| A | B |
|---|
| Which gas was absent from Earth's atmosphere for the first 2 billion years? | oxygen,  |
| Which gas makes up over 3 quarters of the Earth's atmosphere? | nitrogen |
| Which biological process adds oxygen to the air? | photosynthesis (Photosynthesis uses up carbon dioxide and water to make glucose and oxygen. The chemical equation is the opposite of cellular respiration) |
| Which biological process adds carbon dioxide to the air? | Cellular respiration,  |
| Which biological process removes oxygen from the air? | cellular respiration, |
| Which biological process removes carbon dioxide from the air? | photosynthesis (Photosynthesis uses up carbon dioxide and water to make glucose and oxygen. The chemical equation is the opposite of cellular respiration)) |
| Which gas's atmospheric concentration changes on a regular basis wherever you are in the world? | Water vapor (the amount of water vapor in the air changes with the weather conditions and ranges from less than 1% to almost 4%)) |
| What is the name of the process responsible for turning liquid water into water vapor (a gas)? | evaporation,  |
| What is the name of the process responsible for turning water vapor (a gas) into liquid water? | condensation, |
| When water starts to fall from the sky as either rain or snow, it is called ______. | precipitation, |
| A special type of evaporation that occurs from the surface of leaves is called _____. | transpiration,  |
| TRUE or FALSE: The water you can see in clouds is in the liquid state. | TRUE (You wouldn't be able to see an invisible gas. Clouds occur when water vapor condenses and turns into tiny droplets of liquid water) it if it was still in the gaseous state because water vapor is |
| In which of the four main layers of the atmosphere is most of the ozone found? | the stratosphere,  |
| Which gas protects us from most of the harmful rays coming from the Sun? | ozone (O3) |
| What is the name of the type of gas that destroys ozone and was used in many refrigerators and air conditioners before it was banned by most countries late in the last century? | CFC's (That stands for chloroflourocarbons. CFC's act as a catalyst that breaks down ozone in the upper atmosphere. This led to a thinning of ozone, especially over the poles, called the ozone hole. Since they were banned, the ozone layer is no longer shrinking and its making a slow recovery) |
| Tiny solid or liquid pollutants in the air that can irritate lungs and possibly cause lung diseases are called ______. | particulates (Examples include volcanic dust, ash from fires, microscopic organisms, pollen, and incompletely burned exhaust from factories and motor vehicles, especially diesel trucks),  |
| In general, there is ____ atmospheric pressure in air that is warmer. | less (this is due to the fact that warm air is less dense and the molecules are further apart from each other) |
| An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure is called a(n) _____. | barometer,  |
| Which layer of Earth's atmosphere is closest to the ground? | The troposphere, |
| Which is the second closest atmospheric layer to the ground? | The stratosphere, |
| In the troposphere, temperatures ______ as you go up in altitude. | decrease (that is because this layer is heated mostly by infrared radiation being radiated back out toward space coming from the ground) |
| A weather condition that can trap air pollution at ground level by preventing air from being able to rise and spread out is called a(n) _____. | temperature inversion,  |
| Visible wavelengths of light are mostly ______ when they hit light colored objects like snow or white cement. | reflected |
| Visible wavelengths of light are mostly _____ when they hit dark ground. | absorbed |
| When the ground absorbs visible or UV wavelengths of light, it usually radiates the energy back out toward space as _____ wavelengths of light. | infrared |
| Greenhouse gases ______ visible and UV light coming from the Sun, but they ______ the infrared wavelengths coming from the warmed up ground. | transmit, absorb |
| The higher the albedo rating of a surface, the _____ it reflects light. | more (Light colored surfaces have a higher albedo rating than dark colored surfaces, meaning they reflect more light. For instance, snow has an albedo rating of 0.85 meaning that when sunlight strikes snow, 85% is reflected back toward space. The dark asphalt that roads are made of have albedo ratings of less than 0.1 meaning that they reflect less than 10% of sunlight. Roads are good at absorbing sunlight which is why they get so hot in the summer) |
| The ____ that the rays from the sun strike the Earth determine how much energy a particular latitude receives from the sun | angle (When light from the Sun strikes the Earth at an angle, it spreads out more and isn't as intense. You can demonstrate this concept to yourself by shining a flashlight straight at a wall and comparing the light intensity to when you shine the flashlight from the same distance, but at a 45 degree angle) |
| The ________ causes the changes in temperature with the seasons. | tilt of the Earth,  |
| When water vapor condenses, it _______ lot of energy. | releases (This is because new hydrogen bonds are forming between the liquid water molecules (It requires energy to break bonds. When bonds form, it releases energy). Notice how it usually warms up a bit right before it rains or snows). |
| TRUE or FALSE: Water vapor is a greenhouse gas. | TRUE |
| When the air is ____, temperatures at night can drop quickly because there aren’t as many greenhouse gas molecules in the air to slow infrared energy from escaping into space. | dry (Remember, water vapor is a greenhouse gas. That is why there is less of a greenhouse effect with dry air) |
| When the ground cools down by releasing infrared radiation out toward space, we say the ground is transferring heat by ______ it. | radiating,  |
| When the ground cools down by transferring energy directly to the air molecules that are touching the ground, we say that the ground is ______ heat energy. | conducting |
| When hot air rises and cool air sinks creating a circular pattern that transfers heat away from the ground, we say that the heat is being transferred by _____. | convection,  |
| The unequal heating of Earth’s surface causes air to move and create _________. | wind,  |
| The tendency of air and water to follow a curved path because of the rotation of the Earth is called _____. | the Coriolis Effect,  |
The rotating belts of air, such as the Hadley, Ferrel, and Polar Cells pictured below are called _________ cells because the movement of air is caused by _________.,  | convection (The convection starts at the equator where warm air rises drawing in air from further away from the equator to replace it. This starts a loop of air movement that descends at 30 degrees latitude but also gets two more cells moving, the Ferrel and Polar cells), |
| Which direction do the prevailing winds blow over most of the United States? | East (The trade winds that blow over the U.S. are called the Westerlies because they are coming from the west, meaning that they are blowing toward the East),  |
| Air tends to _______ at the equator. | rise, |
| Sinking air at 30 degrees latitude and over the poles creates ______ pressure. | high, |
| Rising air at the equator and 60 degrees latitude creates ______ pressure. | low, |
| Most of the world's deserts are found around ____ degrees latitude.? | Around 30 degrees north or south latitude (This is because sinking air from the Hadley Cell warms up as it comes under more pressure making it almost impossible for precipitation to form. The air had already lost moisture where it rose near the equator, producing rain as the air cooled off and condensed. Then that drier air circulated to 30 degrees latitude, sank and warmed. Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air, so there isn't much chance of reaching 100% humidity and condensing into rain), |
| Most of the world's tropical rainforests found near ____ degrees latitude | zero (Warm moist air rises at the equator, cools off as it hits the colder temperatures in the troposphere. Cold air can't hold as much water vapor as warm air, so the water vapor condense causing it to rain often around zero degrees latitude), |
| TRUE or FALSE: It is really windy at the equator where air rises and at 30 degrees latitude where air sinks. | FALSE: These areas are known for their light inconsistent winds. The area around the equator is known as the "Doldrums" and the area at 30 degrees is known as the "Horse Latitudes." These areas were feared by sailors due to their lack of good sailing wind.), |
| Narrow bands of high speed winds that blow in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere are called _____. | jet streams,  |
| When do mountain breezes occur? | In the evening,  |
| The process called _____ changes water from the solid to the liquid form. | melting |
| The process called _____ changes water from the liquid to the solid form. | freezing |
| The process called _____ changes water from the solid straight to the gaseous form. | sublimation |
| The process called _____ changes water from the gaseous form straight to the solid form. | deposition (the frost on your car early in the morning is an example) |
| Water molecules in the solid and liquid phases are held close together by __________ bonds. | hydrogen bonds (Notice how the big red hydrogen atom of a water molecule is partially negatively charged while the smaller hydrogen atoms in a water molecule are partially positively charged. Opposites attract which is why one water molecule forms hydrogen bonds with another water molecule as long as the positive and negative parts of the two molecules are close to each other),  |
| Water in the ______ phase has the most hydrogen bonds between water molecules. | solid (Notice how the water molecules in the solid phase are lined up in a pattern that allows them to maximize the hydrogen bonds that occur between the partially negatively charged oxygen atom of one water molecule and the partially positively charged hydrogen atoms of a different water molecule),  |
| When water changes phases to a state that requires more hydrogen bonds to form, energy gets _______. | released (anytime a bond forms, energy gets released. It's the opposite of what happens when bonds break. Energy needs to be absorbed in order to break bonds) |
| Air can only hold a certain amount of water vapor. When air gets to the point that it can’t hold anymore water vapor, the air is said to be __________. | saturated |
| ________ air can hold more water vapor than ________ air. | Warm, cold |
| The temperature at which air with a certain amount of humidity needs to drop to in order for it to become saturated is called its _______. | dew point |
| _______ humidity is the amount of water vapor in air at a given temperature compared to what that air could hold if it was to become saturated. It is expressed as a percentage. | Relative |
| TRUE or FALSE: If you do nothing other than cool down an air mass, it will feel more humid. | TRUE (Since colder air can't hold as much water vapor as warmer air, the relative humidity of cooling air gets higher as air cools. The relative humidity levels usually go up at night even though it usually gets cooler) |
| Clouds will start forming when the air temperature drops below the ______ of the air mass | dew point |
| ______ cooling is the process by which the temperature of an air mass decreases as the air mass rises and expands due to decreasing pressure at higher altitudes. | Adiabatic cooling |
| TRUE or FALSE: Moist cloudy or foggy air cools faster than dry air when it rises in elevation. | FALSE (It cools slower because as water condenses forming hydrogen bonds, latent heat is released, slowing the adiabatic cooling of the air) |
TRUE or FALSE: The air on the leeward side of the mountain will be the same temperature at the same elevations as the air on the windward side of the mountain),  | TRUE (Since this is a dry clear air mass that changes temperature at a rate of 1 degree Celsius for every 100 meters of elevation gain or loss, it will cool down on the way up the mountain but heat back up to the same temperature when it is at the same elevation on the other side of the mountain), |
TRUE or FALSE: The air on the leeward side of the mountain will be the same temperature at the same elevations as the air on the windward side of the mountain),  | FALSE (Since there was condensation and precipitation mostly on the windward side of the mountain, latent heat was added to the airmass during it's journey over the mountain, so my the end, the airmass will have warmed up more on the way down than it cooled off on the way up), |
| The windward side of a mountain range has a _____ climate than the leeward side of the mountain range. | wetter,  |
| The leeward side of a mountain range has a _____ climate than the windward side of the mountain range. | drier, |
| Desert biomes can be found on the lee side of a tall mountain range because of the ____ effect. | rain shadow, |
| ______ cooling is the process by which the temperature of an air mass decreases as the air mass moves over a colder surface, like snow or a cold ocean current coming down from the north along the coast. | Advective cooling,  |
| Look at the image below. As the warm moist air blowing in from the middle of the Pacific hits the cold ocean current coming down from Alaska along the coast, what will often times form in the air as it blows inland?, | Fog,  |
Look at the cloud-type illustration below. What is the name of the cloud type labelled A?,  | Cirrostratus,  |
| Look at the cloud-type illustration below. What is the name of the cloud type labelled B?, | Cirrocumulus, |
| Look at the cloud-type illustration below. What is the name of the cloud type labelled C?, | Cirrus, |
| Look at the cloud-type illustration below. What is the name of the cloud type labelled D?, | Cumulonimbus, |
| Look at the cloud-type illustration below. What is the name of the cloud type labelled E?, | Altostratus, |
| Look at the cloud-type illustration below. What is the name of the cloud type labelled F?, | Altocumulus, |
| Look at the cloud-type illustration below. What is the name of the cloud type labelled G?, | Stratus, |
| Look at the cloud-type illustration below. What is the name of the cloud type labelled H?, | Stratocumulus, |
| Look at the cloud-type illustration below. What is the name of the cloud type labelled I?, | Cumulus, |
| Look at the cloud-type illustration below. What is the name of the cloud type labelled J?, | Nimbostratus, |
Cumulonimbus clouds can rise to great altitudes once warm moist air starts to condense because of further expansion due to the release of ________.,  | latent heat (when water vapor starts to condense, it releases a lot of heat which causes the cumulonimbus clouds to expand further and rise), |
| What is the scientific name of the type of cloud that is most likely to produce violent thunderstorms, hail, and even tornadoes? | Cumulonimbus cloud,  |
_______ fog is fog that is caused at night when the ground cools off due to radiational cooling and drops the temperature of air that comes in contact with it below the air’s dew point.,  | Radiation fog,  |
| ____ fog is fog caused by warm moist air moving across a colder surface. Often happens near coasts where warm air crosses a cold current, or blows inland across cold ground. Can also happen when warm moist air blows over snow or ice., | Advective fog, |
| _____ is caused by rain falling through a freezing layer of air closer to the ground and freezing into clear ice pellets. | Sleet |
| _____ is caused by rain that doesn’t freeze until it hits the ground. | glaze ice (can also be called "freezing rain") |
| ______ is made of large chunks of ice formed inside cumulonimbus clouds through uplifting. | Hail |
| The process of human induced precipitation in which tiny particles are dropped into clouds (usually by airplanes) to act as condensation or freezing nuclei is called _____. | cloud seeding |
| The extra energy in the atmosphere due to the warming of Earth's climate may be leading to stronger ______. | storms |
| Besides temperature, what else has been rising due to global warming? | sea levels (due to melting ice caps and glaciers) |
| Which gas is the second leading culprit for causing global warming, and is an even stronger greenhouse gas than the one that gets most of the blame for global warming? | Methane (Methane is even more efficient at trapping heat than CO2, but there's much less of it, so it doesn't get as much of the blame) |
| There is a lot of ____ trapped in arctic permafrost. As global temperatures rise, more and more permafrost melts, releasing this greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. The system just described is an example of a _____ feedback system. | methane, positive (It's an example of a positive feedback because it accelerates global warming. The warming causes permafrost to melt, releasing more methane, which traps more heat, which causes more permafrost melting, which releases more methane, which traps more heat, etc....) |
| If global warming caused the average amount of cloud cover on this planet to increase, that would be an example of a _____ feedback because clouds are good at reflecting energy from the sun back out into space, and would help slow down global warming. | negative (A negative feedback happens when anything that is caused by the increase in something works to slow down the increase in that original cause) |
| ____ feedbacks cause a trend to slow down or reverse themselves. | Negative |
| ____ feedbacks cause a trend to speed up. | Positive (An example of a positive feedback with global warming is melting of snow and ice. Global warming causes there to be less snow and ice covering the planet. With less snow and ice to reflect the suns energy back out into space, the earth warms up more and causes even more snow and ice to melt. Both trends are sped up) |
| ____ feedbacks work to achieve homeostasis in a system. | Negative (because they help to bring a system back to a normal level. For example, sweating is an example of a negative feedback because it is caused by being overheated, but then it helps the body cool down and get back to its normal temperature) |
