SCIENCE PART 2
Stratopause – boundary between the
Earth’s atmosphere is the thin envelope of air that
surrounds our planet, it is a mixture of gasses, each with
its own physical properties.
Basis: Temperature
4 Regions
1. Troposphere
- Closest to earth’s surface
- 10km above ground reaching 215 km
- 4-12 miles (7 – 20 km) thick and contains earths
atmosphere
- Nearly all dust and water vapor are in this layer
- Weather like (howling winds, soft breeze, rain
and sunny skies occur in this region.
2. Stratosphere
- above the tropopause
- region from 10 -50 km reaching 275K
- starts from the tropopause ends about 31 miles
(50 km) above ground.
- contains ozone layer, where volcanic gasses
affect the climate.
3. Mesosphere
- Starts at 31 miles(50km) and extends to 53 miles
(85km)
- Top is called the mesopause (coldest part of the
earth’s atmosphere with temp. about -130
degrees F (90 C)
- This layer is hard to study.
- Jets and balloons don’t go high enough, and
satellites and space shuttle orbit to high.
- Where meteors burn up.
4. Thermosphere
- Extends from 56 miles ( 90 km ) between 310 and
620 miles ( 500 and 1000km)
- Temp can get up to 2700 degrees F (1500C) at
this altitude.
- Considered part of the earth’s atmosphere, but
air density is low
- At most of this layer is what normally thought as
outer space.
- Where space shuttles flew
- Where the international space station orbits the
earth
- Where the aurora’s occur
5. Exosphere – is the outermost layer of the earth’s
atmosphere.
- It starts an altitude of about 500 km out of 10000
km
- The highest layer
- Extremely thin and is where the atmosphere
merges in the outer space.
- Composed of very widely dispersed particles of
hydrogen and helium
- The region where atoms and molecules escape
into space.
Temperature extremes that form the boundaries
between adjacent regions and denoted by the suffix (-
pause)
The boundaries are important because gases mix across
them relatively.
1. Tropopause
- The boundary between the stratosphere and
troposphere
2.
mesosphere and the stratosphere
3. Mesopause
- Boundary between the mesosphere and
thermosphere (coldest region in the
atmosphere)
N2 and O2 make about 99% of sea-level air
The noble gases and C)2 make up most of the
remainder.
Photochemical reaction in the atmosphere
Photodissociation
- Rupture of chemical bond resulting from
absorption of a photon by molecule.
- No ions are formed when the bonds between
atoms is cleaved (breaks the bond)
- Half the bonding electrons stays on both atoms.
The result of two electrically neutral particles.
- (photodissociation of oxygen molecules) One of
the most important processes occurring above
an altitude of about 120 km
- (495 KJ/mol) Minimum energy to cause this
damage is determined by the bond energy of
Oxygen gas.
Photoionization
- When a molecule in the upper atmosphere
absorbs solar radiation and the absorbed energy
causes an electron to be ejected from the
molecule. The molecule then becomes a
positively charged ion.
- For photoionization to occur a molecule must
absorb a photon and the photon must have
enough energy to remove an electron. The result
is the formation of cation.
Ozone(O3) in the stratosphere
- Forms a kind of layer in the stratosphere where
it is more concentrated than anywhere else.
- O3 and Oxygen molecules in the stratosphere
absorb ultraviolet light from the sun providing a
shield that prevents this radiation from passing
to the earth’s surface
The rate of at which the reactions of 1 and 2 proceed
depends on two factors that vary on the opposite
directions with increasing altitudes.
1. Equation 1 reaction depends on the presence of
O atoms. At low altitudes most of the radiation
energetic enough to dissociate O2 into O atoms
has been absorbed
- O are plentiful at higher altitudes
2. Equation 1 and 2 both depend on molecular
collisions.
3. Concentration of molecules are greater at low
altitudes and so the rates of both reactions are
greater at lower altitudes.
4. 90% of the earth’s ozone is found in the
stratosphere.Ozone cycle in the stratosphere is
responsible for the rise in temperatire that
reaches its max at the stratopause.
Ozone and its depletion
-protects the erths surface from the damaging UV
 - If the concentration of of ozone In the stratosphere oxidants. This mixture forms a mild solution of
decreases substantially more UV on earth. Sulfuric and Nitric acids
- concentration of ozone in the stratosphere - Sunlight increases rate of most reactions
decreases more UV will reach earths surface causing - Rainbow, snow, fog forms precipitation
unwanted photochemical reactions. - containing those acids and falls as acid rain.
Nitrogen oxides – emitted from vehicle exhaust and
1995- F. Sherwood Rowland, Mario Moline and Paul burning of coal fuel etc especially powerplants
Crutzen - awarded the Nobel prize in Chemistry for They are emitted by cigarettes, gas stoves kerosene
their studies about ozone depletion heaters
1970 – Crutzen showed that naturally occurring Nitrogen oxides react with sunlight and other chemicals
oxides catalytically destroy ozone that forms smog.
1974 – Rowland and Molina recognized that chlorine Photochemical smog
from ( chloroflourocarbons ) CFCs may deplete the – when UV light from the sun reacts with nitrogen
ozone oxides
CHLOROFLOUROCARBON – Greenhous smog
- Do not occur in nature and have been widely Primary greenhouse gases are:
used as propellants in spray cans, refrigerant, air 1. Water vapor
conditioner gases and foaming agents for 2. Carbon dioxide
plastics. 3. Methane
- There are virtually unreactive in the lower 4. Nitrous oxide
atmosphere. 5. Ozone
- They are insoluble in water and removed from Water vapor is the largest contribution to the
the atmosphere by rainfall or by dissolution in greenhouse effect
the oceans
- Lack of reactivity makes them commercially Maintaining the atmospheric temperature at night
useful also allows them to survive in the When the surface is emitting radiation Into space and not
atmosphere and diffuse in the stratosphere receiving energy from the sun
1987 of the Montreal protocol on substance in the
presence of light with wavelength from 190 – 225 nm Carbon dioxide- very important role the surface
1992 more stringent limits when representatives of temperature
approximately 100 nations agreed to ban the - A trace gas
production and use of CFCs by 1996 with some - Having global average concentration of 409 parts
exceptions for essential uses per million by volume.
Sulfur Compounds and acid rain
- Chiefly sulfur dioxide among the most Climate change in statistical distribution of weather
unpleasant and harmful of the common patterns when that change lasts for an extended period
pollutant gases. of time
- Combustion of coal accounts for majority of SO2 Refer to a change in average weather conditions.
released in the atmosphere - Caused by factors such as biotic processes
- Coal burning electrical powerplants generates variations in solar radiations global worming
electricity
- Emission are a problem when coal burned
depends on the amount of sulfur in the coal
- Low sulfur is in greater demand and most
expensive and has a lower heat content per unit
mass.
- SO2 is harmful to both human health and
property
- Can be oxidized in several pathways:
1. Burning of fossil fuel
2. When reached the atmosphere, oxidants
and forms sulfate ions
3. Sulfate ions joins with hydrogen atoms in the
air and becomes sulfuric acid and falls as acid
rain.
Acid Rain
- Air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels is
the major cause of acid rain
Chemicals that form acid rain:
1. Sulfur Dioxide
2. Nitrogen
- Usually forms in the clous where sulfur dioxide
and nitrogen reacts with water, oxygen and