Dec.12, 2017 You need: Clean paper (2) / pencil Warm up paper for Mental Math Atmospheric Layers – DONE! Warm Up: Mental Math Quiz will begin shortly. Be ready! I CAN: determine the layers of the atmosphere and characteristics of each.

Mixture of Gases in Air All Other Gases Argon = 0.93% Carbon Dioxide = 0.04%

NITROGEN A major part of proteins, including DNA Dilutes (thins out) the oxygen – too much or too little oxygen and we would die! Turned into useful form by nitrogen-fixing bacteria

OXYGEN Necessary to survive! Our cells use oxygen to create energy All of the oxygen in our atmosphere has been created by plants – photosynthesis! Burning requires oxygen

CARBON DIOXIDE Used by plants for photosynthesis A greenhouse gas – carbon dioxide helps keep our planet warm Increases in CO2 have been making the planet warmer: global warming!

TRACE GASES OZONE helps filter out the sun’s harmful rays ARGON is used in light bulbs because it will not catch fire even in extreme heat WATER VAPOR can condense to form clouds HELIUM inflates balloons and blimps

Earth’s Atmosphere Atmosphere – thin layer of gases surrounding Earth, made up of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases, as well as particles of liquids and solids. Water vapor – water in its gaseous form (invisible) Ozone – forms when lightning interacts with oxygen in the air and creates a molecule of three oxygen atoms (O3)

Earth’s atmosphere makes conditions on Earth suitable for living things: It traps energy from the sun keeping the Earth warm. The heat also keeps water in liquid form (good for life) It protects Earth from dangerous radiation and meteor collisions.

Let’s make a model! Write the notes ONTO the correct layer. Add color to the layers and the pictures. Cut out the layers and the pictures. Assemble on your notebook paper. **Be careful to place them low enough on the page so that they don’t stick out of the top of your binder!!**

TROPOSPHERE Shortest Layer (0-12 km) Average Temperature of 25°C (Temperature drops as you go higher) All of Earth’s weather happens here. Air here contains water & dust. Most of the atmosphere’s air is here (this layer is very dense).

STRATOSPHERE From the troposphere to about 50 km above earth’s surface There is almost no water or dust in this layer. Contains the OZONE LAYER (which absorbs UV radiation from the sun) Very cold, until the top of the layer, where it warms to 0°C.

MESOSPHERE 50-80 km above Earth’s surface. Temperature plunges to -90°C (the coldest in the atmosphere) Meteors burn up here while entering the atmosphere (friction). It offers protection.

THERMOSPHERE Thickest layer (80-400 km above Earth’s surface). Really thought of as two layers: ionosphere and exosphere. Ionosphere contains ions or charged particles allowing radio waves to bounce off and auroras to occur. Temperature can spike to 1,800°C.

EXOSPHERE “Exo-” means outer. Outer-most layer of the atmosphere. Not truly seen as a layer since it simply blends into outer space.

Is this a good time to pause? If this is a good time, students can stop the notes and use about 15 minutes to color, cut-out, and assemble the atmospheric layers. If not, take a few more notes – then assign the assembly of the layers for homework.

Back to your notes page… Altitude, or elevation, is the distance above sea level. As altitude increases, air pressure decreases. Air pressure decreases and this also means that density decreases. Low density can make it difficult to breathe (due to less oxygen)

Air pressure Air pressure – the result of weight of a column of air pushing down on an area, measured by an instrument known as a barometer. Barometer = Air pressure

Exploring with a Syringe Let’s discuss what happened when you were given a chance to “investigate” or explore with the syringe. Tell the teacher what you did and what happened…

Air Pressure in a Syringe Which syringe has the air under greater pressure? Which one is showing greater density? Low Pressure High Pressure

Exploring Air with Syringes Based on the investigation: What can air do? A few words you need to know… Compress – means to squeeze into a smaller space Density – the amount of mass (stuff) in a certain amount of space (volume) Air Pressure – the force of air pushing on stuff Barometer – a tool that measures air pressure COMPRESS

Is air pressure strong enough to push an egg into a bottle?

What happened?

What happened? The fire heats up the air inside the bottle and makes it expand – pushing some air out. When the fire goes out, the air cools and contracts (takes up less space), creating LOW pressure in the bottle. Suddenly the HIGH air pressure outside the bottle can "push" the egg inside.

Air Pressure at Different Altitudes Is air pressure greater at sea level or on top of a mountain? Mountains (High altitude) Sea Level (Low altitude)

Air Pressure at Different Altitudes Magic Balloon: If I want it to be bigger, should I take it to the mountains or the beach? Mountains (High altitude) Sea Level (Low altitude)