1. meteorology is the study of the atmosphere and its phenomena.

it is also the study of weather, climate, and the forces that cause change in our environment. 2. a meteorologist is a scientist that uses scientific principles to explain or forecast atmospheric phenomena.. Meteorologists are involved with research, teaching, consulting, and forecasting. 3. only small percentage, about 5% of the 9000 meteorologists and atmospheric scientists in the U.S do forecasts for radio and television stations(broadcast meteorologist). 4. Earth's Atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention (greenhouse effect), and reducing temperature extremes between day and night. 5. a. 99% of dry air is composed of nitrogen (N2) and Oxygen(O2) b. they are not active ingredients for weather and climate. 6. the three reasons that water vapor is such a critical component of theatmosphere in regard to weather and climate are; a. source of precipitation (rain, snow, etc.) b. water is the only element that can exist as solid(ice), liquid(water), or gas(water vapor) at temperatures found in earth's environment. c. critical greenhouse gas. 7. we, humans, have upset the balamce created by the CO2 cycle by putting carbon dioxide into the air in minutes, through burning of fossil fuels, what took millions of years to create.

8. a. the vast majority of ozone (97%) of ozone is found in the stratosphere, above the layer of the atmosphere where weather occurs. b. it is critical to maintaining life on earth because, ozone absorbs harmful, high-energy ultraviolet rays from the sun so that they do not reach earth's surface. 9. a. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) is the atmosphere gas that is responsible for the ozone hole. b. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) is a manmade chemical used for propellants, refrigerants, and solvents. c. yes, because it releases chlorine atoms which facilitate chemical reactions that destroy ozone, particularly in cold stratospheric clouds that form in winter. 10. Atmospheric (Air) Pressure is the force per unit area exerted into a surface by the weight of air above that surface in the atmosphere of Earth. 11. Air density and pressure always decrease with height above earth's surface. 12. The atmosphere is divided into different layers based upon these changing vertical temperature profiles. 13. a. Troposphere is the lowest level of the atmosphere where all weathers occur. b. troposphere extends up to 36,000 ft - 5 miles - 11 kilometers. temperature decreases with height above earth's surface. 14. a. The layer above the troposphere is called the Stratosphere. b. the temperature in stratosphere begins to increase with height.

c. this temperature profile is due to tha presence of ozone which absorbs ultraviolet rays from the sun, heating and surrounding air. 15. the transition zone between between troposphere and stratosphere is called Tropopause. 16. a. weather is the state of the atmosphere at any given time and place. b. climate is a weather "averaged" over a long period of time. 17. Temperature is how hot or cold the air is. 18. cold air is denser than hot air. 19. a. liquid water droplets. b. heat energy 20. a. 1. conduction - is the direct transfer of heat between adjacent molecules. 2. convection - is the transfer of heat by the mass movement of air. 3. radiation - is energy traveling through space in the form of waves. b. radiationis responsible for heating the earth. 21. a. cools b. warms 22. three important rules regarding radiation;

a. all substances emit radiation b. the wave lengths of radiation that an object emits depends on its temperature. c. the greater the temperature of an object, the greater amount (intensity) of radiation it emits. 23. a. 0.5 um much longer wavelength infrared radiation. 24. increases 25. a. acting like panes of glass b. solar radiation c. terrestrial radiation 26. a. insulating layers b. 0oF 27. water vapor and carbon dioxide 28. a. indirectly b. warmed from below by the earth's surface 29. scattering is when the light is deflected by molecules in all directions. 30. a. is a measure of the percent of radiation which is reflected by a given surface. b. snow and clouds have the highest albedo.

31. a. atmospheric b. oceanic c. storm d. poleward e. equatorward 32. we have seasons because the earth is not oriented straight up and down but is tilted on it's axis 23 1/2o 33. a. the angle at which sunlight strikes the surface b. how long the sun shines(daylight hours) 34. it is because the amount of heat energy provided has to spread over a much larger area when striking at an angle and therefore any given point will receive less heat. 35. a. first day of summer b. toward c. more than 12 hours of sunlight 36.

37. because this region never gets in the "shadow" zone as earth spins. 38. a. day b. night

39. a. warmest temperature b. june c. july d. august 40. exactly opposite