Chapter 19 Section 1Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Characteristics of the Atmosphere

Chapter 19 Section 1Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Why is the atmosphere so important to the Earth? What Do You Think? Characteristics of the Atmosphere

Chapter 19 Section 1Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Atmosphere is a mixture of gases that surround the Earth. Protects you from the sun and has oxygen. Characteristics of the Atmosphere Cite:

Chapter 19 Section 1Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Characteristics of the Atmosphere The atmosphere is made up of gases, solids and liquids. Water is most common liquid in the atmosphere. Cite:

Chapter 19 Section 1Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD The atmosphere is held around the Earth by gravity. The gas particles are pulled towards the surface. There are fewer particles as you move away from the surface. *So what do you think this means? How does the air change as you move through our atmosphere?

Chapter 19 Section 1Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Altitude is the height of an object above the Earth’s surface. As altitude increases, air pressure decreases.

Chapter 19 Section 1Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Temperature changes as you move through the atmosphere due to the amount of sun’s energy that is absorbed by gases at each layer. Characteristics of the Atmosphere

Chapter 19 Section 1Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Draw this… Cite:

Chapter 19 Section 1Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD What are some characteristics of our atmospheric layers? Troposphere makes up 90% of the mass of atmosphere. It is the densest layer and the layer in which you live.  Weather!!! Cite:

Chapter 19 Section 1Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Stratosphere is above the troposphere The air is very thin here and there is very little moisture. The ozone is here that absorbs some of the sun’s harmful rays. Temperature increases with altitude here. Cite:

Chapter 19 Section 1Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Wear your sunscreen! Truck driver, right, of 28 years, having never worn sunscreen, has significant sun damage to his skin on the left side (driver’s side window) of his face. Cite:

Chapter 19 Section 1Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD The mesosphere is above the stratosphere. It is the coldest layer and protects us from meteoroids. It burns up any substance that enters our atmosphere.

Chapter 19 Section 1Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Thermosphere (Exosphere) is a hot layer yet is doesn’t feel hot- because the particles move fast but are far apart. Cite:

Chapter 19 Section 1Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Review the layers of the atmosphere by clicking here. Characteristics of the Atmosphere

Summary Let’s diagram this…talk ME through it.

Specific Heat a. Some things heat up or cool down faster than others. Land heats up and cools down faster than water

b. Specific heat is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a material by one degree (C or K). 1) C water = 4184 J / kg C 2) C sand = 664 J / kg C This is why land heats up quickly during the day and cools quickly at night and why water takes longer.

Why does water have such a high specific heat? Water molecules form strong bonds with each other; therefore it takes more heat energy to break them. Metals have weak bonds and do not need as much energy to break them. water metal

Look!!! Convecting air…

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Atmospheric Pressure and Winds

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD What causes the wind to blow? What Do You Think? Atmospheric Pressure and Winds

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Wind is the movement of air as a result of different air pressures. The greater the pressure difference, the stronger the wind. Wind is caused by unequal heating of the Earth. Atmospheric Pressure and Winds

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD The unequal heating of the Earth makes pressure belts. The air rises or sinks making circular patterns on the Earth. These patterns are called convection cells. Atmospheric Pressure and Winds

Look!!! Convecting air…

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Cite:

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD The way the wind blows depends on the rotation of the Earth. The wind blows in a curved path due to the rotation of the Earth called the coriolis effect. What causes the wind to blow in a curved fashion?

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Cite:

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Winds in the Northern Hemisphere curve to the right. Winds in the Southern Hemisphere curve to the left. Atmospheric Pressure and Winds Cite:

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Local winds generally move short distances and can blow from any direction. Global winds are part of a pattern of air flow that moves across the Earth. Atmospheric Pressure and Winds

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Atmospheric Pressure and Winds Cite:

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Jet stream is a narrow belt of high- speed winds that blow in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. The jet stream controls how storms move. What controls how storms move? Cite:

Summary  How do convection currents influence wind patterns and drive weather? Write about it.

What is El Niño ?  An abnormal warming of surface ocean waters in the eastern tropical Pacific

Normal Conditions Strong winds blow from the east along the equator, pushing warm water into the Pacific Ocean

Normal Conditions  Because the wind push surface water westward toward Indonesia, the sea level is roughly half a meter higher in the western Pacific than in the east.  So you have warmer, deeper waters in the western Pacific and cooler, shallower waters in the east near the coast of South America.

El Niño Conditions An El Nino condition results from weakened trade winds in the western Pacific Ocean near Indonesia, allowing piled-up warm water to flow toward South America  increasing the temp. of the Pacific waters.

What are some effects of El Nino weather pattern?  The different water temperatures tend to change the weather of the region.  Tropical thunderstorms are fueled by hot, humid air over the oceans. –The hotter the air, the stronger and bigger the thunderstorms. –As the Pacific's warmest water spreads eastward, the biggest thunderstorms move with it.

 The clouds and rainstorms associated with warm ocean waters also shift toward the east. –So, rains which normally would fall over the tropical rain forests of Indonesia start falling over the deserts of Peru, causing forest fires and drought in the western Pacific and flooding in South America.

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD Explore the movement of the jet stream by clicking here. Atmospheric Pressure and Winds

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD 1. How does the Coriolis effect affect the way wind moves? Let’s Review

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD The Coriolis effect prevents winds from blowing in a straight path. Because of the Coriolis effect, winds in the Northern Hemisphere curve to the right and winds in the Southern Hemisphere curve to the left. Answer

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD 2. How do winds affect the weather? Let’s Review

Chapter 19 Section 3Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD The warm, rising air in a low pressure area brings clouds and rain. The cool, sinking air in a high pressure area brings dry, clear weather. Answer