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faugaun
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So, I'm a student working on a M.S. Environmental Science.
I just took a test, the course is Mechanisms in the Environment, and got a question marked wrong that I believe is a correct answer.
The question was, paraphrased, Can ozone formation in the mid to upper stratosphere heat up the lower atmosphere? true/false and explain your answer.
My answer was true, basically because heat transfers from a hot medium to cold medium due to excited particles bumping into one another and transferring energy to the lower energy (colder particles) in the form of heat. I guess in physics terminology I was arguing that conduction causes this, although after some background reading it could be more of a convection transfer.
Some basic information
-Ozone formation is Exothermic
-Temperature decreases as you travel from the ground towards the stratosphere once you enter the stratosphere temperature increases until you enter the mesosphere
-Ozone formation occurs predominantly in the mid to upper stratosphere
during our discussion he argued that air cannot transfer heat down (to a lower elevation) citing the example of heat in a house (near the ceiling is warmer than near the ground.
I do not have a good answer for this question, however I would venture to guess that this could be due to convection forces or due to higher energy particles moving faster and thus being more able to reach higher elevations despite gravity's pull.
I still maintain that Ozone formation releasing energy has to transfer heat to the lower atmosphere. Part of my logic is that the temperature increases as you approach the reaction area and then decreases as you leave it traveling farther into the mesosphere. So in effect as you travel away from the exothermically active reaction temperature cools.
If his argument were correct wouldn't temperature decrease until you reach the energy source, then jump to the temperature of that source and the only temperature changes occur above the said heat source?
Anyways what I need to know is am I correct and why or is he correct and why?
P.S. Not sure if I posted this in the correct forum, I apologize if it is in the wrong location, I don't think this fit the qualifications for homework and I didn't see a heat area. Also if some of my physics terms are slightly misused I apologize, I'm sure someone will correct me. Finally, I hope that I have described the problem clearly.
I just took a test, the course is Mechanisms in the Environment, and got a question marked wrong that I believe is a correct answer.
The question was, paraphrased, Can ozone formation in the mid to upper stratosphere heat up the lower atmosphere? true/false and explain your answer.
My answer was true, basically because heat transfers from a hot medium to cold medium due to excited particles bumping into one another and transferring energy to the lower energy (colder particles) in the form of heat. I guess in physics terminology I was arguing that conduction causes this, although after some background reading it could be more of a convection transfer.
Some basic information
-Ozone formation is Exothermic
-Temperature decreases as you travel from the ground towards the stratosphere once you enter the stratosphere temperature increases until you enter the mesosphere
-Ozone formation occurs predominantly in the mid to upper stratosphere
during our discussion he argued that air cannot transfer heat down (to a lower elevation) citing the example of heat in a house (near the ceiling is warmer than near the ground.
I do not have a good answer for this question, however I would venture to guess that this could be due to convection forces or due to higher energy particles moving faster and thus being more able to reach higher elevations despite gravity's pull.
I still maintain that Ozone formation releasing energy has to transfer heat to the lower atmosphere. Part of my logic is that the temperature increases as you approach the reaction area and then decreases as you leave it traveling farther into the mesosphere. So in effect as you travel away from the exothermically active reaction temperature cools.
If his argument were correct wouldn't temperature decrease until you reach the energy source, then jump to the temperature of that source and the only temperature changes occur above the said heat source?
Anyways what I need to know is am I correct and why or is he correct and why?
P.S. Not sure if I posted this in the correct forum, I apologize if it is in the wrong location, I don't think this fit the qualifications for homework and I didn't see a heat area. Also if some of my physics terms are slightly misused I apologize, I'm sure someone will correct me. Finally, I hope that I have described the problem clearly.