Bell Ringer
1) Which answer below is NOT a positive effect
of volcanism?
a) Source of geothermal energy
b) Deposits minerals
c) Creation of ‘new’ crust
d) Results in fertile soils
e) Creation of sedimentary rocks
2) Earthquakes and volcanoes are most alike
because…
a) Both can occur at the midlines of tectonic
plates
b) Both can occur as a result of transform plate
boundaries
c) Both can occur along fault lines
d) Both can occur as a result of convergent
plate boundaries
e) Both are a result of convection currents in
the earth’s mantle
3) A volcanic eruption with high silica content will…
a) Produce very viscous lava, flowing slowly
b) Produce very runny lava which flows quickly,
covering a large amount of land
c) Produce an interplate volcano
d) Create a caldera, resulting in an underground
volcano
e) Produce new land such as the Hawaiian Islands
4) Which answer below describes subduction?
a) Two plates slide past each other
b) Two plates converge; the pressure pushes
both plates upward
c) Two plates converge; one plate moves
below the other
d) Two plates move apart from each other
e) Two plates move perpendicular to each
other
The Atmosphere
Chapter 17
pgs 474-476
The Atmosphere
• Atmosphere – thin layer of gases which
surround Earth.
The Atmosphere
• Atmosphere – thin layer of gases which
surround Earth.
• Jobs of the atmosphere include:
• Providing oxygen
• Absorbing solar radiation
• Burning up incoming meteors
• Transports and recycles water
• Moderates climate
Composition
• The atmosphere is:
– 78 % Nitrogen gas
– 21% Oxygen gas
– 1% Argon gas
– Traces of several
other gases
Composition
• These trace gases include:
1) Permanent gases – gases whose
minute concentrations remain stable
Gas
Neon
Helium
Atmospheric
Concentration
0.0018%
0.0005%
Composition
• These trace gases include:
1) Variable gases – gases whose
concentrations vary, depending upon
time of year or location.
Gas
Water Vapor
Carbon Dioxide
Atmospheric
Concentration
0 – 4%
0 – 0.038%
History
• Throughout earth’s history, the composition of
the atmosphere has changed dramatically.
History
• Throughout earth’s history, the composition of
the atmosphere has changed dramatically.
The atmosphere was mostly carbon dioxide,
carbon monoxide and hydrogen until about 2.7
million years ago when photosynthetic organisms
in the ocean began to produce oxygen.
History
• Throughout out earth’s history, the
composition of the atmosphere has changed
dramatically.
History
• Throughout out earth’s history, the
composition of the atmosphere has changed
dramatically.
Today, human activity is greatly altering the
quantities of certain gases in the atmosphere,
such as carbon dioxide, methane and ozone.
4 Layers
• The atmosphere is composed of four distinct
layers.
• Each layer has specific
characteristics which aid
in the continuation of life
on earth.
Atmosphere Model
• Each group must:
– Make a beginning marker for their layer w/ elevation
and temp
– Make an ending marker for their layer w/ elevation
and temp
– Make an informational mini-poster about their layer
highlighting any other important information
(temperature, ozone levels, air density, etc.)
– Hang the posters in the appropriate areas of the
hallway
When all the posters are hung, we are going to take a
trip through the atmosphere. One person from each
group will teach the rest of us about their layer.
Bell Ringer
1) The atmosphere is primarily…
a) Oxygen
b) Hydrogen
c) Nitrogen
d) Argon
e) Carbon Dioxide
2) Scientists are optimistic that the hole in the
ozone layer may completely fix itself by 2050.
Which international treaty is most responsible
for leading to the improvement of the ozone
layer?
a) The Kyoto Protocol
b) CITES
c) The Clean Water Act
d) The Clean Air Act
e) The Montreal Protocol
3) New crust is created…
a) At convergent plate boundaries as one plate
is subducted beneath another.
b) Along fault lines, as the movement of the
earth causes magma to rise to the surface
c) At divergent plate boundaries – as plates
move apart magma rises to the surface
d) As tectonic plates slide past each other,
resulting in faults and fissures
e) As old crust is recycled through the
convection currents of the mantle.
AP Practice
4) The Kyoto Protocol calls for all of the
following except…
a) Reductions in emissions of six greenhouse
gases to below 1990 levels
b) A global collaboration for a sustainable
environment
c) Allowances for carbon-credit training
d) Money to clean up toxic waste sites
e) Exemptions for developing nations
Through the
Atmosphere…
Atmosphere Starting Ending
Level
Elevation Elevation
Troposphere 0
~20km
Stratosphere
20km
50km
Mesosphere
50
80-90
Thermosphere
90km
beyond
Important
Information
Atmospheric Properties
Atmospheric Pressure:
• Gravity pulls gas molecules toward Earth’s
surface – air is most dense at the surface of
the earth and decreases with altitude.
Atmospheric Properties
Atmospheric Pressure:
• Gravity pulls gas molecules toward Earth’s
surface – air is most dense at the surface of
the earth and decreases with altitude.
• Atmospheric pressure is
a measure of the force
per unit area of air.
Atmospheric Properties
Atmospheric Pressure:
• At sea level, atmospheric pressure is 14.7lb/in2 (psi)
or 1 atmosphere (atm)
Atmospheric Properties
Atmospheric Pressure:
• Kala Patthar, a mountain near Everest, has an
altitude of 18,000 ft. On the peak, atmospheric
pressure is 0.43 atm.
• About half of the Earth’s air molecules are
below the hiker at
this elevation.
Atmospheric Properties
Atmospheric Pressure:
• On the summit of Everest - 29,035 feet – the
atmospheric pressure is just over 0.29 atm.
• A climber on the peak is standing above 2/3 of
the Earth’s air molecules.
Atmospheric Properties
Atmospheric Pressure:
• Commercial airlines cruise at about 36,000 feet
– at that point the passengers are roughly
above 80% of the Earth’s air molecules.
• This is located about midway into the
stratosphere military airlines fly higher on
average. NASA is even higher
Atmospheric Properties
Relative Humidity:
Atmospheric Properties
Relative Humidity:
• Humidity is a ratio of water vapor a given
volume of air contains to the maximum
amount it could contain.
Atmospheric Properties
Relative Humidity:
• Humidity is a ratio of water vapor a given
volume of air contains to the maximum
amount it could contain.
If the relative humidity is 33%, then the air
contains about one-third of the water vapor it
could hold at that temperature.
Atmospheric Properties
Relative Humidity:
• When the humidity is high (say, 88%), then the
air is already holding most of the water vapor
that it can – as a result, sweat evaporates
slowly and the body can not cool itself
sufficiently.
Atmospheric Properties
Relative Humidity:
• When the humidity is high (say, 88%), then the
air is already holding most of the water vapor
that it can – as a result, sweat evaporates
slowly and the body can not cool itself
sufficiently.
• Low humidity has more “space” for water
vapor, so sweat evaporates quickly and the
body feels much cooler.
Exit Slip
1) Moving toward the surface of the earth, which
answer shows the correct order of the atmospheric
layers?
a) Troposphere, Stratosphere, Thermosphere,
Mesosphere
b) Mesosphere, Stratosphere, Thermosphere,
Troposphere
c) Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere,
Thermosphere
d) Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere,
Troposphere
e) Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere,
Troposphere
2) Which answer below is NOT a job of the
earth’s atmosphere?
a) Recycling water
b) Absorbing hazardous solar radiation
c) Creating weather patterns
d) Providing oxygen
e) Moderating climate
3) The ozone layer…
I) Is found in the Stratosphere
II) Is found in the Troposphere
III) Reduces the amount of dangerous UV solar
radiation reaching earth’s surface
IV) Reduces the amount of IV radiation
reaching earth’s surface
a) I and III
b) I and IV
c) II and III
d) II and IV
4) Which location would have the highest
atmospheric pressure?
a) Lexington, KY – 1000 feet above sea level
b) Georgetown, KY – 846 feet above sea level
c) Harlan, KY – 1,191 feet above sea level
d) Elizabethtown, KY – 731 feet above sea level
e) Louisville, KY – 466 feet above sea level