Layers of the Earth, Ozone Layer and Spheres of the Earth

Layers of the Earth, Ozone Layer and Spheres of the Earth

Importance of the Atmosphere: Earth s atmosphere is a thin layer of air that forms a protective covering around the planet, without which days would be extremely hot and nights extremely cold Makeup of the Atmosphere: Mixture of gases, solids, and liquids that surround the planet that extend from Earth s Surface to outer space.

Gases in atmosphere: Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%) and other gases (Argon (0.93%), Carbon Dioxide (0.03%) and more) Solids in atmosphere; Dust, salt, pollen Liquids in atmosphere: Water droplets and other liquid droplets

Lowest of Earth s Atmospheric Layers: contains 99% Water vapor and 75% atmospheric gases Where you study, eat, sleep Rain, snow, and clouds occur in the troposphere which extends up to about 10 km Layer Directly above the troposphere where the Ozone layer is located(10 to 50 km above Earth s Surface) Ozone is made up of 3 Oxygen molecules More details on Ozone later on

Mesosphere Located above stratosphere (50 to 85 km above the Earth) Shooting stars (witnessed a meteor in the mesosphere) Thermosphere Named for its high temperatures (85 to 500km above the Earth) Meteor trails Exosphere Above 500 km from Earth Space shuttles orbit the Earth in exosphere with short bursts from rocket thrusters Beyond exosphere is outer space

Pressure is the force exerted in an area Air pressure is greater near Earth s surface and decreases higher in the atmosphere In other words, Air pressure decreases with altitude People find it harder to breathe in high mountains because fewer air molecules exist there. Jets that fly in the stratosphere must maintain pressurized cabins so that people can breathe

The sun is the source of most of the energy on Earth. Solar energy passes through the atmosphere before reaching Earth s Surface Layers contain different gases that absorb solar energy differently so the temperatures amongst the layers vary Get Green Book, turn to pages 95 Text for this slide

Earth s Atmosphere

Within the Stratosphere (19 to 48 km above our heads)

Ozone is made up of oxygen We cannot see it but our life depends on it? Why? you may ask Well it shields us from the Sun s Harmful Rays (UV rays) Threats to our Ozone layer: CFC s (Chlorofluorocarbons): chemical compounds used in some refrigerators, air conditioners, in the production of some foam packaging and aerosol sprays Causing the Ozone hole!!!

Ozone Layer

25 minutes

30 minutes

The four main spheres of the Earth are: Atmosphere -The gaseous layer that surrounds the Earth. It receives heat and moisture from the surface and redistributes them, returning some heat and all of the moisture to the surface. It supplies vital elements needed to sustain life forms Hydrosphere - The liquid realm of the Earth is principally the mass of water in the world s oceans. It also includes solid ice in mountain and continental glaciers. Water occurs as a gaseous vapor, liquid droplets, and solid ice crystals. In the lithosphere,water is found in the uppermost layers in soils and in ground water reservoirs. Lithosphere - This outermost solid layer of the Earth provides a platform for most life-forms. The solid bedrock bears a shallow layer of soil in which nutrient elements become available to organisms. The surface of the lithosphere is sculpted into landforms which provide varied habitats for plants, animals, and humans. Biosphere - Most of the biosphere is contained in the shallow surface zone called the life layer. It includes the surface of the lands and the upper 100 meters of the ocean. On land, the life layer is the zone of interactions among the biosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere.

The Four Great Realms Lithosphere - All processes associated with the solid earth Hydrosphere - All processes associated with water Atmosphere - All processes associated with the gases that envelope the earth Biosphere - All processes that involve living organisms

Measuring Up book pages 11-18 Periods 1 and 3, this is due 9/16/2011 (Friday) Periods 2 and 4, this is due 9/15/2011 (Thursday) SCIENCE FAIR TOPICS (Typed, through my webpage or hardcopy) Periods 1, 2, 3 and 4, this is due 9/16/2011 (FRIDAY)

GreenHouse Effect And Global Warming

The sun s energy is not evenly absorbed by the Earth s land and water surface. Unequal solar heating produces currents of air and water and constitute the global atmospheric and oceanic circulation system.

Quick introduction Large scale fluctuations in the atmosphere from hour-to-hour or day-to-day Weather systems arise mainly due to atmospheric instabilities, the evolution of which is governed by non-linear chaotic dynamics. This is why weather is not predictable beyond a week or two Super Typhoon Lupit (26W) west of the Philippine Islands (Nov-26-2003) as seen by the NASA s MODIS satellite sensor.

Climate is defined as averaged weather, typically defined in terms of mean and other statistical quantities (higher order moments), that measure variability over a period of time and over a geographical region (space). Climate = What you expect, Weather = What you get.