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Atmosphere and Space. Atmosphere. The Atmosphere is the layer of air surrounding the Earth The gases in the atmosphere are important because: They block out dangerous rays from the sun, such as UV rays They stabilize the temperature across the Earth by retaining heat - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Atmosphere and Space
The Atmosphere is the layer of air surrounding the Earth
The gases in the atmosphere are important because:◦ They block out dangerous rays from the sun, such as
UV rays◦ They stabilize the temperature across the Earth by
retaining heat◦ They include O2, which is essential for cellular
respiration, and CO2, which is necessary for photosynthesis.
Atmosphere
Atmosphere
Atmospheric Layers
Atmospheric Temperature
Atmospheric Protection
Atmospheric pressure is cause by gravity pulling down the particles of the atmosphere
This is why atmospheric pressure decreases as you rise in the atmosphere.
99% of the particles is present in the first 30 km above the surface
The atmosphere is considered to extend more than 10,000 km above the surface
Atmospheric Pressure
Air is a mixture of gases, especially nitrogen and oxygen, that makes up the atmosphere
78% of air is Nitrogen 21% of air is Oxygen 1% of air is other gases
Water only makes up a small portion of the air, but is still very important
Composition of the Atmosphere
Composition of the Atmosphere
Composition of the Atmosphere
Let’s compare Earth to the other terrestrial planets
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Comparing Earth to other Planets
Our Solar System
Mercury
Closest planet to the sun
Little to no atmosphere
Almost no magnetic field◦ 0.6% of Earth’s
Surface temperatures range from -173°C to 127°C
Mercury
Venus
2nd closest planet to the Sun
Atmosphere mainly composed of CO2 (96.5%) and a little bit of N2 (3.5%) with traces of many other gases (SO2, H2O, Ar, CO, He, Ne)
Atmospheric pressure is roughly 92 times that of the Earth’s
No magnetic field
Temperatures range from -270°C to 420°C
Venus
Mars
4th closest planet to the Sun
Very small atmosphere, about 0.6% atmospheric pressure of the Earth’s
95.32 CO2, 2.7% N2 and traces of Ar, O2, NO, Ne, CO, H2O and, H2
No magnetic field
Temperatures range from -87°C to 20°C
Mars
Jupiter
5th planet from the Sun
Mainly composed of Hydrogen and Helium, possibly has a dense solid core
Spins so fast that it bulges at its equator
Its mass is 2.5 times that of all of the other planets combined
If its mass would increase by about 150%, due to stronger gravitational forces, it would actually get smaller
Jupiter
Red spot of Jupiter◦ There is a massive storm on Jupiter which is 24-40,000 km
by 12-14,000 km which has been observed since at least 1831
Jupiter has a very strong magnetic field, about 14 times as strong as the Earth
Has 66 natural satellites, most of which are less than 10km in diameter
Average temperature is -108°C
Jupiter
Saturn
6th planet from the Sun
Mainly composed of Hydrogen and Helium
Is also bulged at the equator due to it spinning
Is less dense than water (0.69 g/cm3)
May have a solid core, but scientists are unsure
Saturn
Rings of Saturn◦ The rings extend from 6,630 km to 120,700 km
above Saturn's equator, average approximately 20 meters in thickness and are composed of 93% water ice
◦ Size of the pieces range from dust to 10 m across
Has 62 moons surrounding it
Mean temperature of -139°C
Saturn
Uranus
7th planet from the Sun
Mainly composed of ice, some hydrogen and helium, and some rock
Not much is known of the composition of the planet
It is said to have a solid core
Uranus
Has a very unsual magnetic field which does not originate from its center
Has 9 vertical rings which range from 26 840 to 103 000 km in range
Has 27 known satellites
Mean temperature is -197°C
Uranus
Neptune
8th and furthest planet from the Sun
Atmosphere mainly composed of Hydrogen and Helium with a sheet of frozen water, ammonia and methane
Has a density of 1.638 g/mL
Has a solid rock core
Neptune
Neptune has a small ring system going from around 40-60,000 km from the surface of the Earth
Neptune has 13 known moons
The mean temperature of Neptune is -201°C
Neptune
Atmospheric circulation is the global-scale movement of the layer of air surrounding the Earth
The hot air rises and the cooler air drops
This is due to convection.
Without this movement, the temperature difference between the equator and the poles would be much greater
Atmospheric Circulation
The Coriolis effect change of the trajectory of air currents due to the rotation of the Earth
Without this effect, the wind would travel directly from the equator to the poles in a straight line
Coriolis Effect
Coriolis Effect
These are the winds which occur on the Earth.
They are due to a combination of all other factors
There are 3 pairs of cells with the jet stream between them.
Prevaling Winds
Prevaling Winds
Prevaling Winds
Prevaling Winds
May 22, 1960 Valdivia, Chile1960 Valdivia earthquake9.5 March 27, 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA 1964 Alaska earthquake
9.2 December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean, Sumatra, Indonesia
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake9.1–9.3 November 4, 1952Kamchatka, Russia (then USSR)
1952 Kamchatka earthquakes9.0 March 11, 2011Pacific Ocean, Tōhoku region, Japan 2011 Tōhoku
earthquake9.0 November 25, 1833Sumatra, Indonesia 1833 Sumatra earthquake8.8–9.2
(est.) January 31, 1906Ecuador – Colombia 1906 Ecuador-Colombia earthquake
8.8 February 27, 2010Maule, Chile2010 Chile earthquake8.8 January 26, 1700Pacific Ocean, USA and Canada1700 Cascadia earthquake
8.7–9.2 (est.) July 8, 1730Valparaiso, Chile1730 Valparaiso earthquake8.7–9.0 (est.)
Strongest Earthquakes in History
An air mass is a large expanse of the atmosphere with relatively uniform temperature and humidity
When two air masses collide, they do not simply combine
The cooler air mass slides below the warmer and the warmer air mass rises
Air Masses
Where warm and cold air masses collide is referred to as a front
Cold fronts occur when a mass of cold air meets a warm air mass
As the warm air rises it cools quickly and condenses into clouds
This produces puffy clouds called cumulus
Air Masses
A warm front is when a warm air mass meets a mass of cold air
In this case, the warm air rises more slowly forming light clouds called nimbostratus
On weather maps, cold fronts are represented by blue arrows and warm fronts are represented by red arrows
Air Masses
Cold Front
Warm Front
While most air masses move horizontally over the surface of the Earth, there is some vertical movement
Anticyclones and Depressions
An area of atmospheric circulation surrounding a high pressure center
Clockwise for Northern hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the Southern hemisphere
Anticyclone
An area of atmospheric circulation surrounding a low pressure center
Counter-clockwise for Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere
Depression
Strong depressions sometimes form over warm waters of tropical oceans
A huge spiral forms which can stretch up to 800 km across in diameter
Winds can blow up to 360 km/h
These storms can be called cyclones, hurricanes or typhoons depending on the region
Depression
Hurricanes have a characteristic eye in the center◦ Typically they are between 30-65 km wide◦ Can be as little as 3 km up to 670 km
The eye is generally calm and without clouds
The walls of the eye, the eyewall, are generally the tallest, strongest and most rainy parts of the hurricane
Hurricanes
Hurricanes
Hurricanes
What are greenhouse gases?◦ Mainly water vapour (H2O), Carbon Dioxide (CO2),
Methana (CH4) and Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
◦ They are present in the atmosphere and they act as a type of insulation to retain the heat around the Earth.
Without this effect, the Earth’s average temperature would be -18°C
The Greenhouse Effect
1- Most of the Sun’s rays reach the Earth’s surface and is absorbed by the ground
2- The heated ground sends infrared rays back into the atmosphere. A portion of the infrared rays pass through the atmosphere and are lost into space.
3- Greenhouse gases trap some of the rays and send them back to the Earth, further heating its surface
How it works...
Greenhouse Effect
Over the last century, the levels of CO2 have increased due to combustion of fossil fuels
Human activities have increased the production of CO2 by billions of tonnes which is having a big effect on the environment
This is leading to climate change on the Earth
Intensification of the Greenhouse Effect
Methane, CH4, has a 21 time greater effect on the greenhouse effect than CO2, for the same volume
CH4 comes from the digestion in farm animals, and decomposition of garbage and waste
N2O comes from the strong use of nitrogen rich fertilizers on farms
Intensification of the Greenhouse Effect
Climate change is defined as the abnormal modification of climatic conditions on Earth cause by human activity
From 1850 to 2005, the mean temperature on Earth has increased by 0.76°C
Scientists believe that an increase of 2°C is the critical point at which serious climate disturbances would be inevitable
These include more droughts, heat waves, floods, and a rise in sea levels
Climate Change
Wind Energy is the energy that can be drawn from the wind
Wind turbines are huge machines which turn with the wind and produce electricity
Wind is a renewable resource so wind turbines are considered to be environmentally friendly
Wind turbines do have a few negatives though
Energy Resources
People say that wind turbines ruin the natural beauty of the landscapes
Wind is not a reliable source of power since the winds are not predictable
Wind energy cannot be stored. Once the wind is gone, so is the electricity
Bad wind turbines
The Sun and the Moon are the two bodies in our solar system which most affect us
The Sun is vitally important because its energy provides us with light and heat
The Moon exerts gravitational forces upon the Earth which explains the tides.
Effect of the Sun and the Moon on the Earth
The Sun
The Sun is composed 75 percent of Hydrogen and 25 percent Helium
The temperature of the core reaches up to 15 million °C due to nuclear Fission◦ Hydrogen being made into Helium
Light only takes 8 minutes to reach the Earth from the Sun◦ The Earth is 150,000,000 km away from the Sun
The Sun
Solar radiation contains all of the waves in the electromagnetic spectrum
Only visible light, some infrared, and a small amount of UV light reach the surface of the Earth
Due to the curvature of the Earth, the equator receives much more heat than the polar regions
Solar Radiation
The Earth receives enough energy in one hour from the sun to satisfy the world’s energy requirements for a year.◦ Solar energy is the energy that comes from the
Sun in the form of radiation through the atmosphere
Harnessing this energy is a huge challenge
There are a few ways that we can harness the power of the Sun
Solar Energy
Passive Heating Systems◦ By positioning the house to take advantage of the
Sun. Photovoltaic Cells
◦ When the material that makes up the cells is hit by light, electrons are set into motion. This causes a current which can be used to power small appliances or an entire house
Solar Collectors◦ These are sheets of glass which has copper pipes
below it to absorb to heat up water or air for homes or water for a pool
Using Solar Energy
The Moon
The moon has been revolving around the Earth for billions of years
Its average diameter is 3476km, which is roughly a quarter of the Earth
The theory behind the origin of the Moon is that the Earth was struck by a meteor the size of Mars. This caused part of the Earth to explode
The pieces reunited to form the Moon
The Moon
The Moon not only rotates around the Earth, but also rotates on its own axis.
These two movements are synchronised to that both rotations take the same amount of time (27.3 days)
The Moon
Water masses on the side closest to the Moon are attracted to it
As a result, they will swell, forming a slight bulge in the Moon’s direction
Also, the waters on the opposite side of the moon get pulled towards the moon as well.
The Tides
Tides
Tides
Tidal energy is the energy obtained from the ebb and flow of the tides
Works similarly to hydroelectric dam
When the tide come in, it fills a huge basin
The water remains there until the tide goes out again
Tidal Energy
The gate opens, releasing the basin of water to flow through the turbines
The turbine is set into motion, generating electricity
There are numerous advantages
Tidal Energy
Produces no greenhouse emissions
Entirely renewable
Perfectly reliable since meteorologists can predict the ebb and flow of tides
Advantages
Building plants is complex and costly because they have to stand up to harsh conditions
There are few suitable sites in the world for building this type of power plant
There must be a tidal range of at least 5 meters
Disadvantages
Tidal Energy
Tidal Energy