PHYS 1055 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Solar Wind, Exosphere, Thermosphere
Document Summary
Atmospheric structure: the way in which temperature varies with altitude determines what is often. Troposphere: lowest layer, in which temperature drops with altitude. Stratopshere: begins where the temperature stops dropping and instead begins to rise with altitude. Thermosphere: begins where the temperature again starts to rise at high altitude. Exosphere: uppermost region, in which the atmosphere gradually fades away into space. Atmosphere layer of gas that surrounds a world. Cause a greenhouse effect (makes planet warmer) Greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor) absorb infrared light emitted from a planet"s surface and then are remitted. Four factors that cause climate change: solar brightening, changes in axis tilt, changes in reflectivity, changes in greenhouse gas abundance. Sources of atmospheric gases: outgassing, evaporation, or sublimation. Loss processes: condensation, chemical reactions with surface materials, stripping of gas by the solar win, thermal escape.
