THE ATMOSPHERE

“Eight and a half miles can be covered in minutes with a car on an expressway but

what does a man see?”

THE ATMOSPHEREReview, pollution, greenhouse effect, ozone layer, seasons, tides & energy resources

October 1 2012

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=474057782615238&set=a.456449604376056.98921.367116489976035&ty

Review: The Atmosphere

Concept map 1: Review

Seasons•The distance between the sun and the

Earth affects the amount of solar radiation we get.

Fug. 3: http://okfirst.mesonet.org/train/meteorology/Seasons.html

Question 1 of the Day

Does the moon rotate around the Earth or does it rotate on its own axis?

Moon•Synchronised rotations: around Earth and

on its own axis Complete rotation on its axis = complete

rotation around Earth = 27.3 days•Attracts water masses on Earth and

causes changes in tides.

Phases of Moon

Fig. 3: http://www.freedomtek.org/mjesec/images/moon_phases_diagram_big.jpg

Tides

•Tide: the rise and fall of water in the seas and oceans. It is caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and to a lesser extent, of the sun.

Fig. 4: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/tide-table1.htm

Tidal Range•Tidal range: the difference in water

levels at high and low tide.▫Affected by: shape and slope of the

coastline, the depth of water and the distance of the moon or sun from the Earth.

Question 2 of the Day

True or false: Small tides can be observed in the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.

Spring Tides•Spring tides: the extremely high tides

when the sun and the moon are aligned with the Earth.

Fig. 5: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tide_schematic.svg

Solar Energy•Solar energy: the energy that comes from

the sun in the form of radiation through the atmosphere.

• Benefits (+): renewable source, no GHG emission and provides an option for facilities in isolated areas such as the Far North.

• Disadvantages (-): expensive and the amount of energy varies constantly with the sun’s position and the weather conditions.

Solar Energy•Various technologies have been developed

to harness solar energy:1. Passive heating systems2. Solar collector3. Photovoltaic cells

Passive Heating/ Solar Collectors

Fig. 6: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eKNvzSa4EFc/TQqFZAepLqI/AAAAAAAAAGg/4S_ttmCkE30/s1600/install_solar_power_for_home-7618.jpg

Photovoltaic Cells

Fig. 7: http://solarelectricity10.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/solar-panel-diagram.gif

Solar Farm

Fig. 8: Solar panels in Tibet, June 2011

Solar to Electricity

Fig. 7:

Wind Power•Wind energy: energy that can be drawn

from the wind.•Benefits (+):

▫Renewable source ▫No GHG emission during operation

•Disadvantages (-): ▫Ruin the beauty of landscape▫Unreliable - impossible to predict when and

strength of wind and wind energy cannot be stored.

Wind Farms in Quebec

Fig. 8: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2451/3818389300_573558f904.jpg

•Windmills of Cap Chat in the touristy area of Gaspesie

Wind to Electricity

Fig. 9: http://images.tutorvista.com/content/sources-energy/working-of-windmill.jpeg

Question 3 of the Day

What kind of energy will you create for tomorrow if all the energy resources that we have studied cannot be used? Why?

Energy of Tomorrow

•Fuel cells: use hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, heat and water.

•Benefits (+):▫Hydrogen is the most abundant element on

Earth.▫No waste and no GHG emission.

•Problems (-):▫Difficult to separate hydrogen from other

atoms that is almost always bonded to.▫The separation itself requires energy.