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The Atmosphere: Structure and Temperature What is Meteorology? The study of weather, climate, and atmospheric processes How Does Weather differ from Climate? Weather is constantly changing and it refers to the state of the atmosphere at any given time and place Climate is based on observations of weather that have been collected over many years to help describe a place or region Composition of the Atmosphere Main Components Nitrogen – 78% Oxygen – 21% CO2 < 1% Argon < 1% What is the significance of Water Vapor? Water vapor - source of all clouds and precipitation. Ozone Ozone is a form of oxygen that combines three oxygen atoms into each molecule (O3) • Ozone filters and absorbs harmful UV radiation by the sun • Human Influences and Primary Pollutants Air pollution is airborne particles and gases that occur in concentrations large enough to endanger the health of organisms Primary Pollution: emitted directly from identifiable sources Secondary Pollutions: not emitted directly into air (agriculture) Primary Pollutants and Sources Primary Pollutants Carbon monoxides Nitrogen oxides Volatile Organics Sulfur oxides Particulate matter Sources Transportation Stationary Source Fuel Combustion Industrial Processes Solid Waste Pressure and Temperature Changes The atmosphere rapidly thins as you travel away from Earth until there are too few gas molecules to detect. Pressure Changes As you increase in altitude, or travel away from Earth, pressure decreases Temperature Changes As you increase in altitude in the Troposphere the temperature decreases. Layers of the Atmosphere The Troposphere - the bottom layer Temperature decreases with an increase in altitude. Where weather occurs Tropopause: boundary of the troposphere The Stratosphere Above the troposphere Temperature remains constant, then gradually starts to increase Contains the ozone layer Stratopause: boundary of the stratosphere The Mesosphere Above the stratosphere Temperature decreases with height Mesopause: boundary of the mesosphere The Thermosphere: Upper layer of the atmosphere Temperature increase with height Auroras occur here Fades into space Heating the Atmosphere Heat: the energy transferred from one object to another because of a direct difference in their temperature Temperature: measure of the amount of heat Ways Heat Can be Transferred Heat transfer from HOT to COLD objects Conduction The transfer of heat through matter by molecular activity Transfer by touching Convection The transfer of heat by a mass movement or circulation within a substance Radiation Travels out in all directions Solar energy reaches earth by radiation What Happens to Solar Radiation? Reflection vs. Scattering Reflection occurs when light bounces off an object. 30 % of all radiation is reflected back to space Scattering produces a larger number of rays that travel in many directions. Absorption: 50 % of the solar energy that strikes the top of the atmosphere reaches the Earth’s surface 20% is absorbed in the clouds 30% is reflected back to space Why Do Temperatures Vary? Factors: Heating of land Heating of water Altitude Geographic position Cloud cover Ocean currents Land and Water Temperatures Land heats and cools more rapidly and to higher temperatures than water Water – heats up longer and will retain the heat longer Albedo the fraction of total radiation that is reflected by any surface. Daylight Cloud Cover Clouds reflect solar radiation back to space Temperatures are lower than on a clear day Nighttime Cloud Cover Clouds absorb radiation from land and reradiates some of it back to Earth Temperatures are higher than on a clear night World Distribution and Temperatures Isotherms - lines on a weather map that connect points that have the same temperatures