Chapter 11 Exam Review Packet:For the exam, you should be able to:Describe the composition of the atmosphere.

Compare and contrast the various layers of the atmosphere.

Identify three methods of transferring energy throughout the atmosphere.

Describe the various properties of the atmosphere and how they interact.

Explain why atmospheric properties change with changes in altitude.

Explain how clouds are formed.

Identify the basic characteristics of different cloud groups.

Describe the water cycle.

Memorize Vocabulary:1. Conduction: Energy transfer that occurs when molecules collide; takes place only when substances are in contact with each other.

2. Convection: Transfer of energy by the flow of a heated substance.

3. Exosphere: Outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere that is located above the thermosphere and contains light gases such as helium and hydrogen.

4. Mesosphere: Layer of Earth’s atmosphere above the stratopause.

5. Ozone: A gas, formed by the addition of a third oxygen atom to an oxygen molecule, that exists in a layer in the atmosphere and absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the Sun; the major chemical in smog.

6. Radiation: Energy transfer through space by visible light, ultraviolet radiation, and other forms of electromagnetic waves.

7. Stratosphere: Layer of Earth’s atmosphere that is located above the tropopause and is made up primarily of concentrated ozone.

8. Thermosphere: Layer of Earth's atmosphere that is located above the mesopause and contains only a minute portion of the atmosphere's mass.

9. Troposphere: Layer of the atmosphere closest to Earth’s surface, where most of the mass of the atmosphere is found and in which most weather takes place and air pollution collects.

10. Condensation: Process by which a cooling gas changes into a liquid and releases thermal energy; change of matter from a gas to a liquid.

11. Dew point: Temperature to which air is cooled at a constant pressure to reach saturation, at which point condensation can occur.

12. Heat: Energy transfer that occurs because of a difference in temperature between substances and flows from an object of higher temperature to an object of lower temperature.

13. Humidity: Amount of water vapor in the air.

14: Lifted condensation level (LCL): Height at which condensation occurs, which often corresponds with the base of clouds.

15. Relative humidity: Ratio of water vapor contained in a specific volume of air compared with how much water vapor that amount of air actually can hold.

16. Temperature: Measurement of how quickly or how slowly molecules move around, which can be measured in degrees Fahrenheit (F), degrees Celsius (C), or kelvins (K).

17. Temperature inversion: Increase in temperature with height in an atmospheric level, which inverts the temperature-altitude relationship, and can worsen air-pollution problems.

18. Coalescence: Process that occurs when cloud droplets collide and form larger droplets, which eventually become too heavy to remain aloft and can fall to Earth as precipitation.

19. Condensation nuclei: small particles in the atmosphere around which cloud droplets can form.

20. Evaporation: Vaporization – change of state, involving thermal energy; process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas.

21. Latent heat: Stored energy in water vapor that is not released to warm the atmosphere until condensation takes place.

22. Orographic lifting: Cloud formation that occurs when warm moist air is forced to rise up the side of a mountain.

23. Precipitation: All solid and liquid forms of water – including rain, snow, sleet, and hail – that fall from clouds.

24. Stability: Ability of an air mass to resist rising.

25. Water cycle: Continual movement of water between Earth's surface and the atmosphere through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Understand Main Ideas:Section 11.1: Atmospheric Basics

Earth’s atmosphere is made of a combination of several gases, primarily nitrogen and oxygen. It also contains small amounts of water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, and dust, which play key roles in the production of weather and climate.

The atmosphere consists of several layers characterized by differences in temperature. The most important for weather is the lowest layer, the troposphere, where most of the mass of the atmosphere is found.

The Sun is the source of energy in Earth’s atmosphere. Solar energy absorbed by Earth’s surface is transferred throughout the atmosphere by the process of radiation, conduction, and convection.

Section 11.2: State of the Atmosphere

Heat is the transfer of energy that occurs because of a difference in temperature between substances. Temperature is the measure of how rapidly or slowly molecules move around. Atmospheric temperature generally decreases with altitude.

Air has mass and exerts a force called atmospheric pressure. Because there are fewer molecules of gas in the upper atmosphere, atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing altitude.

Wind is the movement of air that results from differences in pressure. Wind speed is affected by friction; mountains, forests, and buildings slow wind down.

Section 11.3: Moisture in the Atmosphere

Clouds are formed as warm, moist air is forced upward, expands, and cools. Orographic lifting is a method of cloud formation that involves air moving up the side of a mountain. Clouds may also form when air masses of different temperatures collide.

Clouds are generally classified according to the altitudes at which they form and their shapes. As cloud droplets collide, they coalesce into larger droplets, which may fall to Earth as

precipitation. The four main types of precipitation are rain, snow, sleet, and hail. In the water cycle, water continually moves between Earth’s surface and the atmosphere

through the process of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Percentages of Gases That Make Up Earth’s Atmosphere

Structure of the Atmosphere

The Water Cycle

Types of Clouds

Practice Questions:1. What process describes the change of state of water from a liquid to a gas?

A. Condensation

B. Evaporation

C. Melting

D. Drying

2. Condensation nuclei are involved in the formation of which of the following?

A. Cloud droplets?

B. Ozone

C. Stratosphere

D. Mesosphere

3. Which atmospheric layer contains most of the mass of Earth’s atmosphere?

A. Tropopause

B. Troposphere

C. Stratosphere

D. Mesosphere

4. Which object would heat up most rapidly?

A. Water

B. Asphalt

C. Grass

D. Cement

5. What percentage of incoming solar radiation does Earth’s atmosphere absorb?

A. 100 percent

B. 15 percent

C. 50 percent

D. 35 percent

6. What do we call the temperature at which air becomes saturated?

A. humidity

B. the lapse rate

C. the LCL

D. the dew point

7. What type of cloud is a stratus cloud?

A. low

B. vertical development

C. high

D. middle

Answers:

1. B

2. A

3. B

4. B

5. B

6. D

7. A