Global wind patterns

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/wwhlpr/hurricane_globalwinds.rxml?hret=/indexlist.rxml

Hurricane Interior

Typical content of the atmosphere (ppm by volume near the surface)

• N2 780,900

• O2 209,400

• H2O variable (<20,000)• Argon 9,300• CO2 375• Neon 16• Helium 5.2• Krypton 1• Xenon 0.08

• Methane 1.0-1.2• NO 0.5• H2 0.5

• NO2 0.02

• O3 0.01-0.04

• Sox 0.002

Atmospheric structure

http://www.mardiros.net/atmosphere/atmosphere_structure.html

Average dT/dh = -6 K/kmThe region of weather!

T relatively constant, increasing toAbout 200K at the stratopause

T up to 1500 K due to intensesolar radiation

Chemical composition changes to bericher in lighter gases, gravitational stratification almost no H2O or ozone

Common Pollutants

Total volume in the US is about 180Mton/yr: about 3.3lb/day.personNote: this is about HALF of what it was 40 years ago even though the populationand economy have grown substantially

Sometimes called TSP

Typical Health effects:time and concentration matter

Smoke stacks, the first solution

http://photovault.com/Link/Industry/IndustrySmokestacks.html

Aerosols

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/Aerosols/

Temperature Inversion

http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_is_a_temperature_inversion.htm

In extreme casesthe temperature canactually increase withheight. The inversioninhibits convection andas a result, pollutantscan concentrate near the ground.

Temperature Inversion

http://daphne.palomar.edu/calenvironment/smog.htm

Acid rain patterns in

the US

NOTE: neutral water is pH=7; the lower the number, the stronger the acid.

Schanghai Dec. 1993

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sha1993_smog_wkpd.jpg

Typical TRACE Impurities in Coal (does not include

sulphur, which is not a trace impurity!)

•How much lead, mercury, and uranium is emitted per year in the US by power plants burning this stuff?

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/pdf/pages/sec1_3.pdf

Air pollution profile for typical cities

K&H fig 8.13

http://www.dukepower.com/environment/air/scrubber_diagram.pdf

http://www.indiana.edu/~rcapub/v20n3/p9.html

See also an IU articleOn coal and limestone:

Pollution control devices: Power plant

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/catalytic-converter.htm

Global warming: What is the controversy?

http://www.junkscience.com/GMT/index.htm

Interesting NPR story on recently rejected coal power plant in Kansashttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15546026

http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/EDDOCS/images/Erb/components2.gif

Carbon Cycle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cycle

Spectrum of Solar radiation at the Earth’s surface

H&K fig 6.2

Absorption bands due to gasses like CO2, H2O, CH4 etc. These are the so-called green-house gasses.

http://www.whrc.org/carbon/ (Woods Hole Research Center)

COCO22 Concentrations and Temperature Change Concentrations and Temperature Change

Note that total temperature change across several ice ages was only about 12oC or about 22oF.

Carbon Cycle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cycle

http://www.whrc.org/carbon/ (Woods Hole Research Center)

Sediments and sedimentaryRocks could account for another6x107 Petagrams! (www.physicalgeography.net/9r.html)

Ozone in the atmosphere: good and bad

http://www.mardiros.net/atmosphere/atmosphere_structure.html

10 ppm ozone at ~ 50 km compared to40 ppb ozone in the troposphere!

http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/tour/part2.html

Ozone levels at Halley Bay station (Antarctica)

TOMS Satellite movie(Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer)

http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/tour/anim_toms.html

TOMS Satellite movie(Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer)

http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/tour/part2.html