Atmosphere and Space

Atmosphere and Space

The Atmosphere is the layer of air surrounding the Earth

The gases in the atmosphere are important because:◦ They block out dangerous rays from the sun, such as

UV rays◦ They stabilize the temperature across the Earth by

retaining heat◦ They include O2, which is essential for cellular

respiration, and CO2, which is necessary for photosynthesis.

Atmosphere

Atmosphere

Atmospheric Layers

Atmospheric Temperature

Atmospheric Protection

Atmospheric pressure is cause by gravity pulling down the particles of the atmosphere

This is why atmospheric pressure decreases as you rise in the atmosphere.

99% of the particles is present in the first 30 km above the surface

The atmosphere is considered to extend more than 10,000 km above the surface

Atmospheric Pressure

Air is a mixture of gases, especially nitrogen and oxygen, that makes up the atmosphere

78% of air is Nitrogen 21% of air is Oxygen 1% of air is other gases

Water only makes up a small portion of the air, but is still very important

Composition of the Atmosphere

Composition of the Atmosphere

Composition of the Atmosphere

Let’s compare Earth to the other terrestrial planets

Mercury

Venus

Mars

Comparing Earth to other Planets

Our Solar System

Mercury

Closest planet to the sun

Little to no atmosphere

Almost no magnetic field◦ 0.6% of Earth’s

Surface temperatures range from -173°C to 127°C

Mercury

Venus

2nd closest planet to the Sun

Atmosphere mainly composed of CO2 (96.5%) and a little bit of N2 (3.5%) with traces of many other gases (SO2, H2O, Ar, CO, He, Ne)

Atmospheric pressure is roughly 92 times that of the Earth’s

No magnetic field

Temperatures range from -270°C to 420°C

Venus

Mars

4th closest planet to the Sun

Very small atmosphere, about 0.6% atmospheric pressure of the Earth’s

95.32 CO2, 2.7% N2 and traces of Ar, O2, NO, Ne, CO, H2O and, H2

No magnetic field

Temperatures range from -87°C to 20°C

Mars

Jupiter

5th planet from the Sun

Mainly composed of Hydrogen and Helium, possibly has a dense solid core

Spins so fast that it bulges at its equator

Its mass is 2.5 times that of all of the other planets combined

If its mass would increase by about 150%, due to stronger gravitational forces, it would actually get smaller

Jupiter

Red spot of Jupiter◦ There is a massive storm on Jupiter which is 24-40,000 km

by 12-14,000 km which has been observed since at least 1831

Jupiter has a very strong magnetic field, about 14 times as strong as the Earth

Has 66 natural satellites, most of which are less than 10km in diameter

Average temperature is -108°C

Jupiter

Saturn

6th planet from the Sun

Mainly composed of Hydrogen and Helium

Is also bulged at the equator due to it spinning

Is less dense than water (0.69 g/cm3)

May have a solid core, but scientists are unsure

Saturn

Rings of Saturn◦ The rings extend from 6,630 km to 120,700 km

above Saturn's equator, average approximately 20 meters in thickness and are composed of 93% water ice

◦ Size of the pieces range from dust to 10 m across

Has 62 moons surrounding it

Mean temperature of -139°C

Saturn

Uranus

7th planet from the Sun

Mainly composed of ice, some hydrogen and helium, and some rock

Not much is known of the composition of the planet

It is said to have a solid core

Uranus

Has a very unsual magnetic field which does not originate from its center

Has 9 vertical rings which range from 26 840 to 103 000 km in range

Has 27 known satellites

Mean temperature is -197°C

Uranus

Neptune

8th and furthest planet from the Sun

Atmosphere mainly composed of Hydrogen and Helium with a sheet of frozen water, ammonia and methane

Has a density of 1.638 g/mL

Has a solid rock core

Neptune

Neptune has a small ring system going from around 40-60,000 km from the surface of the Earth

Neptune has 13 known moons

The mean temperature of Neptune is -201°C

Neptune

Atmospheric circulation is the global-scale movement of the layer of air surrounding the Earth

The hot air rises and the cooler air drops

This is due to convection.

Without this movement, the temperature difference between the equator and the poles would be much greater

Atmospheric Circulation

The Coriolis effect change of the trajectory of air currents due to the rotation of the Earth

Without this effect, the wind would travel directly from the equator to the poles in a straight line

Coriolis Effect

Coriolis Effect

These are the winds which occur on the Earth.

They are due to a combination of all other factors

There are 3 pairs of cells with the jet stream between them.

Prevaling Winds

Prevaling Winds

Prevaling Winds

Prevaling Winds

May 22, 1960 Valdivia, Chile1960 Valdivia earthquake9.5 March 27, 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA 1964 Alaska earthquake

9.2 December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean, Sumatra, Indonesia

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake9.1–9.3 November 4, 1952Kamchatka, Russia (then USSR)

1952 Kamchatka earthquakes9.0 March 11, 2011Pacific Ocean, Tōhoku region, Japan 2011 Tōhoku

earthquake9.0 November 25, 1833Sumatra, Indonesia 1833 Sumatra earthquake8.8–9.2

(est.) January 31, 1906Ecuador – Colombia 1906 Ecuador-Colombia earthquake

8.8 February 27, 2010Maule, Chile2010 Chile earthquake8.8 January 26, 1700Pacific Ocean, USA and Canada1700 Cascadia earthquake

8.7–9.2 (est.) July 8, 1730Valparaiso, Chile1730 Valparaiso earthquake8.7–9.0 (est.)

Strongest Earthquakes in History

An air mass is a large expanse of the atmosphere with relatively uniform temperature and humidity

When two air masses collide, they do not simply combine

The cooler air mass slides below the warmer and the warmer air mass rises

Air Masses

Where warm and cold air masses collide is referred to as a front

Cold fronts occur when a mass of cold air meets a warm air mass

As the warm air rises it cools quickly and condenses into clouds

This produces puffy clouds called cumulus

Air Masses

A warm front is when a warm air mass meets a mass of cold air

In this case, the warm air rises more slowly forming light clouds called nimbostratus

On weather maps, cold fronts are represented by blue arrows and warm fronts are represented by red arrows

Air Masses

Cold Front

Warm Front

While most air masses move horizontally over the surface of the Earth, there is some vertical movement

Anticyclones and Depressions

An area of atmospheric circulation surrounding a high pressure center

Clockwise for Northern hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the Southern hemisphere

Anticyclone

An area of atmospheric circulation surrounding a low pressure center

Counter-clockwise for Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere

Depression

Strong depressions sometimes form over warm waters of tropical oceans

A huge spiral forms which can stretch up to 800 km across in diameter

Winds can blow up to 360 km/h

These storms can be called cyclones, hurricanes or typhoons depending on the region

Depression

Hurricanes have a characteristic eye in the center◦ Typically they are between 30-65 km wide◦ Can be as little as 3 km up to 670 km

The eye is generally calm and without clouds

The walls of the eye, the eyewall, are generally the tallest, strongest and most rainy parts of the hurricane

Hurricanes

Hurricanes

Hurricanes

What are greenhouse gases?◦ Mainly water vapour (H2O), Carbon Dioxide (CO2),

Methana (CH4) and Nitrous Oxide (N2O)

◦ They are present in the atmosphere and they act as a type of insulation to retain the heat around the Earth.

Without this effect, the Earth’s average temperature would be -18°C

The Greenhouse Effect

1- Most of the Sun’s rays reach the Earth’s surface and is absorbed by the ground

2- The heated ground sends infrared rays back into the atmosphere. A portion of the infrared rays pass through the atmosphere and are lost into space.

3- Greenhouse gases trap some of the rays and send them back to the Earth, further heating its surface

How it works...

Greenhouse Effect

Over the last century, the levels of CO2 have increased due to combustion of fossil fuels

Human activities have increased the production of CO2 by billions of tonnes which is having a big effect on the environment

This is leading to climate change on the Earth

Intensification of the Greenhouse Effect

Methane, CH4, has a 21 time greater effect on the greenhouse effect than CO2, for the same volume

CH4 comes from the digestion in farm animals, and decomposition of garbage and waste

N2O comes from the strong use of nitrogen rich fertilizers on farms

Intensification of the Greenhouse Effect

Climate change is defined as the abnormal modification of climatic conditions on Earth cause by human activity

From 1850 to 2005, the mean temperature on Earth has increased by 0.76°C

Scientists believe that an increase of 2°C is the critical point at which serious climate disturbances would be inevitable

These include more droughts, heat waves, floods, and a rise in sea levels

Climate Change

Wind Energy is the energy that can be drawn from the wind

Wind turbines are huge machines which turn with the wind and produce electricity

Wind is a renewable resource so wind turbines are considered to be environmentally friendly

Wind turbines do have a few negatives though

Energy Resources

People say that wind turbines ruin the natural beauty of the landscapes

Wind is not a reliable source of power since the winds are not predictable

Wind energy cannot be stored. Once the wind is gone, so is the electricity

Bad wind turbines

The Sun and the Moon are the two bodies in our solar system which most affect us

The Sun is vitally important because its energy provides us with light and heat

The Moon exerts gravitational forces upon the Earth which explains the tides.

Effect of the Sun and the Moon on the Earth

The Sun

The Sun is composed 75 percent of Hydrogen and 25 percent Helium

The temperature of the core reaches up to 15 million °C due to nuclear Fission◦ Hydrogen being made into Helium

Light only takes 8 minutes to reach the Earth from the Sun◦ The Earth is 150,000,000 km away from the Sun

The Sun

Solar radiation contains all of the waves in the electromagnetic spectrum

Only visible light, some infrared, and a small amount of UV light reach the surface of the Earth

Due to the curvature of the Earth, the equator receives much more heat than the polar regions

Solar Radiation

The Earth receives enough energy in one hour from the sun to satisfy the world’s energy requirements for a year.◦ Solar energy is the energy that comes from the

Sun in the form of radiation through the atmosphere

Harnessing this energy is a huge challenge

There are a few ways that we can harness the power of the Sun

Solar Energy

Passive Heating Systems◦ By positioning the house to take advantage of the

Sun. Photovoltaic Cells

◦ When the material that makes up the cells is hit by light, electrons are set into motion. This causes a current which can be used to power small appliances or an entire house

Solar Collectors◦ These are sheets of glass which has copper pipes

below it to absorb to heat up water or air for homes or water for a pool

Using Solar Energy

The Moon

The moon has been revolving around the Earth for billions of years

Its average diameter is 3476km, which is roughly a quarter of the Earth

The theory behind the origin of the Moon is that the Earth was struck by a meteor the size of Mars. This caused part of the Earth to explode

The pieces reunited to form the Moon

The Moon

The Moon not only rotates around the Earth, but also rotates on its own axis.

These two movements are synchronised to that both rotations take the same amount of time (27.3 days)

The Moon

Water masses on the side closest to the Moon are attracted to it

As a result, they will swell, forming a slight bulge in the Moon’s direction

Also, the waters on the opposite side of the moon get pulled towards the moon as well.

The Tides

Tides

Tides

Tidal energy is the energy obtained from the ebb and flow of the tides

Works similarly to hydroelectric dam

When the tide come in, it fills a huge basin

The water remains there until the tide goes out again

Tidal Energy

The gate opens, releasing the basin of water to flow through the turbines

The turbine is set into motion, generating electricity

There are numerous advantages

Tidal Energy

Produces no greenhouse emissions

Entirely renewable

Perfectly reliable since meteorologists can predict the ebb and flow of tides

Advantages

Building plants is complex and costly because they have to stand up to harsh conditions

There are few suitable sites in the world for building this type of power plant

There must be a tidal range of at least 5 meters

Disadvantages

Tidal Energy

Tidal Energy