Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!
Question
Name the three domains into which the spherical earth is divided.
Answer
Lithosphere, Atmosphere, and Hydrosphere.
Question
The interaction of the lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere forms the _____.
Answer
Biosphere
Question
What term refers to the blanket of air surrounding the earth?
Answer
Atmosphere
Question
Approximately what percentage of the atmosphere's total mass is found below $5$ km?
Answer
Half (or $50\%$).
Question
Which force is responsible for holding the atmosphere close to the earth?
Answer
Gravity
Question
What percentage of a clean dry sample of air consists of nitrogen?
Answer
$78\%$
Question
What percentage of a clean dry sample of air consists of oxygen?
Answer
$21\%$
Question
Which gas in the atmosphere is described as a colourless, inert gas that dilutes oxygen to slow down oxidation?
Answer
Nitrogen
Question
How do animals and humans obtain the nitrogen essential for life if they cannot use it directly from the atmosphere?
Answer
By consuming plants directly or indirectly.
Question
Which atmospheric gas is essential for the processes of burning and breathing?
Answer
Oxygen
Question
Apart from nitrogen and oxygen, what three other specific gases make up part of the remaining $1\%$ of air?
Answer
Carbon dioxide ($CO_{2}$), helium, and argon (also hydrogen or water vapour).
Question
Which gas is required by plants for their survival and helps the earth retain warmth?
Answer
Carbon dioxide ($CO_{2}$)
Question
What is the primary source of rainfall in the atmosphere?
Answer
Water vapour
Question
Solid particles in the lower atmosphere, such as dust and salt, serve as _____ for water vapour to form raindrops.
Answer
Nuclei (or hygroscopic nuclei)
Question
What phenomenon is caused by dust particles scattering the sun's radiation during sunrise and sunset?
Answer
Reddish or orange colours in the sky.
Question
On what two characteristics are the four thermal layers of the atmosphere primarily based?
Answer
Temperature and air pressure.
Question
Name the lowermost and densest layer of the atmosphere.
Answer
Troposphere
Question
How does the height of the troposphere vary between the Equator and the Poles?
Answer
It is $18$ km at the Equator and $8$ km at the Poles.
Question
What percentage of the atmosphere's mass is found specifically within the troposphere?
Answer
$75\%$
Question
The regular decrease in temperature with increasing altitude in the troposphere is known as the _____.
Answer
Normal lapse rate
Question
According to the normal lapse rate, by how much does temperature decrease for every $166$ metres of altitude gained?
Answer
$1^{\circ}C$
Question
In which atmospheric layer do all weather phenomena, such as clouds and storms, take place?
Answer
Troposphere
Question
What is the name of the upper limit of the troposphere?
Answer
Tropopause
Question
Which atmospheric layer extends to a height of $50$ km from sea level?
Answer
Stratosphere
Question
Within which specific layer of the atmosphere is the Ozone layer found?
Answer
Stratosphere
Question
What is the typical altitude range for the concentration of ozone in the atmosphere?
Answer
$20$ to $50$ km.
Question
Why is the lower stratosphere considered ideal for flying jet aircraft?
Answer
It has a virtual absence of water vapour and constant temperature conditions.
Question
What is the name of the boundary between the stratosphere and the mesosphere?
Answer
Stratopause
Question
The atmospheric layer extending from the stratopause to a height of $80$ km is the _____.
Answer
Mesosphere
Question
What is the minimum temperature reached at the top of the mesosphere?
Answer
$-110^{\circ}C$
Question
What causes the formation of wispy clouds in the mesosphere?
Answer
Reflected sunlight from meteoric dust particles.
Question
Which major layer consists of the Ionosphere and the Exosphere?
Answer
Thermosphere
Question
Which layer contains electrically charged particles that enable wireless communication by reflecting radio waves?
Answer
Ionosphere
Question
What is the name for the light display in the Northern Hemisphere caused by ions in the Ionosphere?
Answer
Aurora Borealis
Question
What is the name for the light display in the Southern Hemisphere caused by ions in the Ionosphere?
Answer
Aurora Australis
Question
Which layer is the uppermost part of the atmosphere, extending between $400$ and $1500$ km?
Answer
Exosphere
Question
What are the two main light gases found in the Exosphere?
Answer
Hydrogen and helium.
Question
How common is an ozone molecule in the atmosphere?
Answer
Approximately one molecule out of every two million.
Question
Which chemical compounds, used in refrigerators and air conditioners, are the primary reason for the Ozone hole?
Answer
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Question
In which month and year was the largest ozone hole noticed near Antarctica?
Answer
September 2000
Question
Why is ozone depletion more common over Antarctica during the spring?
Answer
Winter ice clouds promote the production of active chlorine and bromine which destroy ozone when sunlight returns.
Question
What is the term for the rise in the earth's average mean temperature due to greenhouse gases?
Answer
Global Warming
Question
Name three greenhouse gases besides carbon dioxide.
Answer
Methane ($CH_{4}$), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and water vapour.
Question
How does the greenhouse effect trap heat in the atmosphere?
Answer
Greenhouse gases allow solar radiation to enter but block terrestrial radiation from escaping into space.
Question
What role do trees play in preventing global warming?
Answer
They absorb excess carbon dioxide from the air.
Question
How much has the global sea level risen over the last $100$ years due to global warming?
Answer
By about $10$ to $25$ cm.
Question
How does global warming affect the moisture-carrying capacity of the atmosphere?
Answer
It considerably increases the moisture-carrying capacity.
Question
What is a predicted agricultural impact of global warming in the Tropics?
Answer
Substantial changes in cereal production and potential shortages.
Question
Which disease might reappear in different forms as a result of climate change according to the text?
Answer
Malaria
Question
By the year 2100, what is the predicted range for the increase in global average temperature compared to 1990 levels?
Answer
$1.4$ to $5.8^{\circ}C$