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
Atmosphere and Weather: Ch. 3 Atmosphere Review WEATHER is the condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and PLACE. Earth’s ATMOSPHERE is the envelope of GASES that surrounds the planet. It consists mostly of NITROGEN (78%) and OXYGEN (21%). Carbon Dioxide, WATER VAPOR, other gases and even particles of SOLIDS and liquids are also considered part of the atmosphere. Most air contains WATER VAPOR. Clouds form when water vapor CONDENSES out of the air to form tiny droplets of RAIN or SNOW. If these droplets become heavy enough they will FALL to Earth. Air has mass and VOLUME. This means that air has density and PRESSURE too. Air PRESSURE is the result of the weight of a column of air pushing on an area. The reason air pressure does not crush you is because the molecules in air push in ALL directions. So the air pushing up is BALANCED by the air pushing down. Air pressure DECREASES as altitude increases, so does density. Earth’s atmosphere can be divided into FOUR main layers. The TROPOSPHERE, STRATOSPHERE, MESOSPHERE and THERMOSPHERE. The Troposphere contains most of Earth’s WEATHER. Next is the STRATOSPHERE. It contains the OZONE layer. Third, is the Mesosphere. It protects Earth from being hit by most METEORS. The outermost layer is the THERMOSPHERE. The INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION and other low Earth orbit satellites are found here. Most of the energy from the Sun travels to Earth as RADIATION. Some sunlight is absorbed or REFLECTED by our atmosphere before it can reach the surface. The rest passes THROUGH the atmosphere to reach the surface. Earth’s surface radiates some energy back into the atmosphere as heat. Some of this heat is trapped in the atmosphere by GREENHOUSE GASES like Carbon Dioxide. This is called the GREENHOUSE EFFECT and keeps our planet at a comfortable temperature. Scientist have evidence that HUMAN activities are altering this process and Earth is experiencing GLOBAL WARMING. Radiation, conduction and convection work together to HEAT the Troposphere. Heat in Earth’s atmosphere is transferred mostly by CONVECTION currents within the Troposphere. The rising and falling of AIR masses moves heat around and forms weather. Differences in AIR PRESSURE cause the air to move. A WIND is the movement of air parallel to Earth’s surface. It can be described by speed and DIRECTION. Most differences in air pressure are caused by the unequal heating of the EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE. Word Wall: Weather, atmosphere, water vapor, density, air pressure, barometer, altitude, troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, ionosphere, exosphere, electromagnetic waves, radiation, infrared radiation, ultra violet radiation, greenhouse effect, temperature, thermometer, heat, convection, conduction, convection currents, wind, anemometer, local winds, mountain breeze, valley breeze, global winds Sample Question: The transfer of energy by the movement of a fluid is called ____________________.