atmosphere notes
DESCRIPTION
Atmosphere Notes. Atmosphere:. Layer of gases that surround the Earth. Composition:. 78% Nitrogen 21% Oxygen .9% Argon .1% Other Gases. Atmospheric Particles:. Water Vapor – from evaporation and transpiration, ranges from 1% (dry) to 4% (moist) - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
ATMOSPH
ERE NOTES
ATMOSPHERE:
Layer of gases that surround the Earth
COMPOSITION:
78% Nitrogen21% Oxygen.9% Argon.1% Other Gases
ATMOSPHERIC PARTICLES:• Water Vapor – from evaporation
and transpiration, ranges from 1% (dry) to 4% (moist)
• Ozone – O3, absorbs harmful UV radiation, being destroyed by particulates
• Particulates – tiny solid particles such as ash, dust, pollen, microscopic organisms
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE:• The pressure exerted on a
surface by the atmosphere• Decreases as altitude increases• Measured using a barometer
LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE:
a) Troposphereb) Stratospherec) Mesosphered) Thermosphere
TROPOSPHERE:
• Closest layer to the Earth• Where the weather is found• Temperature decreases as
altitude increases because its heated by Earth’s surface
STRATOSPHERE:• Almost all the ozone (including
ozone layer) in this layer• As altitude increases temperature
increases because UV rays absorbed by ozone
MESOSPHERE:
• Temperature decreases as altitude increases
• Coldest layer
THERMOSPHERE:• As altitude increases temperature
increases because oxygen and nitrogen atoms absorb solar radiation
WATER IN
THE
ATMOSPH
ERE
WATER CYCLE:
a) Ice – solidb)Water – liquidc) Water Vapor – gas
3 STATES OF WATER IN ATMOSPHERE
Water in the atmosphereHUMIDITY
Warm air can hold more water than cold air
Dew point and relative humidity are related
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER:
Measure of how close the air is to reaching the dew point
RELATIVE HUMIDITY
What we call “humidity”Measured as a percentAt 75% relative humidity, the air
has ¾ of the water vapor it can hold
As relative humidity goes up, the temperature/dew point spread decreases
RELATIVE HUMIDITY:
The temperature where the condensation point equals the evaporation point, under this temperature and water droplets form
Dew Point of 50 degrees – comfortable Dew Point of 60 degrees – humid Dew Point of 70 degrees - uncomfortable
DEW POINT
The temperature to which the present air would have to be lowered to become saturated
The greater the temperature/dew point spread, the less amount of water in the air compared to how much it could hold
DEW POINT:
When the temperature drops to the dew point and air comes in contact with the cooler ground
DEW
When the dew point falls below the freezing temperature of water, water vapor goes straight to ice, therefore it is not frozen dew
FROST
If the dew point = current temperature = 100% relative humidity = water vapor condenses forming dew
SUMMING IT UP:
Measure of the actual amount of water vapor in the air
ABSOLUTE HUMIDITY
A collection of small water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air which form when the air is cooled and condensation occurs
CLOUDS
Condensation Nuclei- In order for water to condense and form a cloud, a solid surface for condensation to occur on must be available
CLOUD FORMATION
Evaporation rate must be in equilibrium with condensation, “saturated air” (temperature at dew point)
As temperature of the saturated air drops, condensation occurs more than evaporation, and clouds form
CLOUD FORMATION:
Adiabatic Cooling – The process by which the temperature of an air mass decreases as an air mass rises and expands due to a decrease in air pressure, thus a decrease in particle collisions, thus lower temperatures.
COOLING PROCESSES:
Mixing – When a body of moist air mixes with another body of moist air that is cooler
COOLING PROCESSES:
Lifting – The forced upward movement of air either by a mountain range or another air mass going underneath it and lifting it up (storms)
COOLING PROCESSES:
Advective Cooling – The process by which the temperature of an air mass decreases as the air mass moves over a cold surface such as a cold ocean or land surface
COOLING PROCESSES:
1. Shape2. Altitude
CLASSIFICATION OF CLOUDS
a)Flat uniform baseb)Form at low altitudesc) Typically wide gray clouds with no
precipitation
STRATUS CLOUDS
a. Puffy, billowy cloudb. Form at low altitudesc. On hot humid days the clouds can
climb up high and form storm clouds called cumulonimbus
CUMULUS CLOUDS
Feathery CloudsHigh AltitudesComposed of Ice Crystals
CIRRUS CLOUDS
Very low altitudeForms differently from other clouds,
either warm air comes in contact with the cooler ground or flows over cool water
FOG
Any form of water that falls to Earth’s surface from the clouds including rain, snow, sleet, hail and freezing rain
PRECIPITATION
Liquid precipitationRAIN
Solid ice precipitation that falls as pellets, crystals, or groups of crystals
SNOW
Rain that freezes on the way downIt bounces
SLEET
Rain that does not freeze until it hits the ground
FREEZING RAIN
Solid precipitation that is a ball of ice that cycles in the clouds, the longer it cycles the bigger the hail
HAIL