Download Unit D

Unit D
The Atmosphere
and Beyond
Chapter 10
Using Weather Data
Lesson 1: What is
Air?
The Atmosphere
Gases in the Air
1. Air is a mixture of colorless, odorless
gases that surround the Earth.
a. Nitrogen (78%)
-
Plants need nitrogen to grow.
Plants absorb nitrogen through their roots.
b. Oxygen (21%)
-
Living things need oxygen to survive.
Your body needs oxygen to use the energy in their
food.
Most living things get their oxygen from the air.
c. Carbon Dioxide, Water, and Other Gases
(1%)
-
-
Carbon Dioxide helps to hold heat close to the
Earth.
Humans and Animals give off Carbon Dioxide
when they breathe.
Plants use Carbon Dioxide to make their food.
Earth’s Blanket
1. The Atmosphere is the layers of air that
surround the air.
a. The atmosphere holds the heat close to the
Earth’s surface.
b. The atmosphere helps protect living things
from harmful rays given off by the sun
2. Air Pressure is the weight of air as it
presses down on the Earth’s surface.
a. The air particles are more spread out the
higher up in the atmosphere you go.
3. The Atmosphere has Four Layers.
a. Troposphere
-This is where the earth’s weather occurs.
-Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere at a
certain place and time.
b. Stratosphere
c. Mesosphere
d. Thermosphere
Greenhouse Effect
1. The Greenhouse Effect is the process by
which heat from the sun builds up near the
earth’s surface and is trapped there by the
atmosphere.
Lesson 2: How Does
the Water Cycle Affect
Weather?
Three States of Water
1. About three-fourths (75%) of Earth’s
surface is covered by water.
2. Three forms of water.
a. Liquid: oceans, seas, rivers, and rain
b. Solid: ice forms when heat is removed from
liquid water.
c. Gas: water vapor forms when heat is added
to liquid water.
3. How does water change forms?
a. Evaporation is the change from a liquid form
to a gas form.
b. Condensation is the change from a gas form
to a liquid form.
The Water Cycle
1. The water cycle is the movement of water into
the air as water vapor and back to Earth’s
surface as precipitation.
2. Precipitation is any form of water that falls
from the clouds to Earth’s surface.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Rain- drops of water (most common)
Sleet- rain that freezes as it falls
Snow- water vapor in the clouds form ice crystals
Hail- drops of rain freeze and strong winds carry
them higher into a cloud. Hailstones fall again.
Types of Clouds
1. Clouds form when water vapor in the air
condenses.
a.
Status Clouds: low-level clouds that form in layers.
(usually bring steady rain)
b. Cumulus Clouds: fluffy with flat bases. (usually
means fair weather)
c. Cirrus Clouds: thin, feathery clouds that form high in
the sky. (indicate fair weather)
d. Cumulonimbus Clouds (bring thunderstorms)
2. A cloud that forms close to the ground is called
fog.
Lesson 3: What Causes
Weather?
Weather Factors
1. Temperature
a. How hot or cold the air is.
b. Air temperature is measured with a
thermometer.
c. Thermometer is a tube with liquid inside, as
the air around the liquid gets warmer, the
liquid gets warmer and expands or rises.
d. Temperature is measured by degrees Celsius
or Degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Water Vapor in the air
a. Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the
air.
b. High humidity can make the air feel wet and
sticky.
c. Relative Humidity is the amount of water
vapor the air is holding at a given temperature
compared to the total amount that it can hold
at that temperature.
d. A Rain Gauge measures the amount of
precipitation that fall to the Earth.
3. Air Pressure
a. Air pressure is the weight of the air as it
presses down on the Earth’s surface.
b. Low-pressure area is a place where warm air
rises and pushes down on the Earth’s surface
with less pressure.
c. High-pressure area is a place where cool air
sinks and pushes down on the Earth’s surface
with more pressure.
d. A Barometer measures air pressure.
4. Wind
a. Wind is the movement of air from a high
pressure area to a low pressure area.
b. Land heats and cools faster than water.
-Sea Breeze: As warm air above the land rises cool air
above the ocean moves in to take its place.
-Land Breeze: As warm air above the ocean rises cool
air above the land moves in to take its place.
c. An Anemometer measures wind speed.
d. A Wind Sock and Wind Vane (arrow points
into the wind) measures wind direction.
Air Masses
1. An Air Mass is a large body of air that has
about the same temperature, air pressure and
moisture throughout.
2. Air Masses are described by two conditionstemperature(cold and warm) and humidity(moist
and dry).
a.
Where the air mass forms will tell the conditions of
the air mass.
-Example: poles are cold, equator are warm, land are dry, ocean
are wet
3. Most changes in weather occur when one air
mass moves into an area and pushes out another
air mass.
Weather Patterns
1. A front is the place where two air masses
meet.
a. Weather can change very suddenly when a
front moves across an area.
b. Cold Front forms as a cold air mass meets a
warm air mass
c. Warm Front forms as a warm air mass pushes
into a cold air mass.
Analyzing Weather Data
1. A meteorologist is a scientist who studies
weather.
a. Studying weather involves measuring
conditions near the surface and high in the
atmosphere.
b. A forecast is a prediction of what the weather
will be for a particular day, week, or longer
period of time.
Severe Weather
1. Severe weather includes hurricanes,
tornadoes, and snowstorms.
Lesson 4: How Does
Climate Change?
Climates of the World
Major Climate Zones
1. Climate is the average weather conditions
in an area over a long period of time.
2. Earth has three major climate zones.
a. Tropical Climate is hot and rainy (North and
South of the equator).
b. Polar Climate has cold temperatures all year.
c. Temperate Climate usually has warm, dry
summers and cold, wet winters (middle zone).