The Atmosphere

http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=7ObnEpRccHM

Ancient Atmosphere

Consisted Primarily ofMethaneAmmonia

Water vaporHydrogen

This was a reducing environment

– no oxygen

Changing Conditions – 3.5 bya

Complex molecules form – amino acids, proteins

Photosynthesis begins – oxygen is produced

Driving forces behind changes

Ultraviolet radiation

Lightning

Radioactive decay

Atmosphere – A thin layer

Atmospheric Composition

Water Vapor

Amount of water vapor is highly variable in space and time.

Importance to climate – water vapor transfers heat from warmer to colder regions.

Latent heat – heat released or absorbed when matter changes state.

Latent

Heat

Layers of the

Atmosphere

Mount EverestIo

nosp

here

Auroras Meteors

Ozo

nosp

here

Troposphere

Lowest layer – 0 to 15 km

Contains 80% of the mass of the atmosphere.

Layer where weather occurs.

Temperature decreases with height.

Layers of the

Atmosphere

Stratosphere

Occurs between 15 and 50 km above the surface.

Temperature increases with height.

Contains 18% of the mass of the atmosphere.

Contains ozone (O3) that shields the surface from ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

Protection from

solar radiation

The

Greenhouse

Effect

Effect of Carbon Dioxide

Mr. D’Aleo is a Certified Consultant Meteorologist and was elected a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society

IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Cycles of Global Warming

Evaporation will increase as the climate warms, which will increase average global precipitation. Soil moisture is likely to decline in many regions, and intense rainstorms are likely to become more frequent. Sea level is likely to rise two feet along most of the U.S. coast.

Image based on data from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

What drives atmospheric circulation?

Uneven Planet Warming

Arid and Semiarid Climates

Global

Atmospheric

Circulation

Coriolis Effect

Acid Rain

Normal Rain (5.2)

Acid Rain (4.3)

SOx and NOx

sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides

NO NO2 HNO3 nitric acid

SO2 H2SO4 sulfuric acid