Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
The Atmosphere is the layer of air surrounding the Earth The gases in the atmosphere are important because: ◦ They block out dangerous rays from the sun, such as UV rays ◦ They stabilize the temperature across the Earth by retaining heat ◦ They include O2, which is essential for cellular respiration, and CO2, which is necessary for photosynthesis. Atmospheric pressure is cause by gravity pulling down the particles of the atmosphere This is why atmospheric pressure decreases as you rise in the atmosphere. 99% of the particles is present in the first 30 km above the surface The atmosphere is considered to extend more than 10,000 km above the surface Air is a mixture of gases, especially nitrogen and oxygen, that makes up the atmosphere 78% of air is Nitrogen 21% of air is Oxygen 1% of air is other gases Water only makes up a small portion of the air, but is still very important Let’s compare Earth to the other terrestrial planets Mercury Venus Mars Closest planet to the sun Little to no atmosphere Almost no magnetic field ◦ 0.6% of Earth’s Surface temperatures range from -173°C to 127°C 2nd closest planet to the Sun Atmosphere mainly composed of CO2 (96.5%) and a little bit of N2 (3.5%) with traces of many other gases (SO2, H2O, Ar, CO, He, Ne) Atmospheric pressure is roughly 92 times that of the Earth’s No magnetic field Temperatures range from -270°C to 420°C 4th closest planet to the Sun Very small atmosphere, about 0.6% atmospheric pressure of the Earth’s 95.32 CO2, 2.7% N2 and traces of Ar, O2, NO, Ne, CO, H2O and, H2 No magnetic field Temperatures range from -87°C to 20°C 5th planet from the Sun Mainly composed of Hydrogen and Helium, possibly has a dense solid core Spins so fast that it bulges at its equator Its mass is 2.5 times that of all of the other planets combined If its mass would increase by about 150%, due to stronger gravitational forces, it would actually get smaller Red spot of Jupiter ◦ There is a massive storm on Jupiter which is 24-40,000 km by 12-14,000 km which has been observed since at least 1831 Jupiter has a very strong magnetic field, about 14 times as strong as the Earth Has 66 natural satellites, most of which are less than 10km in diameter Average temperature is -108°C 6th planet from the Sun Mainly composed of Hydrogen and Helium Is also bulged at the equator due to it spinning Is less dense than water (0.69 g/cm3) May have a solid core, but scientists are unsure Rings of Saturn ◦ The rings extend from 6,630 km to 120,700 km above Saturn's equator, average approximately 20 meters in thickness and are composed of 93% water ice ◦ Size of the pieces range from dust to 10 m across Has 62 moons surrounding it Mean temperature of -139°C 7th planet from the Sun Mainly composed of ice, some hydrogen and helium, and some rock Not much is known of the composition of the planet It is said to have a solid core Has a very unsual magnetic field which does not originate from its center Has 9 vertical rings which range from 26 840 to 103 000 km in range Has 27 known satellites Mean temperature is -197°C 8th and furthest planet from the Sun Atmosphere mainly composed of Hydrogen and Helium with a sheet of frozen water, ammonia and methane Has a density of 1.638 g/mL Has a solid rock core Neptune has a small ring system going from around 40-60,000 km from the surface of the Earth Neptune has 13 known moons The mean temperature of Neptune is -201°C Atmospheric circulation is the global-scale movement of the layer of air surrounding the Earth The hot air rises and the cooler air drops This is due to convection. Without this movement, the temperature difference between the equator and the poles would be much greater The Coriolis effect change of the trajectory of air currents due to the rotation of the Earth Without this effect, the wind would travel directly from the equator to the poles in a straight line These are the winds which occur on the Earth. They are due to a combination of all other factors There are 3 pairs of cells with the jet stream between them. May 22, 1960 Valdivia, Chile1960 Valdivia earthquake9.5 March 27, 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA 1964 Alaska earthquake9.2 December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean, Sumatra, Indonesia 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake9.1–9.3 November 4, 1952Kamchatka, Russia (then USSR) 1952 Kamchatka earthquakes9.0 March 11, 2011Pacific Ocean, Tōhoku region, Japan 2011 Tōhoku earthquake9.0 November 25, 1833Sumatra, Indonesia 1833 Sumatra earthquake8.8–9.2 (est.) January 31, 1906Ecuador – Colombia 1906 Ecuador-Colombia earthquake8.8 February 27, 2010Maule, Chile2010 Chile earthquake8.8 January 26, 1700Pacific Ocean, USA and Canada1700 Cascadia earthquake8.7–9.2 (est.) July 8, 1730Valparaiso, Chile1730 Valparaiso earthquake8.7–9.0 (est.) An air mass is a large expanse of the atmosphere with relatively uniform temperature and humidity When two air masses collide, they do not simply combine The cooler air mass slides below the warmer and the warmer air mass rises Where warm and cold air masses collide is referred to as a front Cold fronts occur when a mass of cold air meets a warm air mass As the warm air rises it cools quickly and condenses into clouds This produces puffy clouds called cumulus A warm front is when a warm air mass meets a mass of cold air In this case, the warm air rises more slowly forming light clouds called nimbostratus On weather maps, cold fronts are represented by blue arrows and warm fronts are represented by red arrows While most air masses move horizontally over the surface of the Earth, there is some vertical movement An area of atmospheric circulation surrounding a high pressure center Clockwise for Northern hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the Southern hemisphere An area of atmospheric circulation surrounding a low pressure center Counter-clockwise for Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere Strong depressions sometimes form over warm waters of tropical oceans A huge spiral forms which can stretch up to 800 km across in diameter Winds can blow up to 360 km/h These storms can be called cyclones, hurricanes or typhoons depending on the region Hurricanes have a characteristic eye in the center ◦ Typically they are between 30-65 km wide ◦ Can be as little as 3 km up to 670 km The eye is generally calm and without clouds The walls of the eye, the eyewall, are generally the tallest, strongest and most rainy parts of the hurricane What are greenhouse gases? ◦ Mainly water vapour (H2O), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methana (CH4) and Nitrous Oxide (N2O) ◦ They are present in the atmosphere and they act as a type of insulation to retain the heat around the Earth. Without this effect, the Earth’s average temperature would be -18°C 1- Most of the Sun’s rays reach the Earth’s surface and is absorbed by the ground 2- The heated ground sends infrared rays back into the atmosphere. A portion of the infrared rays pass through the atmosphere and are lost into space. 3- Greenhouse gases trap some of the rays and send them back to the Earth, further heating its surface Over the last century, the levels of CO2 have increased due to combustion of fossil fuels Human activities have increased the production of CO2 by billions of tonnes which is having a big effect on the environment This is leading to climate change on the Earth Methane, CH4, has a 21 time greater effect on the greenhouse effect than CO2, for the same volume CH4 comes from the digestion in farm animals, and decomposition of garbage and waste N2O comes from the strong use of nitrogen rich fertilizers on farms Climate change is defined as the abnormal modification of climatic conditions on Earth cause by human activity From 1850 to 2005, the mean temperature on Earth has increased by 0.76°C Scientists believe that an increase of 2°C is the critical point at which serious climate disturbances would be inevitable These include more droughts, heat waves, floods, and a rise in sea levels Wind Energy is the energy that can be drawn from the wind Wind turbines are huge machines which turn with the wind and produce electricity Wind is a renewable resource so wind turbines are considered to be environmentally friendly Wind turbines do have a few negatives though People say that wind turbines ruin the natural beauty of the landscapes Wind is not a reliable source of power since the winds are not predictable Wind energy cannot be stored. Once the wind is gone, so is the electricity The Sun and the Moon are the two bodies in our solar system which most affect us The Sun is vitally important because its energy provides us with light and heat The Moon exerts gravitational forces upon the Earth which explains the tides. The Sun is composed 75 percent of Hydrogen and 25 percent Helium The temperature of the core reaches up to 15 million °C due to nuclear Fission ◦ Hydrogen being made into Helium Light only takes 8 minutes to reach the Earth from the Sun ◦ The Earth is 150,000,000 km away from the Sun Solar radiation contains all of the waves in the electromagnetic spectrum Only visible light, some infrared, and a small amount of UV light reach the surface of the Earth Due to the curvature of the Earth, the equator receives much more heat than the polar regions The Earth receives enough energy in one hour from the sun to satisfy the world’s energy requirements for a year. ◦ Solar energy is the energy that comes from the Sun in the form of radiation through the atmosphere Harnessing this energy is a huge challenge There are a few ways that we can harness the power of the Sun Passive Heating Systems ◦ By positioning the house to take advantage of the Sun. Photovoltaic Cells ◦ When the material that makes up the cells is hit by light, electrons are set into motion. This causes a current which can be used to power small appliances or an entire house Solar Collectors ◦ These are sheets of glass which has copper pipes below it to absorb to heat up water or air for homes or water for a pool The moon has been revolving around the Earth for billions of years Its average diameter is 3476km, which is roughly a quarter of the Earth The theory behind the origin of the Moon is that the Earth was struck by a meteor the size of Mars. This caused part of the Earth to explode The pieces reunited to form the Moon The Moon not only rotates around the Earth, but also rotates on its own axis. These two movements are synchronised to that both rotations take the same amount of time (27.3 days) Water masses on the side closest to the Moon are attracted to it As a result, they will swell, forming a slight bulge in the Moon’s direction Also, the waters on the opposite side of the moon get pulled towards the moon as well. Tidal energy is the energy obtained from the ebb and flow of the tides Works similarly to hydroelectric dam When the tide come in, it fills a huge basin The water remains there until the tide goes out again The gate opens, releasing the basin of water to flow through the turbines The turbine is set into motion, generating electricity There are numerous advantages Produces no greenhouse emissions Entirely renewable Perfectly reliable since meteorologists can predict the ebb and flow of tides Building plants is complex and costly because they have to stand up to harsh conditions There are few suitable sites in the world for building this type of power plant There must be a tidal range of at least 5 meters