Atmosphere and Weather Notes
- #1 Volcanic Eruptions played the main role in forming the Earth’s early atmosphere.
- We call the mixture of many gases in Earth’s lower atmosphere #2 Air.
- The amount of #3 water vapor in the air varies with location, season, and time of day and is therefore
not included in the pie chart below.
I.
Composition if the atmosphere:
Composition of the atmosphere
1%
21%
78%
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Ar, CO2, Ne, He, Xe, others
a. The composition of the atmosphere has remained stable due to Earth’s natural and
#7 efficient recycling systems.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
Animals breathe out the gas #8 CO2 and breath in the gas #9 O2
Plants breathe out the gas #10 O2 and breath in #11 CO2
The amount of #12 CO2 in the atmosphere has steadily increased.
#13 CO2 have increased due to the burning of fossil fuels such as
i. #14 coal
ii. #15 gasoline
iii. #16 natural gas
Energy from the #17 sun drives the #18 weather and is essential to almost all life on earth.
Radiation is the transfer of energy through space in the form of #19
visible light,
#20 UV rays and other types of #21 electromagnetic waves.
#22 Conduction is the transfer of heat through the collisions of the atoms or molecules of
a substance.
#23 Convection is the transfer of heat energy in a liquid or gas through the motion of the
fluid caused by differences in density.
#24 Heat and Temperature are related, they are not the same.
A large cup of tea has more #25 heat than a small cup of tea even though they are at the
same temperature.
A thermometer measures #26 temperature not #27 heat.
Ice melts at #28 0ºC and boils at #29 100ºC
II.
Layers of the atmosphere:
#30 Exosphere
Decreasing Air Pressure
#39 600
Altitude
(km)
#31 Thermosphere
#40 90
#32 Mesosphere
#41 50
#35 Ionosphere
#36 Mesopause
#37Stratopause
#33 Stratosphere
#38Tropopause
#42 15
#34 Troposphere
-100
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
-80
-60
-40
-20
0
20
Temperature (C)
#43 Troposphere-closest to earth
i. Nearly 80% of the total mass of the atmosphere
ii. most weather occurs in this layer
iii. most pollutants stay here
#44 Stratosphere
i. solar energy absorbed by ozone layer
1. Ozone = O3 absorbs harmful UV rays
2. Without it skin cancer would be high
3. destroyed by chlorofluorocarbons and aircraft fuel
ii. #45 volcanic gases remain here
#46 Mesosphere
i. meteors burn up here
#47 Ionosphere
i. highly #48 ionized from UV rays from the sun knocking electrons off oxygen and
Nitrogen
ii. can disrupt #49 radio communications.
iii. northern lights-Aurora Borealis
Thermosphere
i. Temp. increases to above 1000C
Exosphere-outermost layer
i. most satellites are here, basically like space
The pauses-transitions between layers and temperature remains same
i. #50 Tropopause
ii. #51 Stratopause
iii. #52 Mesopause