1 / 17

Understanding Earth’s Atmosphere and Climate Zones

Explore the fascinating dynamics of Earth’s atmosphere, including its structure, the layers that compose it, and how they influence weather patterns. Did you know house flies live only 2 weeks, or that the Atlantic Giant Squid has an eye as large as 15.75 inches? Learn about differential heating and the distinct characteristics of polar, temperate, and tropical zones. Additionally, delve into air composition, trace gases, and the role of volcanoes in shaping our early atmosphere. Join us in understanding how altitude affects air pressure and temperature.

lacy
Télécharger la présentation

Understanding Earth’s Atmosphere and Climate Zones

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Friday, May 2nd, 2014 • Did you know… • House flies have a lifespan of 2 wks. • The Atlantic Giant Squid's eye can be as large as 40cm (15.75in) wide. • It takes ~12 hrs for food to entirely digest.

  2. Do Now: May 2nd • What is differential heating? • What are the differences btwn polar, temperate, & tropical zones? • How can cities at the same latitude have different weather patterns?

  3. YouTube Friday • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU-eAzNp5Hw • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQm3FjLo-mk

  4. Early Atmosphere • Produced by erupting volcanoes • Mostly Nitrogen, little Oxygen • O2 appeared as orgs photosynthesized (made food from sunlight)

  5. Air Composition • 78% Nitrogen (N2) • 21% Oxygen (O2) • >1% Argon (Ar) Trace Gases Dust, bacteria, & particulates

  6. Trace Gases • ppmv: parts per million by volume • Carbon dioxide (CO2) = 340 ppmv • Neon (Ne) = 18 ppmv • Helium (He) = 5 ppmv • Methane (CH4) = 2 ppmv • Hydrogen (H2) = 0.5 ppmv

  7. Red Tint of Sunrise/Sunset • http://formontana.net/sun.html

  8. Atmosphere has 5 layers • Air pressure & temp change w/ altitude

  9. Troposphere • Lowest/closest atmospheric level • 0 - 16km (~10mi) • Weather takes place • Temp drops as height incr • Most air pollution

  10. Stratosphere • 2nd closest atmospheric layer • 16 - 50km (31mi) • Concentrated, protective ozone • Temp incr as height incr • Jets fly here • Jet stream: rivers of air in base of layer

  11. Mesosphere • Middle atmospheric layer • 50 - 90km (56mi) • Coldest layer of atmosphere • Temp decr as height incr • Meteors burn up here

  12. Thermosphere • 4th atmospheric layer • 90 - 300km (186mi) • Temp incr as height incr • Hottest layer • Lonosphere: makes auroras (curtains of light)

  13. Exosphere • Outermost/farthest atmospheric layer • Temp incr w/ height incr • Composed mostly of hydrogen & helium • Satellites orbit earth • No clear boundary btwn atmosphere & space

  14. Pressure & Density • Gravity pulls gases toward surface • Air pressure: force exerted over an area of surface • Air Density: # of air molecules in a given space/volume

  15. Atmospheric Layers • Air pressure & density decr w/ elevation • Temp has complex vertical profile • Lapse Rate: temp decr due to sunlight warming earth’s surface, then surface warms air above it • ~3.6°F per 1000ft rise • Temp inversion: air temp incr w/ height

  16. Remembering the Layers… • The • Science • Monkey • Took • Earth • Troposphere • Stratosphere • Mesosphere • Thermosphere • Exosphere

More Related