Study of the Atmosphere Meteorology

What is the Atmosphere?  Layers of gasses/tiny particles that surround Earth.

What is Meteorology?  Study of the Atmosphere (Ex- Why is sky red?)

What is Weather?  Condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place  Temperature, air movements, moisture

What is in Air? Atmospheric Composition (pie chart)

Air Pressure Definition  Force of air on the surface of the earth  Can look at it 2 ways: AP = (# of air molecules) / (Area) AP = (# of air molecules) / (Area) AP = (# of collisions) / (Area) AP = (# of collisions) / (Area)  What does air pressure look like  What happened to this bottle?

What are 3 Ways to Change Air Pressure?  Lets look at this simulation to see if we can come up with an answer… (click here) click hereclick here  3 Ways: Change Volume Change Volume Change # of molecules Change # of molecules Change Temperature Change Temperature

What is a Barometer Do? Barometer- Measures atmospheric pressure.

Mercurial Barometer- Looking at this picture, tell me how it works!  “Mercurial” comes from the fact that many used mercury as the liquid in the barometer  Air pressure pushes on liquid and squeezes it up a certain height (giving pressure)

Aneroid Barometer - How does this thing work?

What Determines Atmospheric Layers?  Layers in sky based on different temperature (Usually defined by altitude).  There is not an exact change on a line between each layer, but more of a gradual shift.

Atmosphere Video  l_68k l_68k l_68k

Troposphere  Closest to Earth, where all weather occurs  Contain all water vapor and CO 2  Contains the Biosphere  Temperature drops by due to increase distance from heat absorbed by earth.

Stratosphere  Goes from top of troposphere to about 50 km.  Most of the Ozone (0 3 ) is here.  Temp increases due to absorption of sunlight by O 3 molecules.  Top is Stratopause where temp is constant

Mesosphere  Goes from top of Stratosphere to about 80km.  Temp starts to decrease again and this is the coldest layer (up to -90 o C).  Top is Mesopause Meteor Shower Time Lapse Video

Thermosphere  Top of Mesosphere to exosphere (550km)  Bottom of the thermosphere is the ionosphere  Increase b/c N and O atoms absorb solar energy (like the O 3 in the Stratosphere)  Temp as much as 2000 o C

Ionosphere (in Thermosphere)  km  Hig level solar energy strikes atoms in the layer, striping electrons causing them to become ions  The ionsphere is used to reflect radio signals

Northern Lights  wAYKBBSc wAYKBBSc wAYKBBSc  wAYKBBSc

What is the Exosphere?  550km-outer space (more than 1000km)

What is Solar Energy?  All of the waves of energy that come from the sun (everything form EM Spectrum)

Electromagnetic Spectrum

Visible Wavelengths

What is Radiation?  Energy from sun that travels to Earth as waves

What is Reflection vs Scattering?

What is Scattering? The shorter the wavelength, the more likely it is to be scattered. Longer wavelengths pass through more easily.

Why is sky Red during sunset?  Annimation Annimation  Youtube Video Youtube Video Youtube Video

Why does the sky appear white sometimes?  A lot of moisture in atmosphere will cause all particles to scatter, or if there is no cloud cover and if the sun is overhead, the sun will look whitish because all visible light passes to your eye.  But don’t look directly at the sun!

Absorption  Any solar energy that is NOT reflected is absorbed.

All Energy Reaching Earth  Energy that reaches Earth is either reflected or absorbed  How much is reflected or absorbed depends on surface  The fraction that is reflected is called albedo `

What is Albedo?  This determines the level of reflectivity of a substance.  The higher the Albedo number, the more reflective a substance is.  Examples: Snow albedo = 95 (95% reflected, 5% absorbed) Snow albedo = 95 (95% reflected, 5% absorbed) Forest albedo = 10 (10% reflected, 90% aborbed) Forest albedo = 10 (10% reflected, 90% aborbed) Grass albedo = 26 (26% reflected, 74% aborbed) Grass albedo = 26 (26% reflected, 74% aborbed)

Other Reasons Temp Varies Throughout the Planet  Latitude (hottest on the equator due to more direct sunlight)

Other Reasons Temp Varies Throughout the Planet  Altitude (Colder at higher elevations due to less moisture and air molecules to absorb heat)

Other Reasons Temp Varies Throughout the Planet  Bodies of Water (Water abosorbs heat well and therefore areas around water have more moderate temperature ranges)

What is the Greenhouse Effect?  Trapping of infrared heat by gas molecules reflecting infrared heat in the atmosphere back to earth.  These infrared rays are reflected back to earth where the warm earth’s surface again.

Why is some energy reflected back?

So how does this relate to Global Warming?

3 Views on Global Warming due to increase in greenhouse effect.  Nat Geo Nat Geo Nat Geo  Glen Beck Glen Beck Glen Beck  Past President of the United States Past President of the United States Past President of the United States

3 Ways Heat Moves

Conduction: Heat transfer by direct contact

Convection: heat transfer by air current

In your notes make a prediction.  What will happen if you hold a balloon of Air and a balloon of water over a flame?  WHY!

Let’s Try a Demonstration!  Why does one balloon pop in the flame and the other does not? Explain in scientific terms!

But WHY are all the wind patterns curved and not straight?  Coriolis Effect…

Let’s see what you know?  Turn to a blank page in your notes…

Where could this sunset be and why is it not red?

Label Conduction, Radiation, Convection

What types of energy is blocked by the ozone layer?

 What is the greenhouse effect (diagram/label it)? Explain yourself please…  What is global warming? How is it different from the greenhouse effect?

How does Conduction Work? Be very specific and diagram/label it!

How does Convection work? Be very specific, diagram/label it!

What is air pressure? How do we change it in a closed system?

Wind questions…  Where does wind come from?  Why is there a low pressure system on (close to) the equator?  Why don’t the winds just blow north to south in the N. Hemisphere and south to north in the S. Hemisphere?

Answer this…  Explain why if you were in a ship 5 miles north of me and I aimed a cannon directly at your boat and I shot a cannon ball at you, it would be unlikely I would hit you without altering my cannon direction?

Where does the jet stream get its name and why is it called that?

How does a land and sea breeze work? If a westerly wind is better for surfing, when is usually the best time of day to surf in NJ?

Think about it???  If you were sailing in the ocean what two areas (Degrees and names needed!) would you not want to be stuck? Especially if you were a horse on a boat?