- 1. a)What is the chemical composition of dry air?
- b) What role do the two principal gases (nitrogen and oxygen) play in weather and climate?
- 2. a) List the four most important (meteorologically) variable gases?
- b) Which has the greatest variation in concentration?
- 3. Describe and explain why tiny suspended particles are important in the atmosphere
- 4. a) Meteorologically, why is carbon dioxide (CO2) so important in the atmosphere?
- b) What would the temperature be at the Earth's surface if there was no CO2 in the atmosphere?
- c) Why do atmospheric concentrations change naturally?
- d) How are humans altering this?
- e) Why are scientists expressing concern about increasing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere?
- 5. a) Ozone (O3) is concentrated in two locations in the atmosphere. Where are they?
- b) In which layer are we concerned by its depletion?
- c) Why is it being depleted?
- d) What are some of the likely implications?
- e) In which layer is it regarded as a pollutant?
- 1. a) Define temperature and pressure?
- b)What in the atmosphere is exerting the pressure?
- 2. a) Draw a diagram to show how atmospheric pressure changes with height.
- b) Why does pressure decrease with height (give two reasons)?
- c) What units are used to express atmospheric pressure?
- d) What is the average value at sea level?
- e) At what height (approximately) in the atmosphere are half the molecules below and half above? What is the pressure at this level?
- f) What thermal layer is this within?
- g) Why is it difficult to breathe at the top of a tall mountain?
- h) Why are the cabins of commercial planes pressurized?
- 3. a) Draw a diagram to illustrate the vertical change in temperature away from the Earth's surface. Label each of the layers.
- b) How are these temperatures measured?
- c) Where do each of the layers get their energy from?
- d) How does this allow us to explain the vertical change in temperature?
- 4. a) What thermal layer of the atmosphere do we live in and is most important for weather conditions?
- b) What is the top of this layer called?
- c) Give two reasons as to why the height of this layer varies.
- 5. a) What is an adiabatic process?
- b) Why will an air parcel expand as it rises adiabatically?
- c)What will happen to the temperature as is rises?
- d) Why does this happen?
- e) Are clouds going to form over rising or sinking air? Why?
- 1. a) What are the three variables that appear in the equation of state or ideal gas law? Write out the equation with the numerical values for the constant.
- b) What are the units for each of the variables?
- 2. Calculate the temperature of the air (both in Kelvin and Celsius) when the pressure is 101.3 kPa and the density is 1.225 kg m-3
- 3. If the pressure is 100 mb what percentage of the atmosphere's molecules are below this?