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Atmospheric Sciences
Atmospheric science is the study of the atmosphere, its processes, and the interaction of the atmosphere with other systems, including the effects other systems have on the atmosphere and visa versa. Fields in Atmospheric Sciences include Meteorology, Climatology, and Aeronomy. Ask and answer questions about Atmospheric Sciences in this category.
7,660 Questions
Does composition of the atmosphere change with elevation?
The atmosphere gos through many cycles and changes. The significant gases in our atmosphere have not changed substantially in the past several centuries.
The primary gas is still Nitrogen, then Oxygen.
What is the average oxygen level in the air at 5000 ft?
The oxygen content of air at any altitude is always about 21%
What atmosphere is ESD most likely to occur?
ESD (electrostatic discharge) is most likely to occur in environments with low humidity, synthetic materials, and friction between objects. Areas with electronic equipment, such as computer rooms and manufacturing facilities, are also common locations for ESD incidents to happen.
What is composition of atmospheric air at sea level?
At sea level, the composition of atmospheric air is approximately 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, and small amounts of other gases such as carbon dioxide, neon, helium, and methane. Water vapor can also vary depending on humidity levels.
Do rainbows appear in the same place on different days?
If you are in the same place, the rainbow will always appear in the same place because it all has to do with the angle you are at in relation to the sun (42 degrees - see the related link). So if you are always in the same spot (e.g. at your desk at work), the sun will be coming from the same same angle, creating the rainbow in the same spot.
My understanding of what I've read, you'll only see a rainbow in a certain place in the sky from the same spot at a certain time of the year because the sun moves depending on the season. Also, it is not only the angle of the sun but also the height of it that has to be the same.
Which gases are there in troposphere?
The primary gases in the troposphere include nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and argon (Ar). These gases make up the bulk of the Earth's atmosphere and play a critical role in regulating the planet's climate and supporting life.
What is the new challenge of exploration?
from what I have heard NASA have started to look at the old Apollo style capsules as they are safer than the shuttle and also travel deeper into space as the shuttle can only orbit the earth. in the mean time they will be using the Russian capsules to travel to the ISS As of yet NASA have not said what their next objective is after Obama declined funding for a moon base and NASAs idea of traveling to mars
What Is terrestrial radiation and How does it differ from solar radiation?
They are essentially the same thing. Solar radiation from the sun is made up of two components: (1) direct solar raidation; and (2) diffuse solar radiation. Global radiation refers to the sum of direct and diffuse fractions.
What is the first layer of the earth atmosphere touching earth surface is called?
The first layer of the Earth's atmosphere, which is closest to the Earth's surface, is called the troposphere. This layer is where weather events occur and most of the Earth's clouds and precipitation are found.
What are the 5 different atmospheres of earth?
The five different layers of Earth's atmosphere are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. These layers vary in temperature, composition, and altitude, with the troposphere being the lowest layer where most weather occurs and the exosphere being the outermost layer where the atmosphere gradually transitions into space.
Which gas must be presented in the atmosphere for a jet engine to burn its fuel?
Oxygen is the gas needed for a jet engine to burn its fuel. It combines with the fuel in the combustion chamber to generate the necessary energy for thrust.
Nimbostratus clouds derive their name from the latin word nimbus, which means "rainy cloud" and stratus, which means "to cover with a layer".
Which human activities depend on the atmosphere?
Human activities such as breathing (respiration), transportation (air travel), agriculture (pollination), and communication (radio transmissions) all depend on the atmosphere for various reasons like providing oxygen, facilitating movement of vehicles, supporting plant growth, and enabling the transmission of signals.
What month does weather get hot in NJ?
It can get pretty hot late in April. It can get hot and stay hot for at least a little while in May. Much of the month of June can be pretty hot. July and August can be completely miserable.
It just depends on the year. July and August is the hottest time climatologically, however.
What were the 2 most abundant gases in the early atmosphere?
The first atmosphere of the earth was probably mostly hydrogen with some simple hydrides such as water vapor, methane and ammonia.
Vulcanism and asteroidal bombardment eventually replaced this with an atmosphere of mostly nitrogen, with carbon dioxide and some of the inert gasses.
How is the earths atmosphere separated into layers?
The earth's atmosphere is separated into 4 main layers:
- The troposphere,
- The statosphere,
- The mesosphere and
- The thermosphere
The Troposphere:
The layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth's surface, extending up to about 10-15 km above the Earth's surface. It contains 75% of the atmosphere's mass. The troposphere is wider at the equator than at the poles. Temperature and pressure drops as you go higher up the troposphere.
The Tropopause:
At the very top of the troposphere is the tropopause where the temperature reaches a (stable) minimum. Some scientists call the tropopause a "cold trap" because this is a point where rising water vapour cannot go higher because it changes into ice and is trapped. If there is no cold trap, Earth would loose all its water!
The uneven heating of the regions of the troposphere by the Sun causes convection currents and winds. Warm air from Earth's surface rises and cold air above it rushes in to replace it. When warm air reaches the tropopause, it cannot go higher as the air above it (in the stratosphere) is warmer and lighter ... preventing much air convection beyond the tropopause. The tropopause acts like an invisible barrier and is the reason why most clouds form and weather phenomena occur within the troposphere.
The Greenhouse Effect:
Heat from the Sun warms the Earth's surface but most of it is radiated and sent back into space. Water vapour and carbon dioxide in the troposphere trap some of this heat, preventing it from escaping thus keep the Earth warm. This trapping of heat is called the "greenhouse effect".
However, if there is too much carbon dioxide in the troposphere then it will trap too much heat. Scientists are afraid that the increasing amounts of carbon dioxide would raise the Earth's surface temperature, bringing significant changes to worldwide weather patterns ... shifting in climatic zones and the melting of the polar ice caps, which could raise the level of the world's oceans.
STRATOSPHERE
This layer lies directly above the troposphere and is about 35 km deep. It extends from about 15 to 50 km above the Earth's surface. The lower portion of the stratosphere has a nearly constant temperature with height but in the upper portion the temperature increases with altitude because of absorption of sunlight by ozone. This temperature increase with altitude is the opposite of the situation in the troposphere.
The Ozone Layer:
The stratosphere contains a thin layer of ozone which absorbs most of the harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. The ozone layer is being depleted, and is getting thinner over Europe, Asia, North American and Antarctica --- "holes" are appearing in the ozone layer.
MESOSPHERE
Directly above the stratosphere, extending from 50 to 80 km above the Earth's surface, the mesosphere is a cold layer where the temperature generally decreases with increasing altitude. Here in the mesosphere, the atmosphere is very rarefied nevertheless thick enough to slow down meteors hurtling into the atmosphere, where they burn up, leaving fiery trails in the night sky.
THERMOSPHERE
The thermosphere extends from 80 km above the Earth's surface to outer space. The temperature is hot and may be as high as thousands of degrees as the few molecules that are present in the thermosphere receive extraordinary large amounts of energy from the Sun. However, the thermosphere would actually feel very cold to us because of the probability that these few molecules will hit our skin and transfer enough energy to cause appreciable heat is extremely low.
What process replenishes the atmosphere with oxygen?
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. This process replenishes the atmosphere with oxygen, making it essential for the survival of most life on Earth.
What drives all of the changes that take place in the Earth's atmosphere?
The primary drivers of changes in Earth's atmosphere are solar radiation, which influences temperature patterns, and the movement of air masses due to variations in pressure caused by uneven heating of the Earth's surface. These factors lead to weather patterns, climate variations, and atmospheric phenomena such as storms and precipitation.
In the troposphere and mesosphere what happens to temperature as altitude increases?
In the troposphere, temperature typically decreases with increasing altitude due to the adiabatic cooling effect. In the mesosphere, temperature increases with altitude due to absorption of solar radiation by ozone molecules.
How does the earth and it's atmosphere get heated?
The Earth's atmosphere gets heated mainly through the process of solar radiation. Energy from the sun is absorbed by the Earth's surface, which then radiates heat energy back into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere also trap some of this heat, leading to the warming of the planet.
What oxidized metal caused substantial quantities of oxygen to accumulate in Earth's atmosphere?
Iron was the oxidized metal that caused substantial quantities of oxygen to accumulate in Earth's atmosphere, a process known as the Great Oxidation Event. This event occurred around 2.4 billion years ago as photosynthetic organisms began producing oxygen through photosynthesis, which reacted with iron in the oceans and rocks, leading to the buildup of oxygen in the atmosphere.
What are the three permanent and four variable gases of the atmosphere?
Nitrogen, oxygen and argon are called the "constant gases" because their concentration has remained virtually the same for much of recent earth history.Nitrogen (78%)is a relatively inert gas produced primarily by volcanic activity. It is an important component of protein in meat, milk, eggs and the tissues of plants, especially grains and members of the pea family. It cannot be ingested directly by organisms but made available to plants, and then to animals, by compounds in the soil. Most atmospheric nitrogen enters the soil by nitrogen-fixing microorganisms.
Oxygen (21%) is important for plant and animal respiratory processes. It is also important to chemical reactions (oxidation) that breakdown rock materials (chemical weathering). Without oxygen, things cannot burn either. Free oxygen in the atmosphere is a product of plant photosynthesis. Plants take up carbon dioxide and in the process of photosynthesis release oxygen.
Argon (.93%) is a colorless, odorless relatively inert gas, the reason it use to electric light bulbs, fluorescent tubes. It is used to form inert atmosphere for arc welding, and growing semiconductor crystals.
What is a atmospheric disaster give an example?
An atmospheric disaster is a catastrophic event that severely impacts the Earth's atmosphere, often causing widespread destruction and loss of life. One example is a hurricane, which is a powerful tropical storm with high winds and heavy rainfall that can cause significant damage to coastal areas.
What is cirrocumulus clouds made of?
Cirrocumulus clouds are composed of ice crystals and supercooled water droplets. They typically appear as small, white patches or ripples in the sky at high altitudes. These clouds are often associated with fair weather conditions.
