COMPOSITION OF THE

ATMOSPHERE

COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE

COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE

Nitrogen - 78% -Nitrogen is essential for

manufacturing proteins and DNA -it is unreactive and cannot

be used directly. -Dilutes oxygen and

prevents rapid burning at the earth's surface.

-The Nitrogen Cycle is nature's way of supplying the needed nitrogen for living things. 

It is being added in the atmosphere:

*when plants and animals decay or are burned

*when there are volcanic eruptions,

*through the decay of some types of non-organic materials.

 

COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE

Question: Does it mean that nitrogen is constantly being added to the atmosphere? Then why doesn’t the amount of nitrogen in the atmosphere continually increase? Why don’t animals die from lack of oxygen?

COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE

Answer: While nitrogen is constantly being added

to the atmosphere, it is also constantly being removed, or cleansed from the atmosphere.

COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE It is being removed in

the atmosphere: * with a small amount

by living organisms * by rain and snow

Thus, the amount of nitrogen being added to the atmosphere, and the amount being removed are perfectly balanced, insuring that the total amount remains constant.

COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE

Oxygen - 21% -Used by all living things and

without it, each of us and most of the

animals on Earth would perish in a matter

of just a few minutes. -Essential for respiration. -It is necessary for combustion or

burning. 

Oxygen is added in the atmosphere:

*by plants as they utilize photosynthesis

to convert sunlight into energy

Oxygen is later removed from the air:

*by animals and other life forms.

COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE

D. Carbon Dioxide - 0.03%

- Plants use it to make oxygen.

-Acts as a blanket and prevents the escape of heat into outer space.

-Scientists are afraid that the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil are adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. 

c. Argon- 0.9 -Used in light bulbs.

E. Water Vapor - 0.0 to 4.0% - Essential for life processes. - prevents heat loss from the earth. 

F. Trace gases - gases found only in very small amounts. They include neon, helium, krypton, and xenon.

 

Different LAYERS

TROPOSPHERE

is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere. The troposphere starts at Earth's surface and goes up to a height of 7 to 20 km above sea levelAir is warmest at the bottom of the troposphere near ground level.

STRATOSPHERE

is the second layer, as one moves upward from Earth's surface, of the atmosphere

is above the troposphere and below the mesosphere.

The top of the stratosphere occurs at 50 km altitude.

The boundary between the stratosphere and the mesosphere above is called the stratopause

The boundary between the stratosphere and the troposphere below is called the tropopause

stratosphere

MESOSPHERE

mesosphere starts at 50 km above Earth's surface and goes up to 85 km high.

The top of the mesosphere is the coldest part of Earth's atmosphere.

The temperature there is around -90° C.

mesosphere

THERMOSPHERE The thermosphere is

directly above

the mesosphere and below the exosphere. It extends from about 90 km (56 miles) to between 500 and 1,000 km above

our planet. The boundary between the

thermosphere and the exosphere above it is called

the thermopause.

thermosphere

EXOSPHERE

The Earth's atmosphere becomes very thin.

The region where atoms and molecules escape into space is referred to as the exosphere.

The exosphere is on top of the thermosphere.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

THREATENING OUR PLANET

CLIMATE CHANGE has become more

than obvious over the past decade, with nine years of the decade making it to the list of hottest years the planet has ever witnessed.

Some of the most obvious signs of this include irregularities in weather, frequent storms, melting glaciers, rising levels of sea etc.

CONSERVATION OF SPECIES deals with

conservation of flora and fauna, in order to curb the extinction of species.

Extinction of a single species of plant or animal results in a dramatic imbalance in the ecosystem

plants and animal species have become extinct thus resulting in a major loss for the biodiversity of the planet.

ENERGY CRISIS The fact that we are largely

dependent on fossil fuels for our energy requirements has made us significantly vulnerable to severe energy crisis.

Though, quite a few renewable energy sources have been identified, none of them have been promising enough when it comes to replacement of fossil fuels as the major source of energy for mankind.

Attempts to tap the full potential of these sources are in progress, and our future by and large depends on these attempts, as fossil fuels are on the verge of exhaustion.

EXPLOITATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES: Our greed for more has left

us empty handed in terms of natural resources in several parts of the world.

human activities, including the likes of mining, agriculture, fishing etc., has resulted in drastic degradation of our natural resources.

While mining and agriculture have triggered large-scale deforestation, over fishing has only resulted in the reduction of population of marine creatures inhabiting the planet.

LAND DEGRADATION

pollution, owing to human activities, and desertification, due to loss of vegetation has left the surface of the planet unsuitable for human use.

Improper soil use, haphazard waste disposal, large-scale deforestation and other such human activities harmful for nature are on the rise, something which is invariably taking a toll on our natural surroundings.

LAND USE

Environmental problems pertaining to the land are not just restricted to haphazard waste disposal or large-scale deforestation, but also to improper use of land.

Natural environment is being destructed to make way for urban sprawl, which is indirectly resulting in loss of habitat for several species.

Fragmentation of land owing to construction is also a major factor when it comes to improper land use.

All these factors together result in several problems, including soil erosion, degradation of land and desertification.

NUCLEAR ISSUES

Nuclear power does have high potential, but the problems associated with it are no less. Radioactive waste from nuclear power plants is one of the major problems we are likely to face, especially if safety regulations are not followed properly.

Chernobyl tragedy has set an example of how nuclear waste can lead to disaster for mankind.

OVERPOPULATION

As the population of world continues to soar at an alarming rate, the pressure on the resources of the planet is increasing.

with overpopulation range from food and water crisis to lack of space for natural burial.

in various other demographic hazards.

Incessant population growth will not just result in depletion of natural resources, but will also put more pressure on the economy.

POLLUTION

include air pollution, water pollution and land pollution.

air pollution can be attributed to the large amount of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere by industries and vehicles, water pollution and land pollution is caused as a result of waste disposal from factories, oil-carrying vessels etc.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

As population increases, human activities increase, which eventually increases the amount of waste produced.

This waste doesn't just include those harmful gases let out in the atmosphere or toxic waste released in water bodies, but also includes nuclear waste, e-waste, medical waste and even the waste from our homes.

CLIMATE

CLIMATEClimate encompasses the statistics of: temperature  humidity  atmospheric pressure wind precipitation ** Atmospheric particle count and other 

meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods. Climate can be contrasted to weather, which is the present condition of these elements and their variations over shorter periods.

CLIMATE

CLIMATE

A region's climate is generated by the climate system, which has five components:

atmosphere Hydrosphere Cryosphere  biosphere The climate of a location is affected by its

latitude, terrain, and altitude, as well as nearbywater bodies and their currents. 

Climates can be classified according to the average and the typical ranges of different variables, most commonly temperature and precipitation.

CLIMATE

TERRAINTerrain, or land relief, is the vertical and horizontal dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater, the term bathymetry is used.

CLIMATE

THE CLIMATE OF THE PHILIPPINES Can be divided into three seasons: From March to May – warm and dry season From June to November – rainy season From December to January – cold and dry

seasons Depending on the wind speed, tropical cyclones

which effect the philipppines during the months of June to November, may be classified into three categories:

Tropical depression Tropical storm Typhoon

CLIMATE

PHILIPPINE ATMOSPHERIC, GEOPHYSICAL, AND ASTRONOMICAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (PAGASA) warns the people of approaching typhoons by means of typhoon signals.

Typhoon Signal no. 1 – means that the expected wind velocity is from 30 to 60 kph within the next 36 hours

Typhoon Signal no. 2 – means that expected wind velocity is from 61 to 100 kph within the next 24 hours

Typhoon Signal no. 3 – means that the expected wind velocity is from 101 to 180 kph within 18 hours

Typhoon Signal no. 4 – means that the expected wind velocity is greater than 180 kph within 12 hours.

WEATHER

WEATHER

is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy.

day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, where as climate is the term for the average atmospheric conditions over longer periods of time.

pressure differences: **Higher altitudes are cooler than lower altitudes due to differences in compression heating.

WEATHER On Earth, common weather phenomena include wind cloudRainsnow,Fog dust stormsLess common events natural disasters :tornadoes,hurricanes, typhoons and ice storms

WEATHER

Storms:Thunder storm

- electrical storm - a form of turbulent weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder.

Supercell - strongest and the most associated

with severe weather phenomena**Damage that results from

thunderstorms is mainly inflicted by downburst winds, large hailstones, and flash flooding caused by heavy precipitation.

WEATHER

Effects:Floods-Widespread flooding can occur if rainfall becomes

excessive, which can lead to landslides and mudflows in mountainous areas

Humans-food shortages before crops reach their full maturity-Malaria incidence increases during periods of high

temperature and heavy rainfallAnimals-Tropical species of butterflies show larger dot

markings on their wings to fend off possible predators and are more active during the wet season than the dry season

-decreased salinity of near shore wetlands due to the rains causes an increase in crocodile nesting

SEASONS

WHAT IS A SEASON?-a subdivision of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.-result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution-marked by changes in the intensity of sunlight that reaches the Earth's surface, variations of which may cause animals to go into hibernation or to migrate, and plants to be dormant.

FOUR SEASONS*spring*summer*fall*winter

SPRING -temperate season-the transition time between winter and summer-rebirth, renewal and regrowth-days are close to 12 hours long with day length increasing as the season progresses.-the axis of the Earth is increasing its tilt toward the Sun and the length of daylight rapidly increases for the relevant hemisphere.

SUMMER- warmest of the

four temperate seasons.

- days are longest and the nights are shortest

- hot dry weather

FALL-harvest was the

term usually used to refer to the season

TROPICAL SEASON

Wet Season - yearly period of low

rainfall- average precipitation

is below 60 millimeters (2.4 in)

- low humidity, and some watering holes and rivers drying up

- animals are forced to migrate due to the lack of water and feed to more fertile spots.

Dry Season- most of the average

annual rainfall in a region occurs.

- average precipitation is 60 millimeters (2.4 in) or more

- precipitation falls mainly during the late afternoon and early evening hours.

- is a time when air quality improves, freshwater quality improves, and vegetation grows substantially, leading to crop yields late in the season.