Atmosphere Questions

1.Explain why Earth's atmosphere changes with latitude and with the seasons.
The sun's energy does not reach all places uniformly. There are variations in the exposure of the surface to the sun's energy. Rays of light entering the atmosphere obliquely near the poles pass through a deeper envelope of air than light entering near the equator, causing more energy to be scattered and reflected, lowering temperatures farther away from the equator.
Seasons are determined primarily by Earth's inclination on its axis. During spring and summer, the northern Hemisphere tilts toward the sun, and during the rest of the year it tilts away.

2. What are the two lower layers of the atmosphere? Cite at least two differences between them.
The troposphere and the stratosphere are the two lower layers. In the troposphere, temperature decreases with rising altitude, and in the stratosphere, temperature increases with rising altitude. In the troposphere there are turbulent winds, because that is where weather occurs, while in the stratosphere there is steady wind but no turbulence.

3. Describe the general directions of atmospheric circulation.
Differences in temperature caused by varying amounts of solar energy drive the circulation of the atmosphere in a process called convection. Warm air rises, and then as it cools, it sinks again. The descending air splits into two different directions. At higher latitudes, warm air flows towards the poles from the equator, and at the poles, cold air sinks and flows towards the lower latitudes.

http://ete.cet.edu/gcc/?/volcanoes_layers/