NATS 101 Practice Quiz Study Guide

*** Chap. 1 (pps 1-7), Chap. 12 (pps 317-325) ***
Composition of the atmosphere. The five most abundant gases in the atmosphere (listed here in alphabetical order): argon (Ar), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), and water vapor (H2O) (you should know approximate concentrations of most of these). Greenhouse gases: water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and others. What do they do? What important roles does water vapor play in the atmosphere? What weather variable is commonly used to measure atmospheric water vapor content?

Atmospheric evolution. About how old is the earth? What was the earth's first atmosphere composed of? Where is our present atmosphere thought to have come from? What are the three most abundant gases emitted by volcanoes. What important atmospheric constituent in our present atmosphere did not come from volcanoes? What is the principal source of this gas?

Carbon cycle. What processes (natural and man-made) add CO2 to (source) and remove CO2 from (sink) the atmosphere? How has atmospheric CO2 concentration changed since direct measurements were started in 1958? Is anything known about atmospheric CO2 concentration prior to that? Why is changing CO2 concentration of concern? International agreement has led to a decrease in the usage of what other greenhouse gas? Why else is that particular gas of concern?

Air pollution. Primary and secondary pollutants. Air Quality Index (AQI). A pollutant is considered unhealthful when the AQI exceeds what value?

Sulfur dioxide (SO2). Toxic and aggravates existing respiratory diseases. The world's first pollutant. Natural and manmade sources. Involved in some of the world's worst air pollution disasters: Great London Smog of 1952, Donora (Pennsylvania) 1948 (see p. 335). The word smog was first used to describe the combination of sulfurous smoke + fog; the term London-type smog is now used.  Reacts in clouds to form acid rain.  Acids, bases, and pH scale.

Tropospheric ozone. Ozone aggravates existing respiratory diseases, is harmful to plant life, and damages materials such as rubber. Ozone is a secondary pollutant and is a key component of photochemical smog (also known as Los Angeles-type smog). To produce smog, ozone reacts with hydrocarbons. Peak ozone and photochemical smog concentrations occur on summer afternoons.

Carbon monoxide (CO). Toxic. Most abundant of the primary pollutants. What produces most of the CO in Tucson air? Incomplete combustion (what would complete combustion produce). Early morning and wintertime pollutant. What is a surface radiation inversion layer, when do they form? Would a surface inversion layer act to concentrate or disperse CO?

Particulate Matter (aerosols). Examples of particles found in the atmosphere that might remain suspended for long periods of time. Why are particulates of concern? How are particulates removed from the atmosphere?

Sample questions (from the Spring 2003 quiz packet)
Practice Quiz: 1, 6, 10-12, 14, EC1?.          Quiz 1: 5, 8, 12, 14, 17.         Final: 4, 52.

*** Chap. 1 (pps 8-13), Chap. 6 (pps 141-148) ***
Layers of the atmosphere. Troposphere: lowest layer in the atmosphere, decreasing temperature with increasing altitude (why is the warmest air found near the ground), contains most of the water vapor and clouds, can be unstable (strong vertical air motions possible). Tropopause. Stratosphere: isothermal layer and temperature inversion layer (what causes the warming in the stratosphere), stable layer, contains the ozone layer. Approximate altitudes of these layers. Units: meters, kilometers, feet, miles.

Mass, weight, density, and pressure. Mass is the amount of a particular substance. On the earth gravity pulls downward on a mass producing weight. Pressure at any level in the atmosphere is a measure of the weight of the air above (this is one way of thinking about and understanding pressure). Pressure is defined as force divided by area and acts like a force (a force that pushes upward, downward, and sideways). Common pressure units and typical sea level pressure values. What instrument is used to measure air pressure? About when was it invented? Pressure and air density (density = mass divided by volume) both decrease with increasing altitude (you should be able to explain why). What relationship is there between the rate of pressure decrease and air density (i.e. does pressure decrease most rapidly in high or low density air)?

Sample questions
Practice Quiz: 5, 8, 9, 13, 17, EC2, EC3.         Quiz 1: 11.              Final: 34, 45.

Ideal Gas Law. This is a microscopic scale way of thinking about what causes air pressure. Two equations P = N k T / V and P = ¤ R T. N is the number of air molecules in a volume V. T is temperature and ¤ is density.

Sample questions
Quiz 1: 3

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 Chavez (Econ) 301
Chavez (Econ) 301
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DON'T LOSE THIS STUDY GUIDE! Quiz 1 will cover this material as well as some newer material.