AOSC 200 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Exosphere, Ultraviolet, Weather Satellite
5 Mar 2018
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Document Summary
Atmosphere: delicate life-giving blanket of air that surrounds the fragile earth. Thin, gaseous envelope comprised mostly of nitrogen, oxygen, with some amounts of other gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide) Without: no lakes, oceans, no sounds, no clouds. Scientific method: pose a question, put forth a hypothesis, predict outcome, carrying out test. Outgassing: constant outpouring of gases from hot interior of volcano. Greenhouse effect: trapping of heat close to the earth"s surface, keeps the average air temperature near the surface much warmer than it would be otherwise. Aerosols: tiny solid or liquid suspended particles of various composition. Air density: number of air molecules in a given space (volume) Atmospheric pressure (air pressure): amount of force exerted over an area of surface. Lapse rate: rate at which the air temperature decreases with height. Temperature inversion: when temperature increases with height. Radiosonde: the instrument that measures that vertical profile of air temperatures in the atmosphere up to an altitude sometimes exceeding 30 km.
