Intro to the Atmosphere

Weather:General condition of the

atmosphere at a particular time and place.

Climate:General weather conditions

over many years.

What was the high temperature

in January?A)71

B)25

C)20

D) 1SMART Response QuestionTo set the properties right click and selectSMART Response Question Object->Properties...

Weather versus Climate

Weather Climate

ATMOSPHERICComposition

MIXTURE OF GASES

COMPOSITIONMajor

1- 78% Nitrogen N2

2- 21% Oxygen O2

• Oxygen removed from atmosphere by: (6 ways)

living things

burning

weathering of rocks

Question

The Most abundant gas in Earth’s atmosphere is?

Nitrogen

Oxygen added to atmosphere by one way!

Minor but very important3- .93% Argon Ar4-.03% Carbon dioxide CO2

5-0-.04% water vapor H2O

TRACE ELEMENTS

Ne neon He helium

H2 hydrogen

Kr kryptonXe xenon

O3 OZONE- protects us from harmful ultraviolet light

Minor but very important: .07 %

Atmospheric dust: known as "particulates," although the total suspended particulate matter found in the atmosphere can be both solid particles or liquid droplets.

Added:

Soil blown by wind

Ash from fires

Volcanoes

Micro organisms

Important:

Needed for cloud formation

Nitrogen activity (cycle)

LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE

CLASSIFIED BY TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCES

1. TROPOSPHERETROPOSPHERE

-greatest air pressure

-all clouds and weather

-jet stream lies at the top

2. STRATOSPHERE

Airplanes fly here (try to)

little temperature change

has the greatest concentration of the OZONE

question

Where in our atmosphere does weather occur?

Troposphere!!!

3. MESOSPHERE

Coldest layer

meteors burn up here

4. THERMOSPHERE(ionosphere)

“Hottest” layerfewest air particlescontains the ionosphere

a layer of charged particlesreflects radio waves around the

worldhelps to produce the

auroras(northern lights)

Air pressure- weight of the atmosphere

1. Caused by gravity

2. 14.7 lbs/ sq.in at sea level

Solar Energy and your atmosphere

Electromagnetic spectrum: Complete range of wavelengths.

Question: In order for electromagnetic waves (EM) to

reach the Earth’s surface what must it travel through first?

a)Earth’s Geosphere

b)Earth’s Hydrosphere

c) Earth’s Atmosphere

d)Earth’s Asthenosphere

Em waves path to Earth:

Nitrogen and Oxygen absorb short wave lengths.

X-rays

Gamma rays

Occurs in Thermosphere and Mesosphere

Scattering: water droplets and dust bend rays

Pair-share

Why is the sky blue?

a)Because most of the earth is water so it reflects the blue color

b)Scattering of blue wavelengths by water and dust

c) Reflection of blue wavelengths from blue surfaces such as our oceans

d)It is the color of our atmosphere reflected down from the suns rays

Albedo: the fraction of solar radiation reflected by a particular substance.

20% absorbed

By atmosphere

30% reflected

by clouds or Earth’s surface

50% absorbed

by the Earth’s surface

Greenhouse effect: Not bad! Helps maintain Earth’s temperature.

Greenhouse factors (write under diagrams)

Natural

Water vapor

Water cycle

Methane CH4

Breaking down dead organisms

Nitrous Oxide N20

Nitrogen cycle

Carbon Dioxide CO2

Carbon cycle

Anthropogenic Water vapor

Over usage/ waste of surface water (steam)

Methane

Burning/ emissions

Nitrous oxide

Chemicals

Carbon dioxide

burning

Uneven heating: Maritime/Continental

Maritime

Regions near water masses. (coastal regions)

Continental

Regions with large areas of land (mid-west)

Clicker

Climate change is responsible for warming which layer of Earth’s Atmosphere?

a)Troposphere

b)Mesosphere

c) Stratosphere

d)All of the above

e)None of the above

In your notes: Describe 3 things that influence temperature.

Latitude

Uneven heating: Maritime/Continental

Maritime

Regions near water masses. (coastal regions)

Continental

Regions with large areas of land (mid-west)

Factors that affect Temperature

Latitude Elevation Maritime Continental

Solar energy transfer

Radiation

Warms solid objects(conduction)

Warm gases rise from surfaceConvection

Cool gases fall warming the atmosphereConvection

Explain the delay using your diagram

Daily...the most intense radiation hits Earth at ______pm, but the warmest time is at _______ pm. 

Yearly...the most intense radiation hits Earth in _________, but the warmest months are ___________.

Diagram and label the fate of solar radiation

1st label the layers of the atmosphere

2nd label how each wavelength of the EM spectrum are affected by those layers

Air pollution Any substance in the atmosphere that is harmful to

living organisms or to property.

Sulfur dioxide

Carbon monoxide

Lead

Hydrocarbons

Burning coal