Meteorology 1Mrs. Meredith

Meteorology Objective : After copying notes, students will identify and classify the 5 layers of the earth’s atmosphere by using illustrations, captions and analyzing written and oral text to 80% accuracy. NJCSS: 5.4F CPI 01 Identify patterns in data collected from basic weather instruments. CCSS: RI 4 3, RI 4.4, RI 4.5, WA 4.2b, WA 4.2d 2Mrs. Meredith

Meteorology Essential Question: What do you need to know to study weather? 3Mrs. Meredith

Meteorology Meteorology (me·te·or·ol·o·gy) is the study of the atmosphere and weather. A planet’s atmosphere is the layer of gases that surrounds the planet. 4Mrs. Meredith

Earth’s Atmosphere Earth’s atmosphere is the blanket of air that surrounds Earth. It is approximately 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) thick and is made up of several layers. It is comprised mostly of nitrogen and oxygen, along with carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases. 5Mrs. Meredith

Earth has five (5) layers in its atmosphere. They are: 1.Troposphere ( tro·po·sphere) 2.Stratosphere ( strat·o·sphere ) 3.Mesosphere ( mes·o·sphere ) 4.Thermosphere ( ther·mo·sphere ) 5.Exosphere (ex·o·sphere) Earth’s Atmosphere 6Mrs. Meredith

The Troposphere The troposphere (tro·po·sphere) is the lowest and densest of the atmospheric layers. It is between kilometers (6- 12 miles) thick and contains about 95% of all the air in the atmosphere. Weather occurs in the troposphere. 7Mrs. Meredith

Weather Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place. It is the condition of the air over a brief period of time. It can change from day to day, even from hour to hour. It also changes markedly from season to season and from place to place. 8Mrs. Meredith

Climate Weather is different from climate. Climate is the average weather over a long period of time. It generally stays the same from year to year. Climate is described in terms of the average temperature of a region or the average amount of rain or snow a region receives. 9Mrs. Meredith

Temperature Temperature is the numerical measure of hot and cold. The 2 scales typically used to measure temperature are Celsius and Fahrenheit. 10Mrs. Meredith

The Celsius Scale The Celsius scale (°C) is used for common temperature measurements in most of the world. The measurement term associated with this scale is degrees Celsius. At standard air pressure, the Celsius scale sets the freezing point of water at 0 degrees Celsius (0°C) and the boiling point of water at 100 degrees Celsius (100°C). It is divide into equal increments of temperature based on the metric system. 11Mrs. Meredith

The Fahrenheit Scale The United States commonly uses the Fahrenheit scale (°F). The measurement term associated with this scale is degrees Fahrenheit. On the Fahrenheit scale, water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (32°F) and boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit (212°F) at sea-level atmospheric pressure. 12Mrs. Meredith

The First Thermometers The first thermometers were basically tubes filled with water. As the air outside became warmer or colder during the day, so did the water in the thermometer. These thermometers were of limited use for the study of weather, since the water would freeze whenever the temperature dropped below 32°F or 0°C. 13Mrs. Meredith

Old Thermometers Scientist later realized that mercury would be a better substance to use in weather thermometers. Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at standard conditions for temperature and pressure. It freezes at approximately -39°C and boils at approximately 357°C. 14Mrs. Meredith

New Thermometers C oncerns about mercury’s toxicity have led to the use of the element in thermometers being largely phased out in favor of alcohol or spirit-filled thermometers. Thermometers that show both Celsius and Fahrenheit scales are called dual-scale thermometers. 15Mrs. Meredith

Using Thermometers Thermometers provide accurate readings only under the proper conditions. Most importantly, if the thermometer is in direct sunlight, it will absorb heat from the sun and produce an artificially high reading. Thus, outdoor air temperature readings should always be taken in the shade. 16Mrs. Meredith

References Ask.com Bing.com.images Bing dictionary Delta Science-Weather Instruments Mrs. Meredith