1. List and briefly define the four spheres that constitute our environment. Hen
ID: 160424 • Letter: 1
Question
1. List and briefly define the four spheres that constitute our environment. Hence define an “interface”.
2. Why are the variable components (water vapor, aerosols and ozone) important constituents of the Earth’s atmosphere?
3. In what part of the electromagnetic spectrum does the Sun radiate maximum energy? How does this compare to Earth?
4. Calculate the noon Sun angle at a location on latitude 420 N on December 22.
5. Three cities are at the same latitude (450N). One city is located along the West Coast, another in the center of the continent, and the third on the East Coast. Compare the annual temperature ranges of these cities.
6. Why is the prevailing wind westerly in the middle latitudes?
7. Describe the modifications that occur as a cP air mass passes across a large ice-free lake in winter.
8. Compare the weather of a typical warm front with that of a typical cold front
Explanation / Answer
ALTITUDE
(km)
TEMPERATURE
(0C)
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
(Pa)
ATMOSPHERIC
DENSITY
kg/m3
2) water vapour is the source of all clouds and precipitation.water vapour contains 1-4% of water It can also absorb solar energy. When water changes from one state to another it absorbs or releases heat. This heat is often called latent (hidden) heat. This is the energy source that helps drive a lot of storms.
Aerosols Microscopic particles which are suspended in the air which comes from natural and human made and include sea salts from breaking waves, fine soil blown into the air, smoke and soot from fires, pollen and microorganisms, and ash and dust from volcanic eruptions.
They may also play a role in Earth's climate; the aerosols are known to reflect a portion of incoming solar radiation back to space, which lowers the temperature of the earth's surface.
Ozone (O3) is a form of oxygen that combines three oxygen atoms into one molecule. In the lowest portion of the atmosphere ozone represents less than one part in 100 million. It is concentrated well above the surface in the stratosphere between 10 to 50 kilometers. This layer, as thin as it is, is sufficient to shield the earth's occupants from harmful solar radiation.
3) The intensity maximum of the Sun, which has a surface temperature of about 5800 K, is within the wavelength of visible light (it's about 500 nm).
4)Dec. 22 solar noon zenith angle = 35 - (-23.5) = 58.5o (sun angle = 31.5o)
5)it depends on topography means highs and lows of land surface and seasons variation.
6)coriolis force is affects the prevailing wind westerly in the middle latitudes.westerly winds are the rule and their strength is largely determined by the polar cyclone. In areas where winds tend to be light, the sea breeze/land breeze cycle is the most important to the prevailing wind; in areas which have variable terrain, mountain and valley breezes dominate the wind pattern. Highly elevated surfaces can induce athermal low, which then augments the environmental wind flow.
7)cP air masses in the winter, periodically, brief heavy snow showers issue from dark clouds that move onshore from the lakes. Seldom do these storms move more than about 80 km inland. These highly localized storms, occurring along the leeward shores of the Great Lakes, create what are known as lake-effect snows.
8)The biggest difference if the direction of travel. A cold front usually travels south and a warm front travels north. There are some exceptions. The exact opposite is true in the southern hemisphere. The type of front is determined by which air mass is moving.
LAYERSALTITUDE
(km)
TEMPERATURE
(0C)
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
(Pa)
ATMOSPHERIC
DENSITY
kg/m3
1.troposphere 0-11 14 to -55 108,900 1.2985 tropopause -56.5 22,632 0.3639 2.stratospehre 11-51 -56.5 to -2.5 5474.9 to 868.02 0.0880 to 0.0105 stratopause -2.5 110.91 0.0020 3.mesosphere 51-71 -2.5 to -58.5 66.939 to 3.9564 0.001027 to 0.00008283 mesopause -88.65 0.3734 0.00006 4.thermosphere or ionosphere 71km above -88.65 to 0 0.11 0.00001846Related Questions
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