Meteorology
Layers of the Atmosphere
And
Air Masses
Meteorology
 Meteorology is …
Meteorology
 Meteorology is the branch of science
that deals with the atmosphere of
a planet, particularly that of the
Earth, the most important application of
which is the analysis and prediction
of weather.
Kid definition
 Meteorology is the study of the
atmosphere to analyze and predict
the weather.
What are the layers of the
atmosphere and how do they
interact?
 PART ONE
Reveal Earth's Atmosphere
 National Geographic
Background Info
 Although the density of air decreases with the increasing
altitude, that is, the air gets “thinner”, the proportions of
gases in the air remain relatively the same, at least in the
lower layers. Water vapor is found in the atmosphere, but
its concentration varies with weather and climate
conditions. For example, air is generally dry over the
southwestern states but relatively wet over the
southeastern region, which includes the Florida Keys.
 Top Ten Gases in Our Atmosphere
What’s the deal with air
pressure?
Air Pressure Demo - air has mass
 Weather and Air Pressure (the basics)
 Altitude vs air pressure (naval aviation)
 Air Pressure Explained (NASA)
Layers of the Earth’s Atmosphere
Troposphere
O to 12 km (about 7.5 miles)
tropo means -
Troposphere
O to 12 km
tropo means – “turning” or “changing”
___ km above the equator or less than __ km above Poles
Troposphere
O to 12 km
tropo means – “turning” or “changing”
12 km above the equator or less than 9 km above Poles
At the top of this layer temperature stays ___ °C
Troposphere
O to 12 km
tropo means – “turning” or “changing”
12 km above the equator or less than 9 km above Poles. It
is made mostly of the gases nitrogen and oxygen.
At the top of this layer temperature stays -60 °C
Water here forms ______, feathery clouds of _____
Troposphere
O to 12 km
tropo means – “turning” or “changing”
12 km above the equator or less than 9 km above Poles
At the top of this layer temperature stays -60 °C
Water here forms _thin_, feathery clouds of _ice_
______, _______, _______ & ______ ______ occur in
this layer
Troposphere
O to 12 km
tropo means – “turning” or “changing”
12 km above the equator or less than 9 km above Poles
At the top of this layer temperature stays -60 °C
Water here forms _thin_, feathery clouds of _ice_
_Rain_, _snow__, & _most_ _clouds_ occur in this layer
The Troposphere is important because…
Troposphere
O to 12 km
tropo means – “turning” or “changing”
12 km above the equator or less than 9 km above Poles
At the top of this layer temperature stays -60 °C
Water here forms _thin_, feathery clouds of _ice_
_Rain_, _snow__, & _most_ _clouds_ occur in this layer
The Troposphere is important because… weather occurs
in this layer. Weather is important because it starts the
water cycle.
Stratosphere
___ to ___ km (7.5 – 31 miles)
strato-
Stratosphere
12 to 50 km (about 7.5 miles – 31 miles)
strato- “layer” or “spread out”
Stratosphere
12 to 50 km
strato- “layer” or “spread out”
The _____ stratosphere is warmer(-20C/-68F) than the
lower stratosphere (-60C/-76F)
Where troposphere and stratosphere meet is the jet
stream, a current of fast-moving air. In our country, the jet
stream blows from west to east. It tends to push our
weather in that direction.
Stratosphere
12 to 50 km
strato- “layer” or “spread out”
The _upper_ stratosphere is warmer(-20C/68F) than
the lower stratosphere (-60C/ -76F)
________is in the middle portion of the stratosphere
Stratosphere
12 to 50 km
strato- “layer” or “spread out”
The upper stratosphere is warmer(-20C/-68F) than the
lower stratosphere (-60C/-76F)
_Ozone_is in the middle portion of the stratosphere
Stratosphere
12 to 50 km
strato- “layer” or “spread out”
The _upper_ stratosphere is warmer than the lower
stratosphere
_Ozone is in the middle portion of the stratosphere
The ______ _______ protects Earth’s living things from
____________ ______________ from sun.
Stratosphere
12 to 50 km
strato- “layer” or “spread out”
The _upper_ stratosphere is warmer than the lower
stratosphere
_Ozone_ is in the middle portion of the stratosphere.
Ozone is a form of oxygen found in the atmosphere.
The _ozone_layer_ protects Earth’s living things from
ultraviolet radiation_ from sun. Some say there is a hole
in our ozone layer. It is not exactly a hole but a thinning of
the ozone layer where it is in low concentrations.
Felix Baumgartner's fall from space
Mesosphere
___ to ___ km (31-50 miles)
Mesosphere
_50_ to _80_ km
meso - means “__________”
Mesosphere
_50_ to _80_ km
meso - means “_middle_”
Mesosphere
_50_ to _80_ km
meso - means “_middle_”
Most ______ burn up in the __________, producing
___________ __________.
Mesosphere
_50_ to _80_ km
meso - means “_middle_”
Most _meteoroids_ burn up in the _mesosphere_,
producing _meteor_ _trails_.
Molecules in the air spread _________ apart.
Mesosphere
_50_ to _80_ km
meso - means “_middle_”
Most _meteoroids_ burn up in the _mesosphere_,
producing _meteor_ _trails_.
Molecules in the air spread _________ apart.
Mesosphere
_50_ to _80_ km
meso - means “_middle_”
Most _meteoroids_ burn up in the _mesosphere_,
producing _meteor_ _trails_.
Molecules in the air spread _farther_ apart.
Temperatures approach ____⁰C
Mesosphere
_50_ to _80_ km
meso - means “_middle_”
Most _meteoroids_ burn up in the _mesosphere_,
producing _meteor_ _trails_.
Molecules in the air spread _farther_ apart.
Temperatures approach _-90_⁰C
Mesosphere
_50_ to _80_ km
meso - means “_middle_”
Most _meteoroids_ burn up in the _mesosphere_,
producing _meteor_ _trails_.
Molecules in the air spread _farther_ apart.
Temperatures approach _-90_⁰C
Important in the atmosphere because…
Mesosphere
_50_ to _80_ km
meso - means “_middle_”
Most _meteoroids_ burn up in the _mesosphere_,
producing _meteor_ _trails_.
Molecules in the air spread _farther_ apart.
Temperatures approach _-90_⁰C
Important in the atmosphere because…
It protects Earth’s surface from being hit by most
_________________.
Mesosphere
_50_ to _80_ km
meso - means “_middle_”
Most _meteoroids_ burn up in the _mesosphere_,
producing _meteor_ _trails_.
Molecules in the air spread _farther_ apart.
Temperatures approach _-90_⁰C
Important in the atmosphere because…
It protects Earth’s surface from being hit by most
_meteoroids_ .
Thermosphere
above __ km
Thermosphere
above _80_ km
This layer extends from ____ km above Earth’s surface
outward into space.
Thermosphere
above _80_ km
This layer extends from _80_ km above Earth’s surface
outward into space.
It has ___ _____________ outer limit.
Thermosphere
above _80_ km
This layer extends from _80_ km above Earth’s surface
outward into space.
It has _no_ _definite_ outer limit.
This layer can reach temperatures of _______⁰C.
Thermosphere
above _80_ km
This layer extends from _80_ km above Earth’s surface
outward into space.
It has _no_ _definite_ outer limit.
This layer can reach temperatures of _1,800-2000_⁰C.
(about 3200F)
Despite the high temperatures, you would ____ feel warm.
Thermosphere
above _80_ km
This layer extends from _80_ km above Earth’s surface
outward into space.
It has _no_ _definite_ outer limit.
This layer can reach temperatures of _1,800_⁰C.
Despite the high temperatures you would _NOT_ feel
warm.
Important in the atmosphere because…
Thermosphere
above _80_ km
This layer extends from _80_ km above Earth’s surface
outward into space.
It has _no_ _definite_ outer limit.
This layer can reach temperatures of _1,800_⁰C.
Despite the high temperatures you would _NOT_ feel
warm.
Important in the atmosphere because…
The ___________ extends out into _______ _________ .
We view the _________ ________ or aurora borealis.
Thermosphere
above _80_ km
This layer extends from _80_ km above Earth’s surface
outward into space.
It has _no_ _definite_ outer limit.
This layer can reach temperatures of _1,800_- 2000 ⁰C.
Despite the high temperatures you would _NOT_ feel
warm.
Important in the atmosphere because…
The _thermosphere_ extends out into _outer_ _space_
Many satellites orbit here.
.
We view the _Northern_ _Lights_ or Aurora Borealis,
which are magnetic particles located in the thermosphere.
Thermosphere (continued)
 This layer is divided into two sub-layers.
 The lower layer is called the ionosphere.
– About 80 to 400 km above Earth’s surface
– Northern Lights are located in this layer
 The upper layer is called the exosphere.
– About 400 km outward for thousands of km
Aurora Borealis
 What causes the
Northern Lights?
Aurora over Hancock, MI looking north,
July 25, 2004, 2:18am
Photos by Claudia Perko
From
http://www.geo.mtu.edu/weather/aurora/
Journey Through Our
Atmosphere
 BBC: Power of the Planet - Atmosphere (50
mins.) clash of extremes 25:40-32:20
 Mr. Parr's Layers of Atmosphere Song
Tornadoes sometimes make trouble in eastern
states (mnemonic sentence)
 Now you try!
Let’s put together a graphic organizer to
remember the layers.
Summarizer
 NASA The Structure of our atmosphere
Part Two
What makes the wind blow?
 Please open you Addison – Wesley
to text page E14-15
Mr. Wizard Demonstration
High and Low Pressure
E16-17
high and low pressure convection clip
 The air’s density can help you predict the weather.
Scientists determine how many particles are in the air by
measuring how heavy the air is. Air with more particles in it
is heavier than air with less particles. The weight of this air
is always pushing on us and is known as air pressure.
Since cold air is more dense than warm air, it is heavier
and greater air pressure and forms high pressure areas.
Warm air is less dense and forms low pressure areas.
Global Winds (E14)
Little Shop of Science - global winds 4
Little Shop of Science - global circulation 5
 Global winds are the result of uneven heating. The air over
the equator is warmer than the air over the poles. As a
result, the hot air over the equator rises, and the cold air
from the poles slips in under it. Global winds are curved by
the Earth’s rotation. The direction of the earth’s rotation
and its wind patterns is shown.
The Coriolis Effect
PBS Nova (3mins.)
 The rotation of the Earth causes and
interesting phenomena on free-moving
objects (fluids) on Earth. Objects in the
Northern Hemisphere are deflected to the
right while objects in the Southern
Hemisphere are deflected to the left.
 Will a toilet flush opposite in Australia?
Jet Stream
 How does our jet stream work?
Sea Breeze and Land Breeze
Animation of Sea and Land Breezes
Local Winds (E15)
Land and Sea Breezes Explained
Atmospheric Circulation
 Atmospheric circulation on planets (18 mins)
Where do we get the heat?
 Day and Night Cycle - Photoperiod
 Season Cycle
Day and Night
Animation
 Each day the sun appears to rise and set
because the Earth rotates on its axis. As the
planet turns, different places move in and
out of sunlight.
 Day and Night Clip
Photoperiod - Journey North
Background Info - Season Simulator
 MIT Earth's Tilt 1 – Why do we have seasons?
 Land of the Midnight Sun - Why are some
places in complete darkness for part of the year?
What are air masses?E18-19
Air Masses - An Introduction
TWC - air masses and fronts
Fronts
Hot air and cold air mass
(E20-21)
WEATHER FRONTS
explained
 Cold Front Time Lapsed
Clip
How to read a weather map