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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
Why sun is red in the morning?
The sun appears red in the morning due to an atmospheric effect known as Rayleigh scattering. When the sun is low on the horizon, its light has to pass through more of the Earth's atmosphere, causing shorter blue and green wavelengths to scatter and leaving mostly longer red wavelengths to reach our eyes. This gives the sun a reddish hue during sunrise and sunset.
What gas is most abundant in clean dry air?
Nitrogen is the most abundant gas in clean dry air, making up about 78% of the atmosphere. Oxygen is the second most abundant gas at around 21%, with trace amounts of other gases such as argon, carbon dioxide, and helium making up the remainder.
What gases are found only in the troposphere?
The atmosphere is primarily composed of Nitrogen (N2), which accounts for 78%. Oxygen follows, accounting for 20% of its volume, with argon less than 1%. The remainder is composed of particulates and trace gases, including water vapor.
How does a barometer measure humidity?
It doesn't, it measures atmospheric pressure. Humidity is measured with a hygrometer.
* Some long case mercurial barometers, used in the home, may have a separate hygrometer included on the instrument.
What layer extends 85 km above earth into space?
The Thermosphere is the fourth layer of the Earth's Atmosphere. It starts at approximately 90 km above the earth and continues up to 500 km.
The Exosphere is the uppermost layer of the Earth's atmosphere. It starts at about 500-1000 km above the earth and continues up to 10000 km.
What are the temperature trends of the ionosphere?
The temperature of the ionosphere generally increases with altitude due to absorption of solar radiation. However, there can be fluctuations and variations depending on factors such as solar activity, time of day, and location. Overall, the ionosphere is a complex and dynamic region of the Earth's atmosphere with non-uniform temperature patterns.
What is the lowest most dense layer in the atmosphere?
The lowest and most dense layer of the Earth's atmosphere is the troposphere. It extends from the Earth's surface up to an average altitude of about 11 km (7 miles) at the poles and 17 km (11 miles) at the equator. It contains about 75% of the atmosphere's total mass.
Describe how the atmosphere formed and changed over time?
The Earth's atmosphere formed from gases released by volcanic activity billions of years ago. Initially, it consisted mainly of carbon dioxide and water vapor. Over time, as early life forms evolved and photosynthesized, oxygen levels increased, leading to the current composition of Earth's atmosphere with nitrogen, oxygen, and trace gases.
What is atmospheric air pressure?
Pressure caused by the atmoshere pushing down.it also deceases as you get higher up in elevation... Pressure caused by the atmoshere pushing down.it also deceases as you get higher up in elevation...
The most abundant inert gas is what?
Argon, in the earths atmoshere Helium in the universe Argon in the earths atmoshere Helium in the universe
What instrument measures humidity?
The instrument that measures humidity is called a hygrometer.
A hygrometer is an instrument that measures relative humidity in the air. One common kind of hygrometer is a psychrometer, a device that measures the temperature of a wet bulb and a dry bulb simultaneously. The wet bulb should be cooler (if it's above freezing), because water evaporates from the bulb, taking energy with it. If the air is more humid, the evaporation is slower, so the bulb is closer to the dry bulb's temperature. A comparison of the wet and dry bulb temperature using a Psychrometric Chart indicates the relative humidity of the air.
Hygrometers can be combined with other systems as the sensor to regulate humidity. The resulting instrument may be called a humidistat or hygristor, which function somewhat like a thermostat adding or subtracting moisture, not heat, to the air. Types of Hygrometers include:
- a dry bulb thermometer and a wet bulb thermometer with a Psychrometric chart
- A hygrograph which gives a continuous record of the humidity value using human hair, on a graph
- A hygristor using lithium chloride is used to find out the humidity values at different altitudes. Hygristor's resistance varies with the humidity and this principle is used to find out the humidity.
- A humidity indicator card (HIC) is a card on which a moisture-sensitive chemical is impregnated such that it will change color as the humidity changes
In term of units; humidity can be expressed by
- Absolute humidity: total moisture/volume of air
- Relative humidity: total moisture/saturated moisture
- Specific humidity: total moisture/weight of dry air
In term of method, Various equipment can be used to measure water content direct or indirectly.
- Direct measure by cooling the air down to condensation point.
- Indirect measure by measure air conductivity and related to presence of humidity. Infrared spectrometry is used to measure presence of moisture from IR absorption.
In term of equipment:
One device is known as a hygrometer. A hygrometer is used to measure humidity.
Not to be confused with the hydrometer which measures the specific gravity of liquids.
A Psychrometer is a type of Hygrometer. A psychrometer consists of two thermometers, one which is dry and one which is kept moist with distilled water on a sock or wick.
As an upgrade in technology there is the trace moisture sensor which is a phosphorous pentoxide (P205), a very hydrophilic material, the resistivity of which changes with the humidity, so it is used in electronic devices designed to make use of the property.
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Another tool that could be used is a Cyanometer, an instrument for measuring 'blueness', specifically the color intensity of blue sky. It is attributed to Horace-Bénédict de Saussure and Alexander von Humboldt. It consists of squares of paper dyed in graduated shades of blue and arranged in a color circle or square that can be held up and compared to the color of the sky. The blueness of the atmosphere indicates transparency and the amount of water vapor.
hygrometers and psychrometers
Why is air pressure lower at a higher elevation than at a lower elevation?
At higher elevations, there is less air pushing down from above and therefore less weight to support. The higher you go the less air there is above you to press down on you Air pressure is due to the mass of air above you that presses down upon you - even gases have mass!
The particles have to counter gravity to get higher up which requires a high velocity. The vast majority however don't have the required velocity to reach higher altitudes so there are naturally a lower density of air particles the higher up you go.
What is the height of each layer of the atmosphere that begins and ends?
These are the different layers but if you click on 'related links' below and you will see a picture of the different layer plus their heights.Exosphere
Thermosphere
Mesosphere
Stratosphere
Troposphere
Why are the amounts of gases in the atmosphere usually shown as percentages of dry air?
The amount of water vapor in the air changes significantly with location and temperature. so a listing of percentage of gasses in the atmosphere would be different depending on how much water was in the air sampled. That would not be useful, because the other gases in the atmosphere do not change all that much.
So it is more helpful to describe the making of the atmosphere as dry air (containing no moisture) and then adjust if needed for the humidity at any one place and time.
What is the volume of nitrogen in the earths atmosphere at sea level?
The volume of nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere is approximately 78% of the total volume at sea level, which is roughly 78.08%. The volume of nitrogen is expressed as a percentage of the total volume of gases in the atmosphere.
Lysosomes are membrane-bound organelles that contain digestive enzymes. They break down and recycle cellular waste and foreign particles, as well as help to degrade and recycle cellular components and organelles. Essentially, they act as the cell's recycling center.
Is The stratosphere the closest layer to the Earth's surface?
Troposphere is closest the earth's surface.Stratosphere is the second closest on earth surface.
What do you call peices of stone that enter the earths atmosphere?
Pieces of stone that enter the Earth's atmosphere are called meteoroids. Upon entering the atmosphere and creating a bright streak of light as they burn up, they are called meteors or shooting stars. If a meteor survives its passage through the atmosphere and lands on Earth, it is called a meteorite.
Where is the atmospheric pressure the greatest?
The atmospheric pressure is greatest at sea level, where the weight of air above is at its highest due to gravity pulling air molecules towards the Earth's surface. As you move to higher altitudes, atmospheric pressure decreases because there is less air above exerting pressure downwards.
Which cloud rarely extend to the stratosphere?
Moisture is rare in the stratosphere, so few clouds reach this location. Nacreous and non-nacreous clouds are the only category of clouds found in the stratosphere, and the non-nacreous ones contain nitric acid.
Is the air you breathe now the same air since creation?
No, the air you breathe now is not the same air created during the Earth's formation. Air is composed of various gases like oxygen and nitrogen that have undergone changes over time due to processes such as biological respiration, volcanic activity, and human activities like industrialization.
What is the temperature of the second layer of the atmosphere?
Assuming you're going from the bottom up, the second layer of atmosphere is the stratosphere and it ranges in temperature from approximately -56 degrees C to -2 degrees C. Unlike the troposphere where the temperatures cool as altitude increases, in the stratosphere the temperatures actually get warmer the higher you go.
What is the principle source of water vapor in the atmosphere?
Transpiration from plants and evaporation from water. Water is evaporated from ground water and plants release water from their stomatas. These are the main sources of water vapor in the atmosphere
Clouds are composed of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. While you may not be able to physically touch a cloud, they are soft and fluffy in appearance, often described as feeling light and airy.
When intrapulmonary pressure drops below atmospheric pressure what is able to occur?
When intrapulmonary pressure drops below atmospheric pressure, air rushes into the lungs, causing inhalation or inspiration to occur. This process facilitates the exchange of gases in the alveoli of the lungs, allowing oxygen to enter the bloodstream and carbon dioxide to be removed.
