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| the thin layer of gases that envelops earth. These gases are alwys in motion, rising, falling, and most of the tiem moving across the earth's surface. |
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| major gases in the atmosphere |
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late 80s
eliminate use of CFC's which breaks up the atmosphere, makes carbon which does not protect us against the UV rays |
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| above the tratosphere is the stratosphere...we visit this occasionally when we travel by jet airplane and then several other layers at higher altitude |
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| extends from the ground up to 10 to 20 km is where weather occurs. |
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| a boundary layer that is the top of the troposphere. Has a constant temperature of about -60 degrees and acts as a lid, or cold trap on troposphere. where almost all remaining water vapor condenses. |
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| stratospheric ozone layer |
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| extends from the tropopause to an elevation of approx. 40 km with a maximum concentration of ozone above the equator at about 25 to 30 km. |
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| protects life in the lower atmosphere from receiving harmful doses of ultraviolet radiation. |
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| two important quantities of the atmosphere |
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| measure of thermal energy which is kinetic energy of the motion of atoms and molecules in a substance |
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| particles heavier than air settle out as a result of gravitational attraction to earth. particulates from volcanic eruptions or burning coal will settle out over time as a dry deposition. |
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| precipitation can physicaly and chemicaly flush material from the atmosphere |
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| a reaction in which oxygen is chemically combined with another substance. |
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| solar radiation can break down chemical bonds in a chemical process. |
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| temperature, pressure, cloudiness, precipitation, winds |
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certain gases in earth's atmosphere are especially strong absorbers in the infrared, and thus they absorb radiation emitted by the warmed surfaces of the Earth.
--Warmed by this, they re-emit this radiation. some of it reaches back to the surfaces making earth warmer than it otherwise would be.
--by trapping heat this way, the gases act a little like the panes of glass in a greenhouse |
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| water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, some oxides o fnitrogen, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) |
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Absorption by earths surface:
Absorption by atmosphere: |
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| what happens when there is an increase in the evaporation of water from he oceans? |
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| this adds water vapor to the atmosphere, but instead of condensing and forming clounds much of it remains as water vapor..[A MAJOR GREENHOUSE GAS] which causes additional warming |
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| when the earth is warmed and melts a large amount of permafrost at high latitudes, what would it release and why? |
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| this would release the greenhouse gas METHANE which is a by product of DECOMPOSITION OF ORGANIC MATERIAL in the melted permafrost layer |
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| a reduction in the summer snowpack which replaces with darker vegetation and soil surfaces could do what? |
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| increase the solar energy, further warming the earths' surface |
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| as carbonic dioxide increasess in the atmosphere and also increases in the oceans what happens to the ocean |
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| certain bacteria that live only in oxygenless atmospheres produces methane and release it. they live in guts of termites and intestines of ruminant mammals when they digest woody plants. Also they llive in oxygenless parts of freshwater wetlands. landfils, burning of biofuels, production of coal and natural gas, and agriculture. |
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| occurs when warmer air is found above cooler air and it poses a particular problem when there is a stagnant air mass. |
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| two causes for the development of atmospheric inversion |
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| mountains (geological barrier) and valley |
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