Point 1 of 7 — The Atmosphere: Layers, the Greenhouse Effect and Ozone DepletionQuestion bank: 0 questions (0 with pictures)
01Scientific terms
Lapse rate: the rate at which temperature falls with altitude in the troposphere, about 6.5 °C per km.
Troposphere: the lowest layer, 0–12 km, containing about 75% of the mass of the atmosphere and practically all water vapour — the layer of weather.
Stratosphere: 12–50 km, in which temperaturerises with height because ozone absorbs ultraviolet; aircraft fly here for stable air.
Ozone layer: the region of maximum O₃ concentration, roughly 15–35 km, which absorbs most of the solar UV-B and UV-C.
Ionosphere: the ionised part of the thermosphere that reflects radio waves and produces the aurora.
Greenhouse gas (GHG): a gas that absorbs and re-emits long-wave infrared radiation and therefore warms the surface: water vapour, CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, O₃ and CFCs.
Global warming potential (GWP): the heat trapped by a mass of a gas relative to CO₂ over 100 years — CH₄ ≈ 28, N₂O ≈ 265, some CFCs exceed 10,000.
Dobson unit (DU): the unit of total ozone column; 300 DU is a normal value and below220 DUdefines an ozone "hole".
CFC (chlorofluorocarbon): a stable, non-toxic, volatile organic compound of carbon, chlorine and fluorine, once used as a refrigerant, propellant and solvent.
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