Four Systems of Our Earth

Composition of Earth Earth Has 4 main systems that interact:

The Atmosphere– layer of gas that surrounds Earth more commonly known as “air”.

Atmosphere. How do you know its there Is this “air” that surrounds us considered matter? Does it weigh anything? How do you know? Think about it and decide on an answer. Talk in groups with the person who sits by you Be ready to tell the class what you decided and why.

Weight of the atmosphere Gases are in the atmosphere. They are things we learned about in the periodic table: Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Hydrogen It is matter! Sound can travel through it.

Even though you can’t see them, Atoms make up gases. Are some atoms bigger than others? Are their atomic weights all the same?

Helium vs. Carbon Dioxide Do you think of helium as light and floating or heavy and falling? Do you think about Carbon Dioxide as light and floating or heavy and falling….think about the gas released from dry ice… does it go up or down? http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=F239cINIADs

Composition of Earth Earth Has 4 main systems that interact: The Atmosphere Mostly Nitrogen and Oxygen Water vapor is responsible for clouds and precipitation Has layers Protects us from meteors and comets, x-rays, gamma rays, ultra violet light The Hydrosphere The Biosphere The Geosphere

Composition of Earth’s atmosphere Earth Has 4 main systems that interact: The Atmosphere layers Exosphere Thermosphere Mesosphere Stratosphere Troposphere The Biosphere The Geosphere The Hydrosphere Exosphere

Composition of Earth’s atmosphere Earth Has 4 main systems that interact: The Atmosphere Troposphere Contains most clouds and weather. Temperature cools as you go higher50% of sun’s energy passes through, 50% is reflected back. Most of the troposphere’s heat is from Earth (convection) Stratosphere Mesosphere Thermosphere The Hydrosphere The Biosphere The Geosphere Exosphere

Contains most clouds and weather. Temperature cools as you go higher50% of sun’s energy passes through, 50% is reflected back. Most of the troposphere’s heat is from Earth (convection)

Troposphere and Clouds Among other gases there is water vapor in the troposphere. Clouds—form when air rises, cools to its dew point, and becomes saturated (moist).

Water Vapor Demonstration

Water Cycle Demo

Precipitation-falling water in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail

Section 2: Earth’s Weather Troposphere Weather—the atmosphere’s condition in terms of temperature, cloud cover, wind speed and direction, humidity, and air pressure. What are different types of weather? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Section 2: Earth’s Weather Troposphere Temperature—a measure of how fast air molecules are moving. When molecules are moving rapidly, temperature is high. Celsius and Fahrenheit thermometers measure air temperature.

Section 2: Earth’s Weather Troposphere What is the temperature like today? Hot/ Cold ______________________ Degrees Fahrenheit_______________ Degrees Celsius _________________

Section 2: Earth’s Weather Troposphere Energy is transferred between fast-moving molecules and slower-moving molecules. Conduction—transfer of energy when molecules collide. Give an example of something heating up due to conduction: __________________________________ Convection occurs when warm air rises and cool air sinks. Give an example of something heating up due to convection: ___________________________________

Section 2: Earth’s Weather Troposphere Air pressure— air weight that varies over Earth’s surface. Warmer air is less dense and exerts less pressure. Cooler air is more dense and exerts more pressure.

Air Pressure Demonstration—Write about what you learned

Humidity— the amount of water vapor in the air Temperature affects how much moisture is in the air.

Dewpoint—when the air is holding as much water vapor as it can Relative humidity— a measure of the amount of water vapor present compared to the amount that could be held at a specific temperature.

THAT WAS ALL ABOUT THE TROPOSPHERE!!! Lets cover the other layers briefly. Go back up to the graphic organizer at the top of your notes and fill in info about each layer.

Composition of Earth’s atmosphere Earth Has 4 main systems that interact: The Atmosphere Troposphere Stratosphere 10 km to 50 km contains ozone that absorbs much of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Gets warmer as you go up. Mesosphere Thermosphere The Hydrosphere The Biosphere The Geosphere

Composition of Earth’s atmosphere Earth Has 4 main systems that interact: The Atmosphere Troposphere Stratosphere Mesosphere 50-85 km The coldest part of the atmosphere. It can get down to -90°C in the mesosphere. Thermosphere The Hydrosphere The Biosphere The Geosphere

Composition of Earth’s atmosphere Earth Has 4 main systems that interact: The Atmosphere Troposphere Stratosphere Mesosphere Thermosphere 80-500 km Temperatures increase up to 1,700°C Filters out x-rays and gamma rays from the sun. This is an image of the space shuttle as it is orbiting around the Earth. The space shuttle orbits in the thermosphere of the Earth. The Hydrosphere The Biosphere The Geosphere

Exosphere The last layer of the atmosphere Difficult to tell where it stops and space begins Very few atoms in this layer of the atmosphere

Ionosphere Within the mesosphere and thermosphere is a layer of electrically charged particles. This layer allows radio waves to travel across the country to another city. www.blo ust.com/henley