The Atmosphere Environment

O This chapter discusses:

1. The significance of the Atmosphere
2. The composition of the Atmosphere
3. The layers of the atmosphere
4. The Atmospheric Circulation
 Importance
O Atmosphere – a thin layer of air that
forms a protective covering around
Earth.

O It keeps Earth’s temperature in a range

that can support life.

O It also care for life-forms from some of

the Sun’s harmful rays.
 The Composition of Atmosphere

Earth’s
systems

Atmosphere Hydrosphere Biosphere Geosphere

Air/gases water life land/rock

 The Atmosphere
** layer of gas that surrounds Earth more
commonly known as “air”.
Atmosphere.
How do you know its there
O Is this “air” that surrounds us
considered matter? Does it weigh
anything? How do you know?
O Think about it and decide on an
answer.
O Talk in groups with the person who sits
by you
O Be ready to tell the class what you
decided and why.
Even though you can’t see them, Atoms
make up gases.
O Are some atoms bigger than others?
O Are their atomic weights all the same?
The Composition of Atmosphere
o The Atmosphere
o Mostly Nitrogen and
Oxygen
o Water vapor is responsible
for clouds and
precipitation
o Has layers
o Protects us from meteors
and comets, x-rays,
gamma rays, ultra violet
light

o The Hydrosphere
o The Biosphere
o The Geosphere
Layers of the Atmosphere
Atmosphere

Exosphere--

Thermosphere--

Mesosphere--

Stratosphere--

Troposphere
Composition of the Earth’s Atmosphere
O Earth Has 4 main
systems that
interact:

O The Atmosphere
O Troposphere
O Stratosphere
O Mesosphere
O Thermosphere
O Exosphere
O The Hydrosphere
O The Biosphere
O The Geosphere
 Composition of Earth’s
atmosphere
O Earth Has 4 main systems that
interact:
O The Atmosphere
O Troposphere
O Contains most clouds
and weather.
O Temperature cools as
you go higher50% of
sun’s energy passes
through, 50% is reflected
back.
O Most of the
troposphere’s heat is
from Earth (convection)
O Stratosphere
O Mesosphere
O Thermosphere
O The Hydrosphere
O The Biosphere
O The Geosphere
Atmosphere

Exosphere--

Thermosphere--

Mesosphere--

Stratosphere--

Contains most clouds and weather.

Temperature cools as you go higher50% of sun’s energy
Troposphere passes through, 50% is reflected back.
Most of the troposphere’s heat is from Earth (convection)
Troposphere and Clouds
O Among other gases there is water vapor
in the troposphere.
O Clouds—form when air rises, cools to its
dew point, and becomes saturated
(moist).
Water Vapor Demonstration
Water Cycle Demo
 Precipitation

O falling water in the form of rain,

freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail
 Earth’s Weather
Troposphere
O Weather—the atmosphere’s condition
in terms of temperature, cloud cover,
wind speed and direction, humidity, and
air pressure.
O What are different types of weather?
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 Earth’s Weather
Troposphere
O Temperature—a measure of how fast
air molecules are moving.

O When molecules are moving rapidly,

temperature is high.
O Celsius and Fahrenheit thermometers
measure air temperature.
 Earth’s Weather
Troposphere
O Energy is transferred between fast-moving
molecules and slower-moving molecules.
O Conduction—transfer of energy when molecules
collide.
O Give an example of something heating up
due to conduction:
__________________________________
O Convection occurs when warm air rises and cool
air sinks.
O Give an example of something heating up
due to convection:
___________________________________
 Earth’s Weather
Troposphere

O Air pressure— air weight that varies over

Earth’s surface.

O Warmer air is less dense and exerts less

pressure.
O Cooler air is more dense and exerts more
pressure.
 Earth’s Weather
Troposphere
O Humidity— the amount of water vapor in the
air
O Temperature affects how much moisture is in
the air.
O Dew point—when the air is holding as much
water vapor as it can
O Relative humidity— a measure of the
amount of water vapor present compared to
the amount that could be held at a specific
temperature.
 THAT WAS ALL ABOUT THE
TROPOSPHERE!!!
O Lets cover the Atmosphere
other layers briefly.
Exosphere--

O Go back up to the
Thermosphere--
graphic organizer
at the top of your
notes and fill in info Mesosphere--

about each layer.

Stratosphere--

Troposphere
The Composition of Atmosphere
O Earth Has 4 main systems that interact:
O The Atmosphere
O Troposphere
O Stratosphere
O 10 km to 50 km
O contains ozone that absorbs much
of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation.
O Gets warmer as you go up.
O Mesosphere
O Thermosphere
O The Hydrosphere
O The Biosphere
O The Geosphere
Atmosphere

Exosphere--

Thermosphere--

Mesosphere-

Stratosphere--10 km to 50 km , contains ozone that

absorbs much of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation. , Gets warmer
as you go up.

Troposphere--Contains most clouds and weather. Most

of the troposphere’s heat is from Earth Temperature cools
about 6.5 degrees Celsius per kilometer of altitude.
 The Composition of Atmosphere
O Earth Has 4 main systems that
interact:
O The Atmosphere
O Troposphere
O Stratosphere
O Mesosphere
O 50-85 km
O The coldest part of the
atmosphere. It can get
down to -90°C in the
mesosphere.
O Thermosphere
O The Hydrosphere
O The Biosphere
O The Geosphere
Atmosphere

Exosphere--

Thermosphere--

Mesosphere- 50-85 km, The coldest part of the atmosphere. It

can get down to -90°C in the mesosphere. -

Stratosphere--10 km to 50 km , contains ozone that absorbs

much of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation. , Gets warmer as you go
up.

Troposphere--Contains most clouds and weather. Most of the

troposphere’s heat is from Earth Temperature cools about 6.5
degrees Celsius per kilometer of altitude.
 The Composition of Atmosphere
O Earth Has 4 main systems that
interact:
O The Atmosphere
O Troposphere
O Stratosphere
O Mesosphere
O Thermosphere
O 80-500 km
O Temperatures increase
up to 1,700°C
O Filters out x-rays and
gamma rays from the
sun.
O This is an image of the
space shuttle as it is
orbiting around the
Earth. The space
shuttle orbits in the
thermosphere of the
Earth.
O The Hydrosphere
O The Biosphere
O The Geosphere
Atmosphere

Exosphere--

Thermosphere-- 80-500 km, Temperatures increase up to 1,700°C,

Filters out x-rays and gamma rays from the sun. , This is an image of the
space shuttle as it is orbiting around the Earth. The space shuttle orbits in the
thermosphere of the Earth.

Mesosphere--The temperature drops when you go higher, like it

does in the troposphere. Coldest part of the atmosphere

Stratosphere--from 10 km to 50 km above Earth’s surface,

this layer contains ozone that absorbs much of the Sun’s
ultraviolet radiation.

Troposphere--Contains most clouds and weather., Most of the troposphere’s

heat is from Earth, Temperature cools about 6.5 degrees Celsius per
kilometer of altitude.
 The Composition of Atmosphere
O Earth Has 4 main systems that
interact:
O The Atmosphere
O Troposphere
O Stratosphere
O Mesosphere
O Thermosphere
O Exosphere
Extends to 10,000 km
above the Earth’s Surface
Is the upper most layer
of the atmosphere. In
exosphere, an upward
travelling molecule can
escape to space.
The exosphere is the
highest layer of the
atomosphere
O The Hydrosphere
O The Biosphere
O The Geosphere
Atmosphere

Exosphere--The last layer of the atmosphere, Difficult to tell

where it stops and space begins, Very few atoms in this layer of the
atmosphere

Thermosphere-- The air is really thin that high up. The temperature
changes with the solar activity. If the sun is active, temperatures in the
thermosphere can get up to 1,500°C or higher!

Mesosphere--The temperature drops when you go higher, like it does

in the troposphere. Coldest part of the atmosphere

Stratosphere--from 10 km to 50 km above Earth’s surface, this

layer contains ozone that absorbs much of the Sun’s ultraviolet
radiation.

Troposphere--Contains most clouds and weather., Most of the

troposphere’s heat is from Earth, Temperature cools about 6.5
degrees Celsius per kilometer of altitude.
Wind System
 A non-rotating earth
• Convection Cells: This is the
term used to describe the
process of warm air rising,
travelling laterally, cooling and
sinking and returning to the
source region along the surface.
• If there was no land on earth,
we would have two big
convection cells, one in each
hemisphere
• Remember, air moves from hot
to cold and high to low pressure
• Convection cells would operate
from the equator (heat surplus)
to the poles(net deficit) with air
flowing upwards at the equator,
cooling at the top of the
troposphere and descending
when cool at the poles.
 The three cells

O Unfortunately it
is not that
simple! The
earth is split
into three cells
in each
hemisphere
Major Air Circulation
 Coriolis
O This is the effect of the
earth spinning.
O It affects all large bodies
of liquid or gas, ie water
and air
O Remember the earth
spins anticlockwise if you
were looking down on
the North Pole, as in
from west to east
O Therefore along the
equator, major currents
flow from east to west.
 Hadley cells
O The helical
circulation patterns
of which the Trade
Winds form the
surface expression;
the north–south
component of this
helical circulation is
known as the
Hadley circulation;
the two ‘Hadley
cells’ can be seen
on either side of the
Equator
Atmospheric circulation
 Global Heat budget
O Excess at the equator
O Deficit at the poles
O Therefore all air and ocean currents transport heat
pole wards
O Latitudinal heat balance:
O Balance of incoming and outgoing radiation applicable for
whole earth is not maintained on latitudes.
O At 38°, incoming radiation and outgoing radiation are
equal.
O Above 38°, the atmosphere loses more radiation.
O Below 38°, the atmosphere gains more radiation.
O This energy imbalance is what drives winds and ocean
currents.
 Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
O Conduction:
O Conduction is the heat transferred through
molecular and electron collisions from one
molecule to another.
O Metals are good conductors
O Convection:
O Convection is the heat transferred via movement
or circulation of a substance, primarily vertically
O Warm air rising creates thermal currents.
O Advection describes the primarily horizontal
component of convective flow.
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
O Radiation
 Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
O Solar radiation travels through space providing
light and heat energy.
O Wavelength describes the length of the crest of
one radio wave to the next.
O Visible light, often referred to as “white light,”
actually describes the sensitivity of the human
eye to a range of wavelengths.
O Infrared radiation cannot be seen by the human
eye, but is detected as heat.
O Ultraviolet radiation, on the opposite side of the
visible range, consists of wavelengths that may
cause sunburns.
 Mechanisms of Heat Transfer

O Laws of radiation:

1. All objects continually emit radiate energy of a range

of wavelengths.
2. Hotter objects radiate more total energy per unit than
colder ones.
3. Hotter objects radiate more short wave radiation than
cooler ones.
4. Objects that are good absorbers of radiation are also
good emitters.
 What Happens to Incoming
Solar Radiation?
O Reflection:
O Light bounces back from an object at the same
angle and intensity.

O Scattering:
O Scattering produces a large number of weaker
rays traveling in different directions.

O Backscattering:
O Scattering, both backwards and forwards, is
known as backscattering.
 What Happens to Incoming
Solar Radiation?

O Reflection and the Earth’s albedo:

O Albedo is the % of radiation reflected by an object.

O The albedo for Earth is about 30%.

O For the moon, the albedo is about 7%.
O Light objects have higher albedos and darker objects have
lower albedos.
 What
Happens to
Incoming
Solar
Radiation?
 What Happens to Incoming
Solar Radiation?
O Diffused light:
O Diffused light is the result of dust particles and
gas molecules scatter light in different
directions.
O This diffusion results in clear days with a bright
blue sky.
O A red sun on the horizon is the result of the
great distance solar radiation must travel before
it reaches your eyes.
 The Role of Gases in the
Atmosphere
O Heating of the atmosphere
O When gas molecules absorb radiation,
this energy is transformed into internal
molecular motion, detected as a rise in
temperature
The Role of
Gases in the
Atmosphere
 Weather
O A local and temporary condition in the air
or the atmosphere.

O Heat, moisture and the wind in different

combinations produce the different
atmospheric conditions known as weather
 Climate
O Associated with place

O Includes daily, seasonal, and yearly

variations in the weather
 Elements of Climate
1. Temperature- refers to the quantity of heat
present n a particular mass.

2. Precipitation- refers to the descent of all forms

of moisture from the atmosphere

3. Humidity- refers to the presence of water vapor

in the air

4. Atmospheric Pressure- refers to the mass

weight of a column of air above a given point

5. Wind- refers to the air in horizontal motion

 Factors of Climate
1. Latitude

2. Altitude

3. Distribution of Land and Bodies of Water

4. Orographic Barriers

5. Pressure and Wind

6. Ocean Currents

7. Storms
 Reference List
O http://www.slideshare.net/201143947/heatin
g-of-the-atmosphere
O http://www.slideshare.net/phetolo/slide-
share-presentation-32038319
O http://www.slideshare.net/pydrex/atmospher
e-environmentenvi-sci
O http://www.slideshare.net/Alyssa10/atmosph
ere-powerpoint
O http://www.slideshare.net/katiewilkerosn/atm
osphere-151