energy is released into the atmosphere to create clouds.
Definition
1 ton
Term
tornado alley
Definition
texas and oklahoma, east to the coast and up to the great lakes
Term
hurricane energy source
Definition
water vapor is its source of energy and as it moves from water to land, the source is lost. condensation is greatly reduced and the storm falls apart.
Term
perpendicular rays of the sun
Definition
at the equator on march 21st and september 21st. Move into the northern hemisphere for the summer solstice at june 21. they are in the southern hemisphere at december 21st.
Term
rays reach ____ degrees north on june 21st before retreating
Definition
23.5
Term
range of the perpendicular rays of the sun
Definition
23.5 N to 23.5 S.
Term
our north polar axis points toward what?
Definition
Polaris, the North Star
Supporting users have an ad free experience!