AIR

Mixture of gases and particulates that are found in the atmosphere Two major gases are Nitrogen (70%) and Oxygen

(20%) Most other gases are found in varying amounts

Carbon dioxide is found in increasing amounts because of human activities

CO2 raises the temperatures in the atmosphere because of a blanketing effect that traps the heat here near the surface of the earth

LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE Exosphere This is really space

and contains very small amounts of gases; temperatures increase

Thermosphere Highest level of the atmosphere where many of our satellites and the northern lights are found; temperatures increase

Mesosphere Air begins to get thicker and meteorites will begin to burn up with friction; temperatures decrease

Stratosphere Layer where the ozone layer is found, along with HALO jump flights and military flights; Temperature increases

Troposphere Layer that we live in and the air is thickest because gravity pulls it down, all weather is located in this layer; temperatures decrease as you increase in altitude

TEMPERATURE a measure of the warmth or

coldness of an object or substance with reference to some standard value Most of the world uses Celsius

as a tool for measuring temperature; Americans use Fahrenheit.

Temperatures have a great effect on the biomes and environments of the Earth Can change them over long

term or short term changes Example long term Plate tectonics

and Ice Ages Examples short term Volcanic

Eruptions and Storm Fronts

TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON BIOMES The amount of radiation

that the different parts of the Earth receives creates different zones on the Earth that are created by their temperatures

The elevation changes also affect the biomes because the temperatures change as you go further up mountains and plateaus

TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON SEA LEVELS Sea level has naturally

changed from changes in plate movements and global cooling and warming trends

Since the Industrial Revolution, there has been a general increase in sea level due to the increased amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that keeps heat near the surface of the Earth and melts the glaciers, adding to the water found in the oceans

HEAT TRANSFER ON EARTH Heat on Earth is transferred in 3 ways

Conduction Heat transfer through direct contact of an object Examples: Hand touching a hot pan, lava touching a

forest, hot iron on hair/clothes

Convection Heat transfer through the circulation of heat Examples: Mantle convection, air and water currents, convection oven

HEAT TRANSFER ON EARTH Radiation

Heat transfer through which heat travels by waves through an empty space

3 types of ways that radiant energy will react when it comes to Earth 1. Absorption Heat is

taken in by an object 2. Reflection Heat is

bounced off a reflective surface (water, glass)

3. Scattering Heat hits an object and is thrown in random directions

TEMPERATURE AND AIR PRESSURE Since warm air rises and cool air sinks, there

is a difference in the amount of air that is located in certain parts of the atmosphere That means that there is different amounts of air

pressing down on us This pressing down of air on us is called air pressure

Air Pressure The total amount of air that is exerted on us We are being pushed in all directions by the air

that surrounds us The amount of pressure can be measured using a

tool known as a barometer

DIFFERENCE IN AIR PRESSURES Is what gives us winds

All things in nature want to move to some sort of balance, so areas that have high amounts of air pressure will move to areas of low air pressure

When this movement happens, it will bring with it any moisture and temperature differences that it was experiencing in the areas of high pressure

Wind could bring bad or good conditions to a new area

DIRECTION OF THE WINDS Are characterized by the differences in air

pressure and the Coriolis Effect In the Northern Hemisphere Clockwise In the Southern Hemisphere Counterclockwise

AREAS WHERE THE AIR PRESSURES ARE THE HIGHEST AND LOWEST WILL CREATE PRESSURE CENTERS 1. Low Pressure Center

a. AKA Cyclone b. The lowest pressures in this system will

be in the center of this area and the highest will be on the outside parts of this area, meaning that winds will blow from the outside to the center of these systems

c. These will spin counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere

d. These pressure systems will bring most of the storms, because the gathering of the moisture from the inward moving air collects and condenses the moisture to form clouds

2. High Pressure Centera. AKA Anticycloneb. The highest pressure will be on

the inside and the lowest pressures will be on the outside meaning that wind will blow from the inside to the outside

c. They will spin clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere

d. These pressure centers will more and likely be accompanied by fair weather because the outward moving air separate moisture and does not encourage condensation into clouds.

Lines on this map are called isobars and they help us to tell where weather will move to and how fast the winds may be in a particular area.When isobars are close together, much like

contour lines, you will have faster winds in that area because the air pressure will try to balance out quickly

When isobars are far apart, you will have more of a gentle breeze

Weather and winds will travel southeast on this map because winds will take them with it to the areas of low pressure

AIR IS NOT JUST AIR WHEN IT COMES TO WEATHER

When pressure systems move the air across the country, they will combine large bodies of air known as air masses When air mass first form, they take on the

characteristics of the area that they form over (source region)

Air masses are named by the two main characteristics of moisture content and temperature

CHARACTERISTICS OF AIR MASSES 1. If an air mass forms over water, it will

draw water vapor into the air, making the air more moist This air will have a high humidity

Humidity is the total amount of water vapor in the air This type of air mass is called Maritime

2. If an air mass forms over land, it will not draw as much moisture from the land, so the air is drier This air will have a low humidity This type of air mass is called Continental

*** You CANNOT have moist and dry air at the same time, so can an air mass be named continental maritime? ________****

CHARACTERISTICS OF AIR MASSES 3. If an air mass forms far from the equator,

the air does not receive as much solar radiation, the temperature of the air is colder This type of air mass is called polar

4. If an air mass forms closer to the equator, the air receives more solar radiation, the temperature of the air is warmer This type of air mass is called tropical

*** You CANNOT have hot and cold air at the same time, so can an air mass be named Polar Tropical? ___________***

TYPES OF AIR MASSES mP maritime Polar

Moisture Content? wet Temperature? cold Location where it could

form over? North Atlantic Ocean/ North Pacific Ocean

mT maritime Tropical Moisture Content? wet Temperature?

Warm/hot Location where it could

form over? Gulf of Mexico/South Atlantic and Pacific Ocean

TYPES OF AIR MASSES cP continental Polar

Moisture Content? dry Temperature? cold Location where it

could form over? Canada/ Northern United States

cT continental Tropical Moisture Content? dry Temperature?

Warm/hot Location where it

could form over? Mexico/ Southern United States

**** When an air mass moves, its characteristics will change as its moves to areas of different temperatures and humidity.**** EX. If a maritime Polar air mass moves from the

Northern Pacific Ocean to Canada, what type of air mass will it become? continental Polar

If a continental Tropical air mass moves from Texas to Minnesota, what type of air mass will it become? continental Polar

FRONTS Air mass themselves will not make weather

and storms form. It is when the air masses combine that you will have a mixing of different temperatures that will cause clouds to form. The boundaries that form between different

air masses is known as fronts

TYPES OF FRONTS 1. Warm Front

When a warm air mass moves into an area that has colder temperatures, the warm air will rise and condensation will slowly form clouds

Weather for this type of front is light to moderate precipitation for long periods of time

There will be an increase in temperatures as the warm air moves in

Symbol:

WARM FRONT DIAGRAM

TYPES OF FRONTS 2. Cold Front

When a cold air mass moves into areas that has warmer temperatures, the cooler air pushes the warm air up rapidly and causes the clouds to form rapidly as well.

The clouds rise high in the air and form the stronger storms like tornadoes, hurricanes, and thunderstorms. These towering clouds are called cumulonimbus

Weather for this type of front is heavy precipitation and gusty winds, but they will clear quickly

There will be a decrease in temperatures as the cold air moves in

Symbol:

COLD FRONT DIAGRAM

TYPES OF FRONTS 3. Stationary Front

When neither a cold or warm air mass is strong enough to move the other one around, this type of front forms and remains until some other air mass or pressure system moves the air around. This could change into a cold or warm front later

Usually cloudy, prolonged precipitation and storm trains are found there

Symbol:

STATIONARY FRONT DIAGRAM

TYPES OF FRONTS 4. Occluded Front

When two cold air masses converge on opposite sides of a warm air mass, they both push together and the warm air rises rapidly

This rapid ascension of warm air causes fast rates of precipitation

Short bursts of storms and heavy rain will happen until the humidity drops and the air is left feeling very light

Symbol:

OCCLUDED FRONT DIAGRAM

HUMIDITY

is the amount of water vapor in the air. It is kind of a hard number to find because the air is always flowing and circulating so the number is never constant.

Relative Humidity is the amount of water vapor that is in the air now compared to the amount of water vapor that air can hold all together. The formula for this is:

Amount of water vapor in the airTotal amount of water vapor the air can

hold

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

This number is then told in a percentage for us to then read and interpret how moist the air is.

When the air temperature drops, and the humidity is high, the air reaches dew point, when water will condensate out of the air and form water droplets on objects outside.

With this chart below, we can find the relative humidity of an area using the dry air temperature of the area (dry bulb) and the temperature of the water vapor in the air (wet bulb). We use a tool known as a psychrometer to find both of these temperatures at the same time.

SEVERE STORM TYPES THUNDERSTORMS

Thunderstorms Large cumulonimbus clouds that have lightning and thunder that

occur within and around the cloud How do they form? 1. When warm air is lifted, the moisture in the air

cools and condenses 2. Water droplets in the clouds continue to

condense larger and build 3. When the droplets are too heavy, they fall to

the ground as rain

SEVERE STORM TYPES THUNDERSTORMS

4. When the droplets break up in the cloud, they become electrically charged, with different parts of the cloud become positively and negatively charged

5. The charge is attracted to opposite charges on the surface of the Earth, and as the air breaks around that charge, you get the rumbles of thunder Most thunderstorms in North Carolina happen in the

spring and summer months

SEVERE STORM TYPES THUNDERSTORMS

What are the effects of a thunderstorm? Heavy rains will increase the watertable and a

loosening of the soils and lightning strikes could start forest fires which leads to habitat alteration

On average, 93 to 223 deaths happen annually nationwide in the US

SEVERE STORM TYPES TORNADOES Tornadoes The result of a supercell

thunderstorm that have rains and high velocity wind speeds. How do they form?

1. A change in wind direction and speed within the thunderstorm itself

2. This change happens high in the cloud and creates an invisible circulating affect in the atmosphere

3. Rising air will spiral in the thunderstorm and the rotating winds drop and lower a wall of clouds to the ground

4. Once the touchdown occurs, the energy of the storm will continue until the air in the cloud cools and the tornado, in essence, dies.

SEVERE STORM TYPES TORNADOES

What are the effects of a tornado? Rains, severe winds, lightning, or flash floods (if

the tornado happens near water) Because of the winds in a tornado, the cross

winds can tear apart any structure that is not built in the ground or lower to the ground

When gas lines or electrical lines are caught by these winds, they can destroy homes and towns because of responders unable to get through rubble and chaos

SEVERE STORM TYPES TORNADOES Most tornadoes in the US happen in Tornado

Alley which is the Midwest section of the US (Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas)

Peak months for tornadoes are March through May in the southern US

75 % of the world’s tornadoes happen in the US

On the enhanced Fujita, the scale upon which tornadoes are measured, strength of a tornado is based on the amount of destruction it causes and not the wind speed

Tornadoes generally only last for a few minutes

SEVERE STORM TYPES HURRICANES Hurricanes Large thunderstorm storms that

start in the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean near the equator How do they form? 1. Moisture from the oceans evaporates and rises

into the air and builds a thunderstorm 2. As the hot, humid air continues to rise,

circulating air begins twisting and increases the moisture and winds

3. The continuing evaporation adds more water vapor to the atmosphere; the thunderstorm builds and builds into a tropical storm

4. Eventually, the tropical storm has so much energy and spinning winds that it is then classified as a hurricane

SEVERE STORM TYPES HURRICANES What are the effects of a hurricane?

Storms surges (a wall of ocean water that is pushed up and out by the hurricane will flood coastal areas

High winds and shifting winds take out many power lines, vegetation, and any structures that are not cemented deep into the ground

SEVERE STORM TYPES HURRICANES Typical season for hurricanes in the US is from

late summer to early autumn because by then the water is warm enough to evaporate

The Saffir-Simpson scale is the measurement tool for determining how big a hurricane is based on its level of destruction

In the Pacific Ocean, hurricanes are called typhoons in order to give people a better idea of where they formed

Hurricanes can last up to a week from the moment they form to the moment they “die”

Hurricanes will lose their energy for two reasons:

1. Friction with the land 2. Loss of evaporated water(energy source)

CLIMATE The accumulation of temperature and

weather patterns in a certain location over a long period of time

FACTORS THAT CAN AFFECT CLIMATES WORLDWIDE

1. Latitude As latitude increases (meaning that you are getting closer to the poles), the intensity of the sun’s rays decreases (means that there is less sun reaching these places.) Near the Poles Less radiation, cooler

temperatures Near the Equator more radiation, warmer

temperatures 2. Altitude The higher you go in altitude, the

colder it gets Mountains are colder climates than plains and

valleys

FACTORS THAT CAN AFFECT CLIMATES WORLDWIDE

3. Topography Depending on which side of mountains you are on, you may receive more or less precipitation due to the fact that precipitation will run dry as it passes over mountain ranges

4. Water Bodies Areas that are downwind of large bodies of water will have cooler temperatures because of the affect that water takes longer to heat

FACTORS THAT CAN AFFECT CLIMATES WORLDWIDE

5. Global Winds The amount of circulation around an area can distribute the heat and moisture differently around the global

6. Vegetation This affects how much sun is absorbed and how quickly moisture can be released in the form of water vapor

ALL CLIMATES AROUND THE WORLD HAVE BEEN CLASSIFIED INTO 5 MAJOR CLIMATE GROUPS UNDER THE KOPPEN CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION 1. Humid Tropical Climates

These climates have no winters, have an average temperature of 18 ºC, and an annual rainfall of about 200 cm or more

Examples Tropical Rainforest and Savannas (Africa and South America)

2. Mid Latitude Climates These climate can have mild or severe winters,

temperatures that are on average 18 ºC to above -3 ºC, and can either have a high precipitation rate in the winter or in the summer.

Examples Mostly cover the US and Northern Eurasia

3. Dry Climates Not really having a temperature range, this

climate is more defined by the amount of precipitation that it receives annually, which is very little

Examples Steppe or Deserts (Gobi, Sahara, Arabian)

4. Polar Climates This climates warmest months are below 10 ºC,

has periods of perpetual night (no sunlight at all during the day) and very little solar radiation

Examples Tundra (Greenland and Antarctica)

5. Highland Climates Very localized and small, these climates are

usually cooler and wetter than those areas that are at lower elevations nearby.

Examples Mid China, British Columbia, Canada

WE ALL KNOW THAT RAISED AMOUNTS OF CO2 PUT OUT MY HUMANS CAN INFLUENCE THE CLIMATES OF THE WORLD, BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL NATURAL PROCESSES THAT CAN EFFECT CHANGE IN THEM TOO

1. Volcanic Eruptions Large amounts of ash and dust can reflect some

of the solar radiation back into space and cool temperatures here on Earth

2. Ocean Circulation Warmer than usual ocean temperatures can

create a short term change in climates (El Nino) El Nino is when climates around the world are wetter

and warmer, especially in the US La Nina is when the climates around the world are

drier and cooler, creating massive droughts

3. Solar Activity Dark spots on the sun called sunspots occur at

times of high solar activity and corresponds with warmer temperatures in Earth’s history

4. Earth Motions Plates diverging and converging can change the

amount of land and water exposed, creating different climates all the time

Earth’s orbit has moved us closer and farther from the Sun at times over the last 4 by, changing climates by increased and decreased amounts of solar radiation

GREENHOUSE EFFECT Natural Heating of the Earth’s atmosphere

from the retention of heat We need to retain some of the heat from the

core and solar radiation in order for life to continue on this planet

The effect is created by several gases that hold this heat near the surface Examples: Water vapor, Carbon Dioxide,

Methane, Nitrous Oxide, and Ozone

OZONE Ozone can have both good and bad effects

Good ozone is found in the stratosphere and protects us from high amounts of solar radiation

It is made by the splitting of oxygen, where it is then added to another oxygen atom

Many countries all over the world are trying to protect the ozone layer, but some countries burn chemicals or have chemicals factories going that can deplete the ozone, though not always in their areas

OZONE Bad ozone is found in the troposphere where we

and are exposed to it. Bad ozone, when we are exposed to it, can

cause upper respiratory problems, along with other skin diseases with prolonged exposure

Made when coal and gasoline is burned in the process of combustion

Everyone is exposed to bad ozone, but some people are more susceptible to the health risk of ozone exposure Babies and Toddlers (weak immune systems) Elderly (weak immune systems) City Dwellers (People in the city are more exposed

because of the close conditions to each other and the higher percentage of transportation running)

RESULTS OF GREENHOUSE EFFECT

> With the increasing amount of burnt fossil fuels, we are increasing the amount of greenhouse gases, which means that we are increasing the amount of heat that is kept near the surface. This leads to global warming.

GLOBAL WARMING The unnatural heating of the Earth’s

atmosphere This can be caused by nature at an

accelerated pace or by human activities (which is the prevailing theory at this time)

Causes of Global Warming in this age 1. Burning of fossil fuels (gasoline, oil, coal,

petroleum) 2. Release of aerosols into the atmosphere from

any type of spray can (hair spray, air fresheners, cleaning supplies)

3. Deforestation (there is not enough plants taking in the extra carbon dioxide that is flowing into the atmosphere)

GLOBAL WARMING Effects of Global Warming

1. There is an increase in temperatures around the globe

2. The climates will begin to change because with a change in temperature, that means that climate conditions will change as well

3. Glaciers will begin to melt because of the increase in global temperatures, meaning that there will smaller cooling centers for the world

4. With the glacial melt, there will be a rise in sea level, which may help to cool the Earth, but that would lead to further problems for the human race

5. Higher oceans means that anyone that is located on the lower coastal areas may be flooded out of their homes. This means problems for business, docks and transportations, and property damage to all

UNNATURAL CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Heat Islands As urban areas develop, changes occur in their landscape. Buildings, roads, and other infrastructure

replace open land and forests Surfaces that were once permeable and moist

become impermeable and dry These changes cause urban regions to become

warmer than their rural surroundings, forming an "island" of higher temperatures in the landscape.

How is this going to change the climate of an area?The city will have higher temperatures and less precipitation because of all of the concrete jungle

UNNATURAL CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Deforestation Forests play a huge role in the warming cycle on our planet. When forests are cut down, not only does carbon

absorption decrease, but also the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere as CO2 if the wood is burned or even if it is left to rot after the deforestation process.

If we carry on cutting down the main tool we have to reduce this CO2 build up, we can expect the climate of our planet to change dramatically over the next decades

How is this going to change the climate of an area?The increased amount of CO2 will cause the

increase in temperatures and precipitation that is associated with global warming

UNNATURAL CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Ocean Acidification Oceans absorb quite a bit of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere With the increased amount of CO2 in the air, the

oceans cannot absorb any more than it can hold Too much CO2 in the ocean will cause the shells

of clams and the coral reefs to be fragile and not support the life that exist in and around it

Sea life will not be able to adapt to the changing environment that will grow acidic because of the rising amount of CO2 in the oceans