1. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. The Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology, 12 th Lutgens Tarbuck Lectures by: Heather Gallacher, Cleveland State University Chapter 1: Introduction to the Atmosphere Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.

2. Focus on the Atmosphere  Weather in the United States:  The weather in the U.S. varies greatly.  Weather influences our daily lives.

3. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Focus on the Atmosphere  Meteorology, Weather, and Climate:  Meteorology  Study of atmosphere  Weather  State of atmosphere at any given time & place  Climate  “Average weather”  Generalized weather variation for a given place  Climate data can not predict weather.

4. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Focus on the Atmosphere  Meteorology, Weather, and Climate

5. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Focus on the Atmosphere  Weather and Climate:  Weather and climate are expressed in the same elements.  Air temperature  Air humidity  Type and amount of clouds  Type and amount of precipitation  Air pressure  Speed and direction of wind

6. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Atmospheric Hazards : Assault by the Elements  Lightning  Thunderstorms  Hurricanes  Cold waves  Tornadoes  Blizzards  Heat waves  Fog

7. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Atmospheric Hazards : Assault by the Elements

8. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. The Nature of Scientific Inquiry  Scientific inquiry is a collection of facts, observations, or measurements.  Hypothesis:  Explanation of facts  Test  Theory:  Hypothesis that has passed many tests

9. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. The Nature of Scientific Inquiry  Scientific Methods:  Are not recipes  Involve creativity and insight  Raise questions  Collect data  Raise questions leading to hypotheses  Cause hypotheses to be accepted or rejected  Create results shared with the scientific community for further testing

10. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Earth’s Spheres

11. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Earth’s Spheres  The Earth is made up of four spheres.  Geosphere  Atmosphere  Hydrosphere  Biosphere  All the spheres are intertwined.  Soil is part of all 4 spheres.

12. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Earth’s Spheres  Geosphere:  The geosphere consists of the solid Earth.  It extends from the surface to the center, which is approximately 6400 km.

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14. Earth’s Spheres  Atmosphere:  99% of the atmosphere is within 30 km of Earth’s surface.  It protects the Earth.  Weather occurs in the atmosphere.  Without the atmosphere our planet would be lifeless like the Moon. The surface of the Moon has not changed in nearly 3 billion years.

15. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Earth’s Spheres

16. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Earth’s Spheres  Hydrosphere:  Oceans make up 71% the Earth’s surface.  Additional parts of the hydrosphere:  Lakes  Rivers, streams  Glaciers  Underground water

17. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Earth’s Spheres

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19. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Earth’s Spheres  Biosphere:  The biosphere includes all life on Earth.  On the ocean floor  In boiling hot springs  On air currents in the lower atmosphere

20. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Earth as a System  Earth system science:  Scientists have recognized they must learn how the Earth’s individual components (land, water, air, and life-forms) are interconnected.  System:  A system is a group of interacting or interdependent parts that form a complex whole.

21. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Composition of the Atmosphere  Major components:  The composition varies from time to time.  Oxygen and nitrogen make up 99% of the volume.

22. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Composition of the Atmosphere  Carbon dioxide:  0.0391% of atmosphere  Absorbs energy  Part of the carbon cycle

23. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Composition of the Atmosphere

24. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Composition of the Atmosphere  Variable components:  Water vapor  0–4% by volume  Clouds and precipitation  Aerosols  Very small solid and liquid particles like dust, soot, sea salts  Absorb radiation  Cause cloud formation and red/orange sunrises and sunsets

25. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Composition of the Atmosphere  Variable components:  Ozone (O 3 )  There is much less ozone in the lower atmosphere.  At higher altitudes (10–50 km), ozone absorbs UV radiation.

26. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Ozone Depletion—A Global Issue  Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs):  CFCs break down ozone in the upper atmosphere.  CFCs are common in refrigerants and aerosol products.

27. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Ozone Depletion—A Global Issue  The Antarctic ozone hole The Antarctic ozone hole

28. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Ozone Depletion—A Global Issue  Effects of ozone depletion:  It causes more UV radiation to reach the surface.  UV radiation is known to cause cancer.  It impacts the human immune system.  UV radiation can also promote cataracts.

29. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Ozone Depletion—A Global Issue  Montreal Protocol:  It was concluded under the auspices of the UN in late 1987.  190 nations eventually ratified the treaty.  The protocol created legal controls on production and consumption of ozone-depleting chemicals.

30. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere

31. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere  Pressure changes:  An increased altitude decreases pressure.  Temperature changes:  Increasing altitude causes a decreased temperature in the troposphere.

32. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Vertical Variations in Composition  Homosphere:  Lower layer, < 80 km  Roughly the same proportion of component gases  Heterosphere:  Uppermost layer, > 80 km  Occurs in shells  Lower shell—N 2  Next shell—O 2  Next shell—He  Outermost shell—H

33. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Vertical Variations in Composition  Ionosphere:  The ionosphere is located 80–400 km above the Earth’s surface.  At this altitude, atoms of oxygen and nitrogen become ionized and absorb shortwave solar energy.

34. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Vertical Variations in Composition

35. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Vertical Variations in Composition  Troposphere:  Temperature decreases with altitude.  Environmental lapse rate 6.5° C/km (variable)  The tropopause marks the top and the lowest temperature.  Stratosphere:  Temperature increases with altitude.  The ozone layer is concentrated in the stratosphere.  The stratopause marks the top and the highest temperature.

36. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Vertical Variations in Composition  Mesosphere:  Temperature decreases with altitude.  The mesopause marks the top and its lowest temperature.  Thermosphere:  The thermosphere has no well-defined upper limit.  Temperature rises.  There are 3 layers of varying ion density, D, E, and F.

37. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Vertical Variations in Composition  Auroras:  Aurora borealis (northern hemisphere) Aurora borealis  Aurora australis (southern hemisphere)  Occur in the ionosphere  Earth’s magnetic field traps solar particles.  Auroras emit light.

38. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. End Chapter 1