01:460:100 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Cool Air, Tropical And Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests, Subtropics

• School: Rutgers University
• Department: Geological Sciences
• Course: 01:460:100
• Professor: C.Lepre

Document Summary

Convection- under the influence of gravity, buoyant material rises if the material above is weak enough to flow out of the way. The path of flow defines convection cells. It is the envelope of gas that surrounds the planet. The weight of overlying atmosphere pushes down on the atmosphere below, so air density and air pressure increases closer to the surface. 1atm is 1. 03kg per square centimeter or 1. 01bar. Air pressure on earth decreases by half for every 5. 6km or so. People can"t breathe in enough air to survive for long above 5. 5km. Between 700 and 10,000km, atmosphere gradually transitions into the vacuum of space. Atmosphere consists of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. Remaining 1% are trace gases including argon, co2, methane, ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide. Layers of the atmosphere from bottom to top: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere. Exosphere- transition from air to space above 700km. Boundaries between layers are named for the underlying layer (ex.