{ Weather and tides Importance to Marine and Aquatic Activities

 The atmosphere is basically the layer of air that surrounds the earth.  The atmosphere is mostly made up of nitrogen and oxygen.  It is made up of many layers  Each layer is identified by a temperature, the chemicals they contain and their density The Atmosphere

There are 4 layers of the atmosphere that we will focus on; 1. Troposphere 2. Stratosphere 3. Mesosphere 4. Thermosphere The Layers of the Atmosphere

 All living things are found here.  All weather occurs here.  Extends up into the air only 12km  Very dense (Lots of gas particles) Troposphere

 km in atmosphere  Contains the ozone layer  Ozone is a special form of oxygen that blocks out large amounts of UV radiation Stratosphere

 Begins at 50km to 80km  Temperatures are warm near the stratosphere and decrease as you go higher. Mesosphere

 km into atmosphere  Further you go away from Earth the hotter it gets  Past this you reach the exosphere which is space Thermosphere

This image, released yesterday by NASA, was captured on January 25 as the planet was bombarded with strong solar flares, setting off the spectacular light shows as energised particles interacted with the atmosphere Best seats in house for northern lights Courier Mail February 10, :00AM February 10, :00AM NASA astronauts were treated to an unworldly light show from the comforts of the International Space Station last month, highlighted by the spectacular Aurora Borealis over North America.

LayerAltitude (km)Temperature Range ( o C) Facts Troposphere o C to 30 o C All life lives here Approx. 21% O 2 Approx. 1% CO 2 Approx. 78% N 2 Mt Everest reaches the top of the troposphere Stratosphere o C to -60 o C and then to 25 o C Contains Ozone layer Planes fly at lower levels Mesosphere o C to -100 o C Coldest layer Meteors burn up here Thermosphere o C to 1000 o C Hottest layer as closest to sun Space begins above here Aurora forms here

 Keeps the Earth’s temperature from dipping to extreme icy cold that would freeze everything solid or from soaring to blazing heat that would burn up all life Why is atmosphere important?

 Water from the Earth’s surface evaporates (eg. Lakes, oceans, wet soil etc)  The warm air it evaporates into rises.  As it rises the atmosphere gets colder  The water vapour forms back into tiny droplets of liquid water  These tiny droplets build up to form clouds.  When these droplets stick together they get too heavy and fall as rain How do Clouds form?

Surf not to be mist: 'Cloud tsunami' envelops Florida city Scientists have their own explanation for this cloud bank. Warm masses of air are coming from the Gulf of Mexico, meet obstacles and rise above the skyscrapers. And at height colder air turns them into the clouds. Then they "slide" down on the opposite walls of buildings, where the clouds heat and then dissipate.

Surf not to be mist: 'Cloud tsunami' envelops Florida city

Cloud Types

 Clouds consist of fine droplets of water that are able to float in the air currents.  As they rise they get colder and begin to stick together.  This causes the water droplets to get heavier and if the get too heavy they fall as rain Rain Formation

 Sometimes updrafts can form where hot humid air can rise up into the atmosphere very fast.  This can circulate high up in the cloud and grow and freeze until it is so heavy it falls as hail Hail Formation