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Chapter 17 Atmosphere and Weather
Atmo = vapor
Cirru = hairlike curls
Strat = layer
Cumul = heaped
Alto = high
Iso = equal
Nimb = light (quick)
Baro = weight
Hygro = moist
Meso = middle
Trop = turn
Therm = heat
Weather = constantly changing; refers to the state of the
atmosphere at any given time and place.
Climate = weather patterns based on long periods of
time; describes a place or region.
Composition of the Atmosphere
Major Components:
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•
•
•
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Nitrogen (78%)
Oxygen (21%)
Argon
Carbon Dioxide
All Others
Composition of the Atmosphere
Variable Components:
• Water Vapor
• Ozone
• Pollution
Air Pollution
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a01
0000/a010000/a010012/
Ozone Recovery
http://www.amnh.org/sciencebulletins/
Temperature and Altitude
Pg 480 Fig 6
How far does our atmosphere extend?
Earth
Moon
Types of Clouds
Check Yourself!
Height and Structure of the Atmosphere
Pressure:
Weight of air above.
Closer to Earth’s
surface = more
pressure.
Barometer =
measures air
pressure
Wind Speed

Measured on the
Beaufort Scale


Relates wind speed to
its effects
Wind chill factor
Anemometers
Sir Francis Beaufort
Relative Humidity

Hygrometer

Measures the amount
of moisture in the air
Meteorology

Meteorologists
study weather

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
How atmosphere
heats and cools
How clouds form and
produce rain
What makes wind
blow
Composition of
atmosphere
Cause of past and
present climates
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=uYctRlQ0gOE&feature=rela
ted
Seasons
Sun’s rays do not strike
surface evenly
Solstice vs. Equinox
Earth-Sun Relationships
Earth’s Motions
• Rotation = spinning on its axis
• Revolution = movement
around the sun
Rotation
23.5o Tilt
Seasons are a result of the tilt of
Earth’s axis remaining the same
as the Earth revolves around the
sun.
Revolution
Vernal Equinox
Days begin getting
longer.
Vernal Equinox
March 21
Summer Solstice
First official day of
Summer.
Autumnal Equinox
Days begin getting
shorter.
Winter Solstice
First official day of
Winter.
Winter
Solstice
Dec 21
Summer
Solstice
June 21
Autumnal Equinox
Sept 22
DAYLIGHT
Spring and Fall Equinox:
All latitudes receive 12
hours of daylight.
Vernal Equinox
March 21
Summer Solstice:
Northern latitudes
receive 24 hours of
daylight.
Winter Solstice:
Northern latitudes
receive 24 hours of
darkness.
Winter
Solstice
Dec 21
Summer
Solstice
June 21
Autumnal Equinox
Sept 22
Radiation and Earth’s Atmosphere
INCOMING RADIATION
100%
8%
17%
OUTGOING RADIATION
6%
9%
40%
20%
19%
4%
6%
46%
15%
7%
24%
Earth Temperature
At night, heat from the day is
released from the Earth.
Solar radiation is
absorbed from the
sun during the
day.
Clear night skies
Partly cloudy night skies
Cloudy night skies
Solar Radiation
Reflection = radiation is sent back to space.
Scattering = radiation is broken into smaller rays and scattered.
Absorption = radiation is absorbed and retained.
Reflection
Absorption
Earth Temperature
At night, heat from the day is
released from the Earth.
Solar radiation is
absorbed from the
sun during the
day.
Clear night skies
Partly cloudy night skies
Cloudy night skies
Discovery Ed: The Greenhouse Effect [14:38]


Trapping of the
sun’s energy by the
atmosphere
Caused by
Greenhouse Gasses


CO2, Methane, CFCs
Burning fossil fuels

Coal, oil, & natural
gas
Global Warming!
Causes of the Greenhouse Effect
http://environment.nationalgeographic.co
Eventually we will have a “lid” on our planet!
m/environment/global-warming/quizglobal-warming/
Deforestation
CFC’s
Burning
Fossil
Fuels
Industrial
Pollution
17.3 Temperature Controls
Factors Affecting
Atmospheric Temperature:
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Latitude
Heating of Land and Water
Altitude
Geographic Position
Cloud Cover
Ocean Currents
Temperatures also become cooler with altitude.

Normal Lapse Rate

1° every 160m
Temperature Inversion
Ground cools faster than air
Morning fog

Celsius:


Fahrenheit:
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
0° - 100°
32 °- 212 °
Isolines: connect
points of equal
value on maps
Land, Water and Temperature…
Land heats and cools more rapidly than water.
Page 489 Fig 15
Geographic Position and Temperature…
Windward locations are warmer than leeward locations.
Page 490 Fig 16
Altitude and Temperature…
Higher altitudes are colder than lower altitudes.
Page 491 Fig 17
Human Influence and Temperature…
Nat Geo Global Warming Shorts
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/vid
eo/player/science/index.html
Cloud Cover, Albedo and Temperature…
Albedo = fraction of total radiation that is reflected.
Clouds reflect sunlight during the daytime and trap heat
from the Earth at night.
Disc Ed: Clouds and Patterns of the Weather [21:00]
World Temperatures
Isotherms = lines that connect points that have the same
temperature.