Ch 15 1 Atmosphere Andie

What is the difference between weather and climate? What do you think?

Weather describes what is currently happening to the atmosphere. What is our weather like now? Is it the same every day of the year?

Climate describes a general average of our weather. Do we have a cold climate in Georgia? Do we have a dry climate in Georgia? How would you describe our climate?

[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],What is the atmosphere? View of the atmosphere from the space shuttle

Air Pressure ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

Think about air pressure as being a stack of books. Here at the surface of the earth, we have more air “stacked” on top of us. That means we feel more pressure than if we were higher in the atmosphere. http://curriculum.calstatela.edu

Air pressure is measured using an instrument called a barometer. http://www.dkimages.com/ Notice that it looks like a thermometer. But is does not measure temperature. It measures pressure in inches. (see page 510 in your book) Also notice that there are words around the gauge. There must be a connection be weather and pressure! Cold air is more dense (has more pressure) than warm air. Dry air is more dense than wet air. Notice on the dial that rainy weather has a lower pressure!

Composition of Atmosphere ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Permanent Gases – they are always in the air!

[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Variable Gases – This means the percents are always changing.

[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Water Vapor This satellite image shows the relative amounts of water vapor: Dark – low water, white – high water vapor

[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) What do you think this graph is telling us about the amount of carbon dioxide in the air year by year?

Ozone (O 3 ) ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Video clip on ozone

Air quality is affected by pollutants. We just discussed many of these. Some are natural and some are manmade. Two common results of pollutants in our atmosphere are photochemical smog and acid rain .

Smog http://science.kennesaw.edu It is formed by sunlight causing reactions between chemicals in the air. Most of those chemicals come out of our cars and busses. Photo taken of Atlanta smog. Notice the brown haze in the sky. That is smog! In Georgia, it is usually caused by car exhaust. New York smog http://jmsoul.files.wordpress.com/ Video clip on smog

http://science.howstuffworks.com Acid Rain Acid rain is caused by water vapor combining with chemicals in the air and forming acid. The acid rain then changes the water in an area. It can kill trees and poison streams. http://www.ohiocitizen.org Video segment on acid rain

Structure of the Atmosphere ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

Layers from Earth’s surface ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],The thermosphere has two parts: ionosphere and exosphere. Let’s learn a little about each layer!

[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Troposphere

Troposphere – when a cloud reaches the top of this layer, they cannot go higher so they flatten out. Picture taken by the space shuttle.

Stratosphere ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Without the ozone layer protecting us, we could not live on the surface of the Earth!

Mesosphere ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

Thermosphere ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

Ionosphere Quartz Lake State Park, Alaska (Curtis, 1996) ,[object Object],[object Object],http://apod.nasa.gov

Exosphere The exosphere is the outer part if the atmosphere. Fewer and fewer atoms are found as you get farther from the surface of the earth. Because of this, there cannot be an actual point where you are no longer in the atmosphere. Satellites orbit in the exosphere.

What do you know about these layers?

Ch 15 1 Atmosphere Andie

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