Final Exam Review
Version: December 5, 2011 @ 1:57 pm
The final is comprehensive (cumulative). Old Final: Sample .
To prepare for the final, look at the reviews for the first two exams as well as the review presented here. The three exams are worth 350 total points and so each week of class contributes 35 points to the total. The last two weeks of class therefore could therefore, in principle, contribute a significant fraction of the questions to the final exam.
The new material is drawn from the Structure and Evolution of the Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets, the Introduction to the Jovian Planets, the interiors of the Jovian Planets, and the Atmospheres of the Jovian Planets. Review your class notes to see precisely the material I covered during the final three lectures.

Questions, Topics, and Comments on the Material. Terrestrial Planet Atmospheres

What is meant by primary atmosphere? What is meant by secondary atmosphere? What were the compositions of Venus', Earth's and Mars' primary atmospheres? What were the compositions of Venus's, Earth's and Mars' secondary atmospheres? What are the current compositions, relative masses, temperatures of the current atmospheres of the Terrestrial planets?
What is meant by "equilibrium temperature"? Compare and contrast the equilibrium temperatures of the Terrestrial planets to their actual atmopsheric temperatures. Are they the same? Are they different? What leads to the differences (if there are differences)? What is meant by Albedo? What effects could increase the albedo of the Earth?
What is the Greenhouse Effect? Carefuly explain how the mechanism works. Include as much detail as you can. What are the most important Greenhouse gases on the Earth?
In which layer of the Earth's atmosphere is the weather generated? In which layer is water trapped? In which layer is the Ozone housed? What defines the ordering (and separation) of the atmosphere into these layers? What is the Cold trap (water trap)? Why is there a water trap in the Earth's atmosphere? Why is the water trap so important to us? What role does the Ozone layer play? What are the important functions the Ozone layer provides for us and the water of the Earth?
Compare and contrast the current atmospheres of Venus, Earth, and Mars. Describe the evolutionary scenarios of the atmospheres of Venus, Earth, and Mars that led to such different outcomes. That is, why is there a runaway Greenhouse effect on Venus which led to a current surface temperature of 800-900 F? Why is the current atmosphere of Mars so thin? Why is the Earth just right? What roles do liquid oceans, plate tectonics play? What other important factors come into play? Where is Venus's water? Where is Mars's water? Where is the Earth's carbon dioxide? Why does the Earth have so much free oxygen? Which other Terrestrial planets have free oxygen (explain this result)?
Which Terrestrial planets are likely to show evidence of life? What is the habitable zone?
Jovians

List and then compare and contrast the properties of the Jovian planets to the Terrestrial planets. How are the interiors of the Jovian planets probed? To date, which has the been the most fruitful approach? Cite reasons why you answer as you do.
What are the Galileo and Cassini missions? Give some useful results which have come from the two missions.
Describe the interiors of Jupiter and Saturn. What is the dominant element which makes up Jupiter and Saturn? What is liquid metallic hydrogen? What do we mean when we say that the material is metallic? What is an implication of having a large metallic layer in a rapidly rotating planet? Liquid metallic hydrogen has an interesting history; discuss its history a little.
Jupiter and Saturn rotate rapidly. Compare and contrast the rotation of Jupiter and Saturn to the Terrestrial planets. What are some effects of this rapid rotation, in particular, in terms of how it allows us to probe the interior structures of Jupiter and Saturn and the rapid spin affects the atmoshpere and atmospheric circulation on the Jovian planets?
Jupiter and Saturn are both observed to radiate more energy to space than they receive from the Sun. What are the explanations for these interesting results? In particular, discusss helium rain. What evidence suggests that helium rain in fact occurs?
What are belts, zones, and bands? Describe belts, zones, and bands. What are the Great Red Spot, brown ovals, and white ovals?
What are the compositions of the cloud layers on Jupiter and Saturn? Why the clouds have different colors? Why is the banded structure on Saturn so muted when compared to Jupiter?
Why are the cloud layers on Saturn so much more spread out (in height) compared to the cloud layers on Jupiter?
Describe how the interplay between convection and the equator-to-pole winds driven by Solar heating, and the notion of conservation of angular momentum helps us understand the high speed circulation on the Jovian planets and the banded-structure of the Jovian planets.
What is angular momentum? What are some impications of the Conservation of Angular Momentum? (In particular, consider circulation in storms, deflection of falling and rising objects, the deflection of northward and soutward movind projecticles, the tradewinds and the zonal winds on Jupiter and Saturn.