Atmospheric Sciences

Weather is notoriously unpredictable, which is because it is influenced by the shape and position of mountains, and by oceans and ocean currents, and by wind patterns relating to the rotation of the Earth, and by the shifting angle at which a given location faces the sun as the Earth moves in its annual orbit, and by patterns of ice and glaciers, and by the inertial effect of previous weather patterms, as well as by greenhouse gases. The system is so difficult to predict that it is described mathematically as "chaotic". So, out of this chaos will come a certain amount of temperature extremes. If current concerns about global warming are valid, those extremes are going to tend toward extreme heat in the future, rather than extreme cold.

The "outer sky" typically refers to the exosphere, the outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere. This layer extends from about 500 kilometers (310 miles) to 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) above Earth's surface and is where satellites orbit the planet. The exosphere is very thin and composed mainly of low-density gas particles.

Reduced visibility in the mountains can be caused by weather conditions such as fog, rain, snow, or low clouds. Additionally, factors like smoke from wildfires or dust kicked up by strong winds can also contribute to poor visibility in mountainous regions.

We generally recover spacecraft from orbit by firing rockets to slow the vehicle down, then let gravity and air friction do the rest. The orbital velocity is reduced by the reverse thrust of the engines, and the orbit decays dramatically and rapidly. Contact with the atmosphere begins to slow the vehicle more, and it also heats the vehicle. If you are thinking "air brakes" here, you're on target. All the energy we put into the vehicle to get it into orbit must be removed, and most of it is removed by friction. Friction converts the kinetic energy of the vehicle to thermal energy (heat), and there is a lot of it! We all know about the tiles on the bottom of the Space Shuttle. Look at the details of a shuttle return leg and you'll lock the information in.

Mercury and the Moon are examples of celestial bodies with little to no atmosphere. Mercury's thin atmosphere consists mainly of trace amounts of gases like helium and oxygen, while the Moon has virtually no atmosphere to speak of.

Hydrogen makes up about 0.000055% of Earth's atmosphere. It is much less abundant compared to other gases like nitrogen and oxygen.

The three layers of the Sun's atmosphere in order of increasing distance from the surface are the chromosphere, the transition region, and the corona. The chromosphere is located just above the photosphere, while the corona is the outermost layer that extends into space.

There are three ways thermal energy can be transferred: conduction, convection, and radiation.

The couple in "The Bean Eaters" seems to live a simple and modest life, as they are depicted as eating beans for nourishment. Despite their humble circumstances, they seem content and comfortable in their routine of sharing a meal together. The poem highlights the theme of resilience and companionship in the face of adversity.

It is caused by the showers of particles spraying out of the sun and captured by the magnetic field of the earth. So it is not actually on a regular schedule, and actually is happening constantly, but is best seen at night. The brightness and extent is determined by how charged the particles are.

The closer you are to the north magnetic pole the more often you will see it.

The majority of Earth's atmosphere mass is found in the troposphere because this is where air molecules are most densely packed due to the gravitational pull. As altitude increases, air pressure decreases, leading to a thinning of the atmosphere. The troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere and contains various gases like nitrogen, oxygen, and water vapor that together make up 75 percent of the atmosphere's total mass.

The phenomenon of the atmosphere trapping the sun's energy is known as the greenhouse effect. It occurs when certain gases in the Earth's atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and methane, trap heat from the sun, leading to an increase in the planet's temperature. This process is essential for maintaining temperatures suitable for life on Earth.

The thermosphere does not exist above polar regions. The thermosphere is one of the Earth's atmospheric layers, extending from about 80 km to 550 km above the surface. However, the thermosphere is more commonly found at higher latitudes and near the equator than above polar regions.

They get tired. Answer: The atmosphere is less dense higher you go. This reduces the amount of oxygen available for your body's processes like muscle activity and thinking. The lower oxygen levels in your blood make your mind think that you are not breathing enough.

Water vapor is the most variable gas constituent in the atmosphere, with concentrations ranging from near zero in dry, cold air to high levels in warm, humid air. It plays a significant role in the Earth's weather and climate system.

There are five primary layers of Earth's atmosphere. These are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. Each layer has distinct characteristics and plays a role in the Earth's overall atmospheric system.

An invention is some 'thing', or some idea, that is created or constructed by man; something that has never existed before. Clearly, air has been around for a lot longer than man, and is part of 'nature', therefore it cannot be classed as an invention.

No, oxygen makes up about 21% of Earth's atmosphere. Nitrogen is actually the most abundant gas, making up about 78% of the atmosphere.

About 21% of the Earth's atmosphere is oxygen.

Season exist because the earth's axis (the line passing through the planet connecting the north and south poles) is not perpendicular to the plane in which Earth orbits. Go to http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream//global/global_intro.htm and look at the picture. In December, the Southern Hemisphere is pointed more toward the sun, while the Northern Hemisphere is pointed more away. The Northern Hemisphere receives less sunlight than the SH, and thus it is colder. The reverse is true in June: the NH receives more sunlight and the SH less. If the angle of inclination were 0 degrees, the two hemispheres would receive equal amounts of sunlight throughout the year. It's not correct to say that there would be NO seasons if the Earth were not tilted at 23.5 degrees. What is true is that the seasons would be more uniform at a lower angle, and more severe at a higher angle. In fact, the Earth slowly moves between angles of 22 and 24.5 degrees (it takes us 40,000 years to move from 22 to 24.5 and back to 22 degrees!), and this seemingly small difference has taken the Earth back and forth between ice ages ("glacials") and non-ice ages ("interglacials").

The sun's heat radiates out from the sun in all directions. A tiny percentage lands on earth (luckily!).

Oxygen molecules in the atmosphere primarily come from plants and other photosynthetic organisms that release oxygen during the process of photosynthesis. This process involves the conversion of carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. Additionally, a smaller amount of oxygen also comes from the breakdown of carbon dioxide molecules in the upper atmosphere by solar radiation.

Auroras are a natural occurence and have been around for longer than humans have. This question is kind of like asking "When was the first snowfall observed?"...there is no "first observation".

In science, a column header refers to the label or title assigned to a vertical column in a table or chart. It helps identify the data or information present in that particular column. Column headers are important for organizing and interpreting data accurately.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) shows the most variation in concentration in the lower atmosphere from place to place and from time to time due to a range of factors such as human activities, vegetation, and industrial processes. These factors impact the local and temporal distribution of CO2 levels, leading to fluctuations in its concentration in the lower atmosphere.