Ch. 3 Geography 102
"Earth's Modern Atmosphere"
Terms
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- environmental lapse rate
- The actual lapse rate in the lower atmosphere at any particular time under local weather conditions; may deviate above or below the normal lapse rate of 6.4 C.
- kinetic energy
- The energy of a motion in a body; derived the vibration of the body's own movement and stated as temperature.
- sensible heat
- Heat that can be measured by a thermometer; a measure of the concentration of kinetic energy from molecular motion.
- air pressure
- Pressure produced by the motion, size, and number of gas molecules in the air an exerted on surfaces in contact with the air. Can be measured with mercury or aneroid barometers.
- normal lapse rate
- The average rate of temperature decrease with increasing altitude in the lower atmosphere. On average, 6.4 C per km.
- industrial smog
- Air pollution associated with coal-burning industries; in may contain sulfur oxides, particulates, carbon dioxides, and exotics.
- anthropogenic atmosphere
- Earth's future atmosphere, so named because humans seem to be the main causing agent.
- noctilucent clouds
- A rare, shining band of ice crystals that may glow at high latitudes long after sunset; formed within the mesosphere, where cosmic and meteoric dust act as nuclei for the formation of ice crystals.
- temperature inversion
- A reversal of the normal decrease of temperature with increasing altitude; can occur anywhere from ground level up to several thousand meters; functions to block atmospheric convection and therefore trap pollutants.
- particulate matter
- Dust, dirt, soot, salt, sulphate aerosols, fugitive natural particles, or other material particles suspended in air.
- photochemical smog
- Air pollution produced by the interaction of UV light, nitrogen dioxide, and hydrocarbons; produces ozone and PAN through a series of complex photochemical reactions. Automobiles are the major source of contributive gases.
- chloroflourocarbons
- A manufactured molecule (polymer) make of chlorine, flourine, and carbon; inert and possessing remarkable heat properties; also known as one of the halogens. After slow transport to the stratospheric ozone layer, CFC's react with UV radiation, freeing chlorine atoms that act as a catalyst to produce reactions that destroy ozone; manufacture banned by international treaties.
- nitrogen dioxide
- A noxious (harmful) reddish-brown gas produced in combustion engines; can be damaging to human respiratory tracts and to plants; participates in photochemical reactions and acid deposition.
- heat
- The flow of kinetic energy from one body to the other because of a temperature difference between them.
- 1013.2 millibars
- normal air pressure at sea level
- sulphate aerosols
- Sulphate compounds in the atmosphere, principally sulfuric acid; principle sources relate to fossil fuel combustion; scatters and reflects insolation.
- sulphur dioxide
- A colourless gas detected by its pungent odour; produced by combustion of fossil fuels, especially coal, that contain sulfur as an impurity; can react in the atmosphere to create sulphuric acid, a component of acid deposition.
- peroxyacetyl nitrates
- (PAN) - A pollutant formed from photochemical reactions involving nitric oxide (NO) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). PAN produces no known human problems, but is particularly harmful to plants.
- carbon monoxide
- An odourless, colourless, tasteless combination of carbon and oxygen produces by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels or other carbon-containing substances; toxicity to humans is due to its affinity for hemoglobin, displacing oxygen in the bloodstream; CO.
- volatile organic compounds
- Compounds including hydrocarbons, produced by combustion of gasoline, from surface coatings and from electric utility combustion; participates in the production of PAN through reactions with nitric oxides.