1. The Atmosphere

2. Outline  What is it?  What is it made of?  Why do we need it?  What are the different layers of it like?

3. Introduction Assess prior knowledge  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYw4meRWGd4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYw4meRWGd4  Make some predictions about the atmosphere, then watch the following video. –What is the air like 24 miles above Earth’s surface? Air is thinner –What is the temperature like? cooler –Where does outer space start? Above exosphere –Will the jumper feel the “wind” rushing against him as he starts his jump? Feels wind as he enters troposphere

4. After the video- Discuss Why is he in a space suit? –What are the air and the temperature like 24 miles above Earth’s surface? –Was he in “outer space”? –When did his space suit start flapping in the wind?

5.  Felix jumped 24 miles above sea level  “Wind” started about 16 up miles- why?

7. What is the atmosphere?  A blanket of gases that surround Earth and are held in place by gravitational forces.

8. What is the atmosphere made of?  The atmosphere is made of solids, liquids, and gases.  Gases: –78% Nitrogen (N) –21% Oxygen (O) –1% trace gases including- Argon (Ar), Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ), Neon (Ne), Helium (He), Hydrogen (H), and Ozone (O 3 )

9. Do you think the atmosphere was the same 4.6 billion years ago? Just formed Earth: Like Earth, the hydrogen (H 2 ) and helium (He) were very warm. These molecules of gas moved so fast they escaped Earth's gravity and eventually all drifted off into space. Young Earth: Volcanoes released gases H 2 O (water) as steam, carbon dixoide (CO 2 ), and ammonia (NH 3 ). Carbon dioxide dissolved in seawater. Simple bacteria thrived on sunlight and CO 2. By-product is oxygen (O 2 ).

10. As plants evolved, so did our atmosphere Current Earth: Plants and animals thrive in balance. Plants take in carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and give off oxygen (O 2 ). Animals take in oxygen (O 2 ) and give off CO 2. Burning stuff also gives off CO 2.

11. Liquids in the atmosphere  Water vapor  0- 4%

12. Solids in the atmosphere –Dust –Pollen

13. Why do we need an atmosphere?  What would Earth be like without one?

14. 1. Contains air for respiration and photosynthesis

15. 2. Controls Earth’s temperature

16.  But too much atmosphere can be bad! –It makes Venus the hottest planet in the Solar System (Average temp: 800+ degrees F)

17. 3. Protects us from: –Harmful sun rays – UV (ultraviolet) –Meteors, asteroids, etc.

18. What are the different layers of the atmosphere?

19. Layers  5 layers starting at Earth’s surface and going up: –Troposphere (lowest) –Stratosphere –Mesosphere –Thermosphere –Exosphere (highest)

20. Make up an acronym to remember the layers  TSMTE –Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere  The Starving Monkey Tries Eggs

21.  Troposphere –Surface to 6 miles –Where airplanes usually fly –Most atmospheric gases found here

22.  Stratosphere –6 miles to 30 miles above –Weather balloons here –Ozone layer here

23. Ozone Layer  Made of oxygen (O 3 )  It absorbs most of the ultra violet radiation from the sun (UV rays)

24.  The ozone protects us from skin cancer  The ozone layer has been damaged by CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons)

25.  Mesosphere –Middle layer from 30 to 50 miles above –Where meteors burn up –Coldest part of the atmosphere http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y66OHi B_p4I 2013 Russian meteorite video

26.  Thermosphere –50 to 400 miles above surface –X-ray and UV energy is absorbed here, causing high temperatures –Space shuttle flew here –International Space station orbits in this layer –Northern lights happen here

27. Charged particles from the sun interact with Earth’s magnetic field in the thermosphere

28.  Exosphere –400 to 600 miles above surface –Very few air molecules –Boundary with “outer space”

29. Atmospheric Pressure  As you increase in altitude, air pressure decreases. Water bottles are crushed as a plane descends due to increasing air pressure

30. Why is Denver considered a “hitter’s park” more than other baseball stadiums? Fly balls typically travel about 5% farther at Coors than at Fenway, all other things equal. Therefore a 380 ft drive at Fenway will travel nearly 400 ft at Coors Field. Lower air density than other fields.

31. Atmospheric Temperatures  Some layers easily absorb the Sun’s energy, while others do not.  Temperatures vary in each layer.

32. Review

33. Name the Layers  Name the correct order of the layers of the atmosphere starting from Earth. –Troposphere –Stratosphere –Mesosphere –Thermosphere –Exosphere

34.  Why do we need our atmosphere? Provides air for respiration and photosynthesis Controls our temperature Protects us from harmful sun rays and meteors

35.  Why is it harder to breathe when you climb tall mountains? –Less air pressure, so there are fewer oxygen molecules

36.  What happens if our ozone layer disappears? –More harmful rays can reach earth’s surface and increase skin cancer rates

37. Intro to Lab  http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_asse ts/science/virtual_labs/ES14/ES14.html http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_asse ts/science/virtual_labs/ES14/ES14.html http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_asse ts/science/virtual_labs/ES14/ES14.html

38. What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere? Nitrogen (78%) then Oxygen (21%)