Download Characteristics of the Atmosphere

Characteristics of the Atmosphere
Chapter 19 Section 1
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Characteristics of the Atmosphere
What Do You Think?
Why is the atmosphere so
important to the Earth?
Chapter 19 Section 1
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Characteristics of the Atmosphere
Atmosphere is a
mixture of gases
that surround the
Earth.
Protects you
from the sun and
has oxygen.
Cite: http://www.wsd1.org/PC_Science/Weather/atmosphere.jpg
Chapter 19 Section 1
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Characteristics of the Atmosphere
The atmosphere
is made up of
gases, solids and
liquids.
Water is most
common liquid in
the atmosphere.
Chapter 19 Section 1
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Cite: http://www.birdlife.org.za/resources/sustainable/Air/atmosphere_bird.jpg
How does the air change as you
move through our atmosphere?
The atmosphere is
held around the
Earth by gravity.
The gas particles are
pulled towards the
surface.
There are fewer
particles as you
move away from the
surface.
*So what do you think
this means?
Chapter 19 Section 1
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Altitude is the
height of an
object above the
Earth’s surface.
As altitude
increases, air
pressure
decreases.
Chapter 19 Section 1
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Characteristics of the Atmosphere
Temperature
changes as you
move through the
atmosphere due to
the amount of
sun’s energy that is
absorbed by gases
at each layer.
Chapter 19 Section 1
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Draw this…
Chapter 19 Section 1
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Cite:http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/images/atmosphere-regions.jpg
What are some characteristics of our
atmospheric layers?
Troposphere
makes up 90% of
the mass of
atmosphere.
It is the densest
layer and the layer
in which you live.
Weather!!!
Chapter 19 Section 1
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Cite: http://www.weatherquestions.com/troposphere.jpg
Stratosphere is above
the troposphere
The air is very thin here
and there is very little
moisture.
The ozone is here that
absorbs some of the
sun’s harmful rays.
Temperature increases
with altitude here.
Chapter 19 Section 1
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Cite: http://www.policyalmanac.org/graphics/chartsn.gif
Wear your sunscreen!
Truck driver, right, of
28 years, having
never worn
sunscreen, has
significant sun
damage to his skin
on the left side
(driver’s side
window) of his face.
Chapter 19 Section 1
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Cite: http://www.policyalmanac.org/graphics/chartsn.gif
The mesosphere is
above the stratosphere.
It is the coldest layer
and protects us from
meteoroids. It burns up
any substance that
enters our atmosphere.
Chapter 19 Section 1
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Thermosphere
(Exosphere) is a
hot layer yet is
doesn’t feel hotbecause the
particles move
fast but are far
apart.
Chapter 19 Section 1
Cite: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d289/images/timed.jpg
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Characteristics of the Atmosphere
Review the layers of the atmosphere by
clicking here.
Chapter 19 Section 1
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Summary
• Let’s diagram this…talk ME through it.
Specific Heat
a. Some things heat up or cool
down faster than others.
Land heats up and cools down faster than water
b. Specific heat is the amount of
heat required to raise the temperature
of 1 kg of a material by one degree (C
or K).
1) C water = 4184 J / kg C
2) C sand = 664 J / kg C
This is why land heats up quickly
during the day and cools quickly at
night and why water takes longer.
Why does water have such a
high specific heat?
water
metal
Water molecules form strong bonds
with each other; therefore it takes
more heat energy to break them.
Metals have weak bonds and do not
need as much energy to break them.
Look!!! Convecting air…
Atmospheric Pressure and Winds
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Atmospheric Pressure and Winds
What Do You Think?
What causes the wind to
blow?
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Atmospheric Pressure and Winds
Wind is the
movement of air as
a result of different
air pressures.
The greater the
pressure
difference, the
stronger the wind.
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Wind is caused by
unequal heating of
the Earth.
Atmospheric Pressure and Winds
The unequal heating of the Earth
makes pressure belts. The air rises
or sinks making circular patterns on
the Earth. These patterns are
called convection cells.
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Look!!! Convecting air…
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Cite: http://www.eeb.uconn.edu/courses/eeb244/EEB244S02/Aphys4.gif
What causes the wind to blow in a
curved fashion?
The way the wind blows depends
on the rotation of the Earth.
The wind blows in a curved path
due to the rotation of the Earth
called the coriolis effect.
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Cite: http://www.students.i.csbsju.edu/ijflenner/coriolis_effect.gif
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Atmospheric Pressure and Winds
Cite: http://www-nsidc.colorado.edu/arcticmet/images/factors/coriolis.gif
Winds in the
Northern
Hemisphere
curve to the
right.
Winds in the
Southern
Hemisphere
curve to the left.
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Atmospheric Pressure and Winds
Local winds generally move short
distances and can blow from any
direction.
Global winds are part of a pattern of
air flow that moves across the Earth.
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Atmospheric Pressure and Winds
Cite: http://www.esys.org/wetter/doldrums6.jpg
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
What controls how storms move?
Jet stream is a
narrow belt of highspeed winds that
blow in the upper
troposphere and
lower stratosphere.
The jet stream
controls how storms
move.
Chapter 19 Section 3
Cite: http://www.fishusa.com/FishErie/Captain/images/adams-jet-stream.jpg
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Summary
 How do convection currents influence wind
patterns and drive weather? Write about it.
What is El Niño ?
 An abnormal warming of surface ocean
waters in the eastern tropical Pacific
Normal Conditions
Strong winds blow from the
east along the equator, pushing
warm water into the Pacific
Ocean
Normal Conditions
 Because the wind push surface water
westward toward Indonesia, the sea level is
roughly half a meter higher in the western
Pacific than in the east.
 So you have warmer, deeper waters in the
western Pacific and cooler, shallower waters
in the east near the coast of South America.
El Niño Conditions
An El Nino condition results from
weakened trade winds in the western
Pacific Ocean near Indonesia, allowing
piled-up warm water to flow toward South
America increasing the temp. of the
Pacific waters.
What are some effects of El Nino
weather pattern?
 The different water temperatures tend to change
the weather of the region.
 Tropical thunderstorms are fueled by hot, humid
air over the oceans.
– The hotter the air, the stronger and bigger the
thunderstorms.
– As the Pacific's warmest water spreads eastward, the
biggest thunderstorms move with it.
 The clouds and rainstorms associated with
warm ocean waters also shift toward the
east.
– So, rains which normally would fall over the
tropical rain forests of Indonesia start falling
over the deserts of Peru, causing forest fires
and drought in the western Pacific and flooding
in South America.
Atmospheric Pressure and Winds
Explore the movement of the jet stream by
clicking here.
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Let’s Review
1. How does the Coriolis effect
affect the way wind moves?
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Answer
The Coriolis effect prevents winds
from blowing in a straight path.
Because of the Coriolis effect,
winds in the Northern Hemisphere
curve to the right and winds in the
Southern Hemisphere curve to
the left.
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Let’s Review
2. How do winds affect the
weather?
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD
Answer
The warm, rising air in a low
pressure area brings clouds and
rain. The cool, sinking air in a
high pressure area brings dry,
clear weather.
Chapter 19 Section 3
Spring 2006, Pflugerville ISD