Download The Atmosphere Notes

2.5.1 NOTES
The Structure and Composition of Earth’s Atmosphere
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The _________________is divided into five layers. It is thickest near the surface and thins out with
height until it eventually merges with space.
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The ________________ is the first layer above the surface and contains half of the Earth's atmosphere.
_________________ occurs in this layer.
Many jet aircrafts fly in the ____________________because it is very stable. Also, the ozone layer
absorbs harmful rays from the Sun.
Meteors or rock fragments burn up in the ______________.
The ___________________ is a layer with auroras. It is also where the space shuttle orbits.
The atmosphere merges into space in the extremely thin ____________________. This is the upper
limit of our atmosphere.
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Questions for review
1. As elevation in the troposphere increase atmospheric temperature________.
2.. As elevation in the stratosphere increases, atmospheric temperature __________.
3. As elevation in the mesosphere increases, atmospheric temperature __________.
4. As elevation in the troposphere increases, water vapor _________.
5. As elevation in the stratosphere increases, water vapor __________.
6. As atmospheric pressure in the mesosphere increases, temperature ___________.
7. As atmospheric pressure increases in the troposphere what happens to temperature ______________.
8. What is the temperature at the mesopause?
9. What is the elevation and what layer is this found where the atmospheric pressure is 1.0 millibars?
10. What can you infer about each of the pauses?
12. What is the temperature at 110 km ?
13. How much water vapor is found at 30 km above sea level?
14. What can you infer is the reason stratosphere gets warmer as elevation increases?
# GAS
MOLECULES
PER AREA
LAYER
TROPOSPHERE
TEMPERATURE
STRUCTURE
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IMPORTANT
CHARACTERISITICS
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9 km at poles
16 km at tropics
Closest layer to earth
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STRATOSPHERE
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.
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Up to 50 km thick
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Densest layer,
most gases found
here.
Contains weather
and life.
Jets travel near
the top of this
layer
Ozone layer found
here (creates the
heat).
Makes the sky
blue (scatters
light)
Jet stream
MESOSPHERE
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THERMOSPHERE
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HOT!
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EXOSPHERE
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Temperature
decreases as
altitude increases
+93 F to -120 F
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Temperature
increases as
altitude increases
Up to 1200 C
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Aurora takes
place here
(sun particles
interacting with
magnetic field)
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Satellites
Low earth orbit
 The Composition of the Atmosphere
 How old is the earth? _______

Over this period of time the composition of the atmosphere has _________ dramatically
 “Air” is not a single gas, it is ___________ ___________________

The most abundant gas in the atmosphere is __________________________

The second most abundant is oxygen

Together make up _____% of clean, dry air
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___________________ is important for ___________________________ in the atmosphere

____________________is the source of all ___________ and _______________and
____________________________ given off by Earth
 Ozone: a form of _______________with three oxygen atoms bonded together instead of just two (that’s
the O2 we breathe)
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Results from oxygen absorbing ____________ _____________________________________

The ozone layer is crucial for life on Earth because it ______________ potentially harmful
________________

The ozone layer ________________________ _____________________________________
 Liquids are one type of fluid
 _____________________________________
 Most of the properties of our atmosphere that
__________________________________________________ as we know it, come from the fluid nature
of the atmosphere
 The Earth and Sun interactions
 Nearly all of the energy for changing weather and climate comes from the ________
 The Sun is the source of all energy in the atmosphere.
 This energy is transferred to Earth and throughout the atmosphere through conduction, convection &
radiation.
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is the transfer of energy that occurs when molecules collide.
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Through conduction, energy is transferred from the particles of air near Earth’s
to the particles of air in the
layer of the atmosphere.
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For conduction to occur, substances must be

Conduction affects only a

with one another.
atmospheric layer near Earth’s surface.
is the transfer of energy by the flow of a heated substance.

Pockets of air near Earth’s surface are heated, become
air, and
than the surrounding
.
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As the warm air rises, it
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When it
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Convection currents are among the main mechanisms responsible for the vertical motions of air,
and starts to
.
below the temperature of the surrounding air, it increases in density and
which in turn cause different types of weather.
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is the transfer of energy through space by visible light, ultraviolet radiation,
and other forms of electromagnetic

.
The Sun is shining on, and therefore
, some portion of Earth’s surface at
all times.

While Earth is
solar radiation, it is also continuously
back into space.
Check-ins
1. What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere? What is the second most abundant gas in the
atmosphere?
2. Together, these two comprise what percentage of atmospheric gases?
3. What is the lowest layer of the atmosphere?
4. The layers of the atmosphere are divided based upon what property?
In which layer of the atmosphere are most important weather phenomena
energy
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Heating of the Atmosphere
Objectives
Describe the movement of heat due to differences in temperature
Analyze the absorbance and reflectance of the sun’s energy on Earth
Analyze temperature variations over land and water
Heat vs. temperature
 ___________is the ___________transferred from one object to another due to differences in
_________________.
 Bottom line: heat is ________________ between objects because of differences in temperature
 The _____________ of the atmosphere comes from ______________________
 The solar energy is transferred to Earth through _____________________
 When radiation hits an object, _______________things happen
1. some radiant energy is ________________
2. some radiant energy is ______________ through substances like water and air
3. some radiant energy ___________________the object without being absorbed or transmitted
 How much of the Sun’s energy that reaches Earth’s atmosphere is reflected back into space? (add
together the amount that is backscattered to space, the amount reflected from clouds, and the
amount reflected by the land-sea surface)
 How much of the Sun’s energy is absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere and clouds?
 How much of the Sun’s energy is absorbed by the land and sea?
 Heating of the Atmosphere
 If we did not have gases to absorb solar radiation, Earth would not be a place where we could live?
 This heating of the lower layer of the atmosphere from radiation absorbed by heat absorbing gases is
called the _________________________________.
 … so just like plants grow better in a greenhouse, all life on Earth is able to flourish because of the
greenhouse effect
 The temperatures we experience are due to the __________________________ of the atmosphere
__________________ and the ground and water around us.
 Land heats and cools more __________________ than water
 Land also reaches _________and ______________ than water
 The temperature of the land and water influences the temperature of the air ______________ it
 This explains why _____________ areas experience ____________temperature variations than cities
near large _________________________________________.
► City A is located on the Outer Banks of NC and City B is located inland. Which city would experience
greater variations in temperature and why?
1. What causes the transfer of energy in the form of heat from one object to another?
2. What is the greenhouse effect? How does it affect life on Earth?
3. Complete this chart
Amount of the Sun’s
energy that reaches
Earth’s atmosphere
that is reflected back
into space
Amount of the Sun’s
energy absorbed by
Earth’s atmosphere
and clouds
Amount of the Sun’s
energy absorbed by the
land and sea
4. Complete the following sentence: Land heats ______________ than water.
As a result of what you said in #4, where are temperature variations greater? (over land or over wate
5. As a result of what you said in #4, where are temperature variations greater? (over land or over water)
6. Which of the following is true?
1. Land heats less rapidly than water
2. Land heats more rapidly than water
3. Land reaches higher temperatures than water
4. Both b. and c.
7. What causes heat to be transferred from one object to another?
8. On average, how much of the sun’s energy that reaches the outer atmosphere is reflected back into
space?