2013 Unit Organizer Heating of the Earth’s Atmosphere SOL 6.2
Previous learning:
Energy
Unit Schedule
Current Unit: The Heating of the Earth’s Atmosphere
How the Earth's atmosphere
Heats & Effects Climate
Electromagnetic
Spectrum
Types of Energy
Transfer
Convection
Currents
Unit
Vocabulary
Electromagnetic
Spectrum
Ultraviolet
Visible Light
Infrared
radiation
Radio waves
Gamma Waves
Earth's Energy
Budget
Layers of the
atmosphere
Microwaves
Convection
Conduction
Radiation
Convection
currents
Earth’s Energy
Budget
Reflect
Absorb
Greenhouse
Effect
Climate
Climate
Unit questions:
1.
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5.
Future learning: Weather
What are the parts of the electromagnetic spectrum and what do the different wavelengths indicate?
What are the 3 ways energy can be transferred and what is an example of each?
How do convection currents heat the Earth?
What is the Earth’s Energy budget and what impact does it have on the Earth’s atmosphere?
What effect does the sun have on the Earth’s oceans and climate?
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
1
Heard
before…
Never heard
before…
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Make Up and Characteristics of Atmosphere Notes
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1) Earth is covered by a layer of air called the
atmosphere. The atmosphere extends outward for
many miles towards outer space. Gravity holds our
atmosphere to the earth. Our atmosphere protects
the Earth from falling space objects, helps keep the
Earth the right temperature, and is weather takes
place.
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2) Air is a mixture of certain gases. It is made of
nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, and small
amounts of other gases. Water vapor is water in a gas
form. There is only a tiny amount of water vapor in
the air. Nitrogen makes up the largest portion of air,
while oxygen makes up the 2nd largest portion. The
two gases in the air that living things mainly use are
carbon dioxide (plants) and oxygen (other living
organisms).
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3) Our atmosphere has a couple of specific
characteristics. First, as you rise through the layers
of the atmosphere the air pressure decreases. There
is simply less air pressing down the higher you go. A
person at the bottom of the mountain has more air
pressure while a person at the top of the mountain
has less pressure. This is the most basic change that
happens in the atmosphere.
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4) Secondly, as you rise through the atmosphere
there are several temperature changes. Label the
graph below hot and cold in the different layers. In
the lowest layer, troposphere, temperature
decreases as altitude increases.
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Layers of Atmosphere Notes
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1)Our atmosphere is the blanket of air or layer of
air around our Earth. There are 4 main layer which
are classified according to temperature. The 4 main
layers are the troposphere, the stratosphere, the
mesosphere, and the thermosphere.
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The thermosphere is the outermost layer of our
atmosphere. This layer is special for several
reasons. First, it is the hottest layer. The molecules
of air are very far apart and are not very dense at all.
This is because radiation from the sun hits this layer
first. The nitrogen and oxygen in the layer change
the radiation to heat. Radio waves travel through
the lower parts of this layer, while satellites orbit at
the tops of this level. The level can extend up to
300 km above sea level but there is no definite end.
The molecules of air gradually thin out until there is
nothing left.
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The mesosphere reaches from 50 km to 80km
above the Earth's surface. It's air is less dense then
the two lower layers. It is the coldest layer-more the
-100  F. This is the layer where most meteors burn
up.
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The stratosphere rises from the troposphere to
about 50 km above the Earth's surface. This layer is
unique because the temperature starts out very cold
but then gets warmer near the top because the
healthy layer of ozone lies here. The ozone layer
absorbs radiation from the sun and protects us from
harmful ultraviolet radiation. The stratosphere is
less dense then the troposphere.
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The layer closest to the Earth's surface is the
troposphere. This layer is the thinnest-9-12 km
thick. This layer is the most dense and were all the
Earth's weather takes place. As you rise into the
troposphere several things happen. First, the
temperature gets colder. Second, the air becomes
less dense and it is harder to breathe. Finally, there
is less air pressure because there is not as much air
pressing down from higher levels as there would be
at sea level.
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Electromagnetic Spectrum Notes
1) Our atmosphere receives most of its energy from the
sun. This energy travels in wave from the sun called
electromagnetic waves, a form of energy that can travel
through space. The direct transfer of energy by
electromagnetic waves is called radiation.
2) A wave has several parts. A single rise or depression
in a series of waves is a pulse. Any two consecutive
pulses, one a rise and the other a depression, make up a
wave. The high point of a wave is the crest and the low
point is the trough. Wavelength is the distance between
two waves and can be measured in crest to crest or
trough to trough.
Electromagnetic Spectrum Parts include:
3) Visible Light is a mixture of all the colors that you
see in the rainbow. The different colors are the results of
different wavelengths of visible light. Red and orange
light have the longest wavelengths. Blue and violet have
shorter wavelengths.
4) Infrared radiation is a form of energy with
wavelengths that are longer then red light. Infrared
radiation is not visible, but can be felt as HEAT. It is
emitted as heat and absorbed by cool bodies. Heat
lamps used to keep food warm in restaurants give off
both visible red light and invisible infrared radiation.
5) The sun also gives off ultraviolet radiation, which
has wavelengths shorter then violet light. Ultraviolet
radiation can’t be seen but our skin is very sensitive to it.
It can cause sunburn, eye damage, and skin cancers.
6) Electromagnetic energy from the sun can be either
absorbed or reflected. Clouds, the ground, water, and
gasses absorb or soak up energy from the sun. Clouds,
the ground, water and gasses also reflect or throw back
the suns energy.
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Radiation, Convection, and Conduction
Notes
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1) Energy transferred through empty space
by electromagnetic waves is called
radiation. When you feel the sun’s rays on
your face or the heat from a campfire that
is radiation. The Earth’s surface is heated
by radiation.
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2) Conduction is the transfer of heat from a
warmer object to a cooler object through
direct contact. This is why just the tip of a
fire poker becomes hot when just the tip is
left in the fire or why ice held in your hand
will melt. Within the atmosphere,
conduction is only important in a very thin
layer of air that is touching the surface of
the Earth.
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3) Convection, on the other hand is the
process of heat distribution within a fluid
or gas. This happens through the
movement of the fluid or gas. Convection
is an important process in our atmosphere.
First air near the ground is warmed
through conduction and becomes less
dense and rises. Next, convection moves
that warm air upward. Finally, it rises it
becomes cooler and more dense and sinks
back towards the ground. The movement
of heat in our atmosphere causes
temperatures to change, winds to blow,
and rain to fall.
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Convection Currents Notes
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1. Radiation, conduction, and convection work
together to heat the bottom layer of the
atmosphere (troposphere).
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2. The first step to warm the Earth’s atmosphere is
that some of the sun’s electromagnetic energy
moves from the sun is absorbed by the surface of
the Earth (ground & water) through radiation.
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3. The 2nd step in the atmosphere’s convection current
process is that the now warmed surface of the Earth
heats the first few feet of air above the Earth’s
surface through conduction. The air is directly
touching the surface of the Earth. The air closest to
the ground is usually the warmest.
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4. Next, because warm air is less dense it begins to rise
and move the heated air molecules with them. The
molecules have more energy so they begin to move
and bump into each other and transferring there
heat through convection. Convection causes most
of the heating of the bottom of our atmosphere.
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5. As the air moves farther apart it begins to cool
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higher in the atmosphere and become denser.
Cooler, denser air sinks back down to the surface of
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the Earth. The convection current cycle then
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starts again with the air being warmed near the
surface of the Earth.
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Earth’s Energy Budget Notes
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(1) The Earth’s energy budget is a measure of
how the Earth uses the incoming solar
energy. Of all the solar energy that reaches
the out layers of the Earth’s atmosphere,
only about half of it reaches the Earth’s
surface. Once the sun’s energy enters the
atmosphere, it can be absorbed, reflected, or
scattered.
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(2) Some of the energy is reflected. The
clouds, the ground, water, dust, and water
vapor reflect solar energy coming into the
Earth’s atmosphere. About 4% of the sun’s
energy is reflected right back into space.
Sometimes energy can be reflected but then
absorbed by the clouds etc. the 2nd time
around.
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(3) Some energy is absorbed-soaked up- by the
ozone layer, water vapor and dust. Clouds
can also absorb the energy. Some of the
energy is scattered, or spread out in all
directions. That is why the sky appears blue
because that part of the electromagnetic
spectrum is scattered more then the other
colors. Energy that is absorbed into the
ground then helps to heat air closest to the
ground. The light energy returns to the
atmosphere as heat energy and escapes from
the Earth’s atmosphere. When that happens
the energy budget is a balanced budget.
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Greenhouse Effect Notes
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1) Incoming solar radiation from the sun is in close
balance with the energy that leaves the atmosphere;
otherwise the Earth would heat up or cool down.
Some gases in our atmosphere trap heat which is
called the greenhouse effect. They work like the
glass roof of a greenhouse, trapping heat near the
Earth’s surface. Without them the Earth would be
too cold. With too much of them, Earth would be
too hot.
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2) Water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane are all
greenhouse gases. These gases come from several
places. Humans burning fossil fuels, the car
emissions, and the burning of wood all cause
greenhouse gases. Another cause of an increase in
carbon dioxide is the cutting down of rainforests.
Tree and plants use CO2 to make food. They replace
it with oxygen. With fewer trees, more carbon
dioxide remains in the air.
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3) If the air heats up too much, Earth’s climate will
change. Polar ice might melt and sea levels rise.
Coastal areas would flood. Areas that grow many
crops might become to dry. Global warming, a
gradual increase in the Earth’s temperature, could
also be a possible result. Our weather would also be
affected because there would be warmer bodies of
water, which would increase the number of
hurricanes.
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4) Global warming has been neither proven nor
disproven. Some scientists say that the gradual
increase in temperature in a normal fluctuation in
the Earth’s climate that has always occurred. Other
scientists say that the increase is too rapid and is a
result of human activity.
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Sun → _________________
Climate, the sun, and our oceans
1. The sun has yet another affect on our Earth. By
heating the oceans the sun is partly responsible for
the climate on Earth. Climate is the pattern of
temperature and precipitation typical of an area over
a long period of time.
_________ = pattern of temperature
and precipitation over time
Sun’s affect on oceans/climate:
2. Water is able to absorb heat energy without
showing relatively large changes in temperature.
The oceans and other large bodies of water act to
moderate the Earth’s climate of areas nearby to
oceans by absorbing heat from the sun in the
summer and then slowly releasing that heat in the
winter. For this reason, the climate near large bodies
of water is slightly milder (warmer) then areas
without large bodies of water.
 Water _________ heat from sun
 Waters ______ slowly in _____
 ________ release heat all winter
 Places near oceans stay_______
b/c of heat released by oceans.
The chart below shows the average temperature of
regions of VA both close to the ocean and more
inland, away from the ocean.
Answer the following questions:
1. Which region is warmest in
January?
Region
2. Which region is warmest in July?
3. Which region is closest to the
Atlantic Ocean?
4. Which region is coldest in January?
5. Which region is coldest in July?
6. Which region is farthest from the
Atlantic Ocean?
7. What conclusion can we draw?
The regions _________ to the ocean
stay the warmest in the _________.
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January
July Average
Average
Temperature
Temperature
Tidewater Climate
Region: includes
Virginia's Tidewater &
Hampton Roads, the
southern Chesapeake
Bay and Eastern Shore
Regions
35-48 (F)
71-85 (F)
Piedmont Climate
Region: includes Central
Virginia Region
27-47 (F)
68-88 (F)
Northern Virginia
Climate Region: includes
Northern Virginia and
19-42 (F)
northern Chesapeake Bay
Regions
61-86 (F)
Western Mountain
Climate Region: includes
27-45 (F)
Virginia's Shenandoah
Valley Region
65-87 (F)
Southwestern Mountain
Climate Region: includes
Virginia's Southwest Blue 24-44 (F)
Ridge Highlands and
Heart of Appalachia
60-85 (F)
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