EARTH SCIENCE ES02 -
Bell Ringer List and explain how the atmosphere might affect the different spheres (hydrosphere, geosphere, & biosphere) on Earth.
Bell Ringer Does pollution caused by other countries affect us here in the US? Explain your answer.
Bell Ringer Using all of the information you have learned in this unit, briefly explain how weather occurs in our atmosphere. Use the words humidity, clouds, precipitation, thunderstorm, wind, and air mass. In your description you cannot use these words with commas or the word and.
Composition of the Weather refers to the state of the atmosphere at any given time and place.
Composition of the Climate is based on observations of weather that have been collected over many years.
Composition of the Major Components of Air Air is a mixture of different gases and particles, each with its own physical properties. - Nitrogen 78% - Oxygen 20% - Water Vapor 1% - Carbon Dioxide >1%
Composition of the Important Components Ozone is a form of oxygen that combines three oxygen atoms into each molecule (O 3 ).
Ozone & CFC s
Composition of the Important Components Water vapor is the source of all clouds and precipitation. Water vapor absorbs heat given off by Earth. It also absorbs some solar energy.
Height & Structure of the The atmosphere rapidly thins as you travel away from Earth until there are too few gas molecules to detect.
Atmospheric Pressure vs. Altitude
17.1 Characteristics Height and Structure of the Temperature Changes The atmosphere can be divided vertically into four layers based on temperature. The troposphere is the bottom layer of the atmosphere where temperature decreases with an increase in altitude. This is where all weather takes place. The stratosphere is the layer of the atmosphere where temperature remains constant to a height of about 20 kilometers. It then begins a gradual increase until the stratopause.
Snowy Mountaintops Contrast with Warmer Snow-Free Lowlands
17.1 Characteristics Height and Structure of the Temperature Changes The mesosphere is the layer of the atmosphere immediately above the stratosphere and is characterized by decreasing temperatures with height. The thermosphere is the region of the atmosphere immediately above the mesosphere and is characterized by increasing temperatures due to the absorption of very short-wave solar energy by oxygen.
Thermal Structure of the
Earth-Sun Relationships Solstices and Equinoxes The summer solstice occurs on June 21 or 22 and is the first day of summer.
Earth-Sun Relationships Solstices and Equinoxes The winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22 and is the first day of winter.
Earth-Sun Relationships Solstices and Equinoxes The autumnal equinox occurs on September 22 or 23.
Earth-Sun Relationships Solstices and Equinoxes The spring equinox occurs on March 21 or 22.
Bell Ringer Describe the concept of heat in your own words.
Energy Transfer as Heat Heat is the energy transferred from one object to another because of a difference in the objects temperature.
Energy Transfer as Heat Three mechanisms of energy transfer as heat are conduction, convection, and radiation. Conduction Conduction is the transfer of heat through matter by molecular activity.
Energy Transfer as Heat Convection Convection is the transfer of heat by mass movement or circulation within a substance.
Energy Transfer as Heat Radiation Radiation is the transfer of energy (heat) through space by electromagnetic waves that travel out in all directions.
What Happens to Solar Radiation? Absorption The greenhouse effect is the heating of Earth s surface & atmosphere from solar radiation being absorbed by the atmosphere.
What Happens to Solar Radiation? Absorption Two main greenhouse gases are water vapor & carbon dioxide.
The Greenhouse Effect
Solar Radiation
Why Temperatures Vary Factors other than latitude that exert a strong influence on temperature include heating of land and water, altitude, geographic position, cloud cover, and ocean currents.
Why Temperatures Vary Land and Water
Why Temperatures Vary Land and Water Land heats faster and to higher temperatures than water. Land also cools faster and to lower temperatures than water.
Mean Monthly Temperatures for Vancouver and Winnipeg
Why Temperatures Vary Geographic Position The geographic setting can greatly influence temperatures experienced at a specific location.
Mean Monthly Temperatures for Eureka and New York City
Why Temperatures Vary Altitude The altitude can greatly influence temperatures experienced at a specific location.
Mean Monthly Temperatures for Guayaquil and Quito
Why Temperatures Vary Cloud Cover and Albedo Albedo is the fraction of total radiation that is reflected by any surface. Many clouds have a high albedo and therefore reflect back to space a significant portion of the sunlight that strikes them.
World Distribution of Temperature Isotherms are lines on a weather map that connect points where the temperature is the same.
Bell Ringer How does living in a coastal region affect our daily temperatures?
Bell Ringer In your own words, explain what humidity is and why it s important to understanding the weather.
Water s Changes of State Precipitation is any form of water that falls from a cloud. When it comes to understanding atmospheric processes, water vapor is the most important gas in the atmosphere.
Water s Changes of State Solid to Liquid The process of changing state, such as melting ice, requires that energy be transferred in the form of heat. Liquid to Gas Evaporation is the process of changing a liquid to a gas.
Water s Changes of State Gas to Liquid Condensation is the process where a gas, like water vapor, changes to a liquid, like water. Liquid to Solid The process of changing state, such as freezing water, requires that energy be transferred in the form of heat.
Water s Changes of State Solid to Gas Sublimation is the conversion of a solid directly to a gas without passing through the liquid state. Gas to Solid Deposition is the conversion of a vapor directly to a solid.
Water s Changes of State
Humidity Humidity is a general term for the amount of water vapor in air.
Humidity Saturation Air is saturated when it contains the maximum amount of water vapor that it can hold at any given temperature and pressure. When saturated, warm air contains more water vapor than cold saturated air.
Humidity Relative Humidity Relative humidity is a ratio of the air s actual water-vapor content compared with the amount of water vapor air can hold at that temperature.
Humidity Dew Point Dew point is the temperature to which a parcel of air would need to be cooled to reach saturation.
Humidity Measuring Humidity A hygrometer is an instrument to measure relative humidity. A psychrometer is a hygrometer with dry- and wet-bulb thermometers. Evaporation of water from the wet bulb makes air temperature appear lower than the dry bulb s measurement. The two temperatures are compared to determine the relative humidity.
Bell Ringer Based off of what you know about the atmosphere and what you learned in your humidity lab, infer how clouds and precipitation are created.
Processes That Lift Air Orographic Lifting Orographic lifting occurs when mountains act as barriers to the flow of air, forcing the air to ascend.
Processes That Lift Air Frontal Wedging A front is the boundary between two adjoining air masses having contrasting characteristics.
Condensation For any form of condensation to occur, the air must be saturated.
Condensation Types of Surfaces Generally, there must be a surface for water vapor to condense on.
Condensation Types of Surfaces Condensation nuclei are tiny bits of matter that serve as surfaces on which water vapor condenses when condensation occurs in the air.
Types of Clouds Clouds are classified on the basis of their form and height. Cirrus are clouds that are high, white, and thin.
Types of Clouds Cumulus are mid-level clouds that consist of rounded individual cloud masses.
Types of Clouds Stratus are low clouds best described as sheets or layers that cover much or all of the sky.
Cloud Classification
Types of Clouds Nimbostratus clouds are the main precipitation makers.
Cloud Classification
Types of Clouds Clouds of Vertical Development Cumulonimbus do not fit into any one of the three height categories mentioned. These clouds create thunderstorms.
Cloud Classification
Fog Fog is defined as a cloud with its base at or very near the ground.
How Precipitation Forms For precipitation to form, cloud droplets must grow in volume by roughly one million times.
How Precipitation Forms Warm Cloud Precipitation The collisioncoalescence process is a theory of raindrop formation in warm clouds (above 0 o C) where large cloud droplets collide and join together with smaller droplets to form a raindrop.
Forms of Precipitation The type of precipitation that reaches Earth s surface depends on the temperature lower few km s of the atmosphere.
Forms of Precipitation Rain In meteorology, the term rain means drops of water that fall from a cloud and have a diameter of at least 0.5 mm.
Forms of Precipitation Snow At very low temperatures (when the moisture content of air is low) light fluffy snow made up of individual six-sided ice crystals forms.
Forms of Precipitation Sleet Sleet is the fall of clear-to-translucent ice.
Forms of Precipitation Hail Hailstones begin as small ice pellets that grow as they fall through a cumulonimbu s cloud.
Bell Ringer Describe some possible causes for wind, then infer what the purpose of wind is on Earth.
Air Pressure Defined Air pressure is the pressure exerted by the weight of air. Air pressure is exerted in all directions down, up, and sideways.
Measuring Air Pressure A barometer is a device used for measuring air pressure.
Factors Affecting Wind Solar radiation is the ultimate energy source for most wind. The unequal heating of Earth s surface generates pressure differences.
Factors Affecting Wind Wind is the result of horizontal differences in air pressure. Air flows from areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure.
Factors Affecting Wind Coriolis Effect The Coriolis effect describes how Earth s rotation affects moving objects. In the Northern Hemisphere, all freemoving objects/fluids are deflected to the right of their path.
Highs and Lows Cyclonic Winds In cyclones, the pressure decreases from the outer isobars toward the center. Cyclones are centers of low pressure. Winds blow counterclockwise; net flow is inward.
Highs and Lows Anticyclonic Winds In anticyclones, the pressure increases from the outer isobars toward the center. Anticyclones are centers of high pressure. Winds blow clockwise; net flow is outward.
Cyclonic and Anticyclonic Winds
Highs and Lows Weather and Air Pressure Rising air is associated with cloud formation and precipitation, whereas sinking air produces clear skies.
Highs and Lows Weather Forecasting Weather reports emphasize the locations and possible paths of cyclones and anticyclones. Low-pressure centers can produce bad weather in any season.
Pressure Centers and Winds
Global Winds The atmosphere balances these differences by acting as a giant heat-transfer system.
Global Winds This system moves warm air toward high latitudes and cool air toward the equator.
Circulation on a Rotating Earth
Global Winds The prevailing wind is the wind that blows more often from one direction than from any other.
Global Winds In the United States, the Westerlies consistently move weather from west to east across the continent.
Normal Conditions
El Niño and La Niña El Niño El Niño is the name given to the periodic warming of the ocean that occurs in the central and eastern Pacific.
El Niño and La Niña El Niño At irregular intervals warm countercurrents become unusually strong and replace normally cold offshore waters with warm equatorial waters.
Normal -> El Niño Conditions
El Niño and La Niña La Niña When surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific are colder than average, a La Niña event is triggered that has a distinctive set of weather patterns.
Bell Ringer Describe some factors about the daily weather that are important for you to know.
Air Masses and Weather An air mass is an immense body of air that is characterized by similar temperatures and amounts of moisture.
Classifying Air Masses Air masses are classified according to their overall temperature and the surface over which they form.
Weather in North America Much of the weather in North America, especially weather east of the Rocky Mountains, is influenced by continental polar (cp) and maritime tropical (mt) air masses.
Weather in North America
Weather in North America Continental Polar Air Masses Continental polar air masses are uniformly cold and dry in winter and cool and dry in summer.
Weather in North America Maritime Tropical Air Masses Maritime tropical air masses are warm, loaded with moisture, and usually unstable. Maritime tropical air is the source of much, if not most, of the precipitation received in the eastern twothirds of the United States.
Formation of Fronts When two air masses meet, they form a front, which is a boundary that separates two air masses.
Types of Fronts Warm Fronts A warm front forms when warm air moves into an area formerly covered by cooler air.
Types of Fronts Cold Fronts A cold front forms when cold, dense air moves into a region occupied by warmer air.
Types of Fronts Stationary Fronts When the flow of air on either side of a front is neither toward the cold air mass nor toward the warm air mass, the surface position of the front does not move.
Types of Fronts Occluded Fronts When an active cold front overtakes a warm front.
Bell Ringer Which letter would most of our weather likely come from? Explain your answer. C A B D
Bell Ringer Summarize the factors that you have learned in class that contribute to the prediction of weather?
Thunderstorms A thunderstorm is a storm that generates lightning and thunder. Thunderstorms frequently produce gusty winds, heavy rain, and hail.
Thunderstorms Occurrence of Thunderstorms At any given time, there are an estimated 2000 thunderstorms in progress on Earth. The greatest number occur in the tropics.
Thunderstorms Development of Thunderstorms Thunderstorms form when warm, humid air rises in an unstable environment.
Stages in the Development of a Thunderstorm
Tornadoes Tornadoes are violent windstorms that take the form of a rotation column of air called a vortex. The vortex extends downward from a cumulonimbus cloud.
Tornadoes Occurrence and Development of Tornadoes Most tornadoes form in association with severe thunderstorms (cumulonimbus).
Tornadoes Tornado Safety Tornado watches alert people to the possibility of tornadoes in a specified area for a particular time. A tornado warning is issued when a tornado has actually been sighted in an area or is indicated by weather radar.
Formation of a Mesocyclone
Tornadoes Tornado Intensity Because tornado winds cannot be measured directly, a rating on the Fujita scale is determined by assessing the worst damage produced by the storm.
Tornado Damage
Hurricanes Whirling tropical cyclones that produce winds of at least 119 kilometers per hour (74 mph) are known in the United States as hurricanes.
Satellite View of Hurricane Floyd
Hurricanes Development of Hurricanes Hurricanes develop when water temperatures are warm enough to provide the necessary heat and moisture to the air.
Hurricanes Development of Hurricanes Hurricanes form in a three step process: 1. Tropical Depression (<61 kph / <38mph) 2. Tropical Storm (62-118 kph / 39-73mph) This is when a name is given to the storm. Usually half of these become Hurricanes. 3. Hurricane (119+ kph / 74+ mph)
Hurricanes Anatomy of Hurricanes The eye is a zone of scattered clouds and calm at the center of a hurricane.
Hurricanes Development of Hurricanes The eye wall is a doughnut-shaped area of intense cumulonimbus development and very strong winds that surrounds the eye of a hurricane.
Cross Section of a Hurricane
Hurricanes Hurricane Intensity The intensity of a hurricane is described using the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Human Impacts on the Human Influence Emissions from transportation vehicles account for nearly half the primary pollutants by weight.
Human Impacts on the Acid Rain Acid rain is a broad term that includes any form of precipitation that has acidic components.
Human Impacts on the Acid Rain Acid rain is created when sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) is carried into the atmosphere mainly through the burning of fossil fuels.
Human Impacts on the Acid Rain Acid rain can negatively affect plant life, birds, and water sources.