Atmosphere Summary

In earth's atmosphere, 99% of gases only go 30km above earths surface and weather occurs with in the first 10-15km of that. some of these gases are nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide and there are others but they makeup very little of the atmosphere. Of those gases nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, and carbon dioxide are invisible and carbon dioxide is the the only one that has durastically increased (by 18% since 1958). The two main gases responsible for infrared radiation are water vapor and carbon dioxide. The fraction of solar radiation reflected back to space is the albedo.

Gravity pulls gases to earth's surface. The amount of force is called air pressure. Atmospheric pressure decreases with height. Air temperature also decreases with height and the rate that it decreases is called lapse rate.

Atmosphere Notes

Earth’s Atmosphere

·        99% of gases extend only 30 km above earth’s surface

·        Weather occurs within first 10-15 km

Composition of atmosphere

·        Nitrogen 78%

·        Oxygen 21%

·        Water Vapor 0-4%

·        Carbon Dioxide .37%

·        Other gases make the rest

Atmospheric Gases

·        Nitrogen, Oxygen, Water Vapor, and cd are invisible

·        Clouds are not gas but condensed vapor in droplet form

·        Ground based smog (visible) contains reactants of nitrogen, VOC’s, and ozone

Variable and Increasing Gases

·        Nitrogen and oxygen concentration experience little change

·        Carbon Dioxide, methane, and oxides of nitrogen have increased

·        Carbon Dioxide has increased more than 18% since 1958

·        Fossil fuels are the biggest problem

Atmospheric Greenhouse Effect

·        Warming of atmosphere by absorbing and emitting of infrared radiation allowing shortwaves to pass

·        Main Gases responsible are water vapor and carbon dioxide

Aerosols and Pollutant

·        Human and natural activities displace tiny soil, salt, and ash particles as aerosols

·        Sulfur, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons are released as pollutants

Pressure and Density

·        Gravity pulls gases to earth’s surface

·        At sea level these gases weigh 14.7 psi at pressure of 1013.25 mb

·        The amount of force exerted over an area is called air pressure

·        Air density is the number of air molecules in a given volume

Vertical pressure Profile

·        Atmospheric pressure decreases rapidly with height

·        Climbing to altitude of 5.5km where pressure is 500mb would put you above ½ of the atmosphere’s molecules

Lapse Rate

·        Rate in which air temperature decreases with height

·        Average lapse rate in the lower atmosphere is about 6.5 degrees C per 1 km or 3.6 degrees F per 1000 ft.

Atmospheric Layers

·        Layers are defined by constant trends in average air temperature (changes with pressure and radiation)

·        Troposphere 2.Stratosphere 3.Mesosphere 4.Thermosphere 4. Exosphere

Solar Radiation

·        Albedo: fraction of solar radiation reflected back to space

·        Absorption: fraction of solar radiation not reflected into space

Urban Heat Island Effect

Metropolitan area warmer than surrounding rural areas

UHI effect is caused primarily by modification of land surfaces in developments that use materials that retain heat

Cloud Triangle

·        Based on altitude

·        0-2000m Stratus, cumulus

·        2000-6000m altostratus, altocumulus

·        6000+ m Cirrostratus, cirrocumulus, cirrus

Low Clouds with Precipitation

·        Nimbostratus, Cumulonimbus

Air Pressure

·        Warm air = expanding or rising air = low air pressure

·        Cold air = sinking air = high air pressure

Wind Movement

·        Uneven heating of Earth’s surface causes some areas to be warmer than others

·        Warm follows cold to share warmth, when this happens in the atmosphere we get wind

Pressure Wind and weather

·        Winds: horizontal flow of air from high pressure to low

·        Pressure: tendency of air rising or sinking at any given time

Humidity

Measure of amount of water vapor stuck between molecules in the air

Airs ability to hold water depends on air temperature

Relative Humidity

Amount of water vapor (%) compared to the amount that air can hold

100% is saturated air

 

 

Why we should study aerosols

We should study aerosols, tiny pieces of solid and liquid in the air, because of how much humans affect it and it affects climate. By studying aerosols we provide ground based data that adds to satelitte sensing. There are some natural ways that aerosols are put into the atmosphere such as dust in the wind, forest fires, and volcano eruptions. We can track the effect of these natural causes.

Humans put a lot of aerosols in the atmosphere as well. We do this through the daily use cars, power plants, factories, etc..

Clouds get help forming from aerosols. But in the absence of clouds lightabsorption that is not caused by atmospheric gas is from aerosols. Also, sunlight is absorbed and sometimes scattered (this is called atmospheric optics).If you know the angle of the sun and atmospheric pressure, you know the amount of gas between the earth and the sun. Other affects are that aerosols can affect breathing and limit visibility.

All sources are from class notes or can be found on the Webquest Answers blog that has been posted.

Why we should study ozone

 

Ozone protects the earth from ultraviolet light but it has an affect on plant growth. It stunts their ability to absorb to soak carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which also affects humans, who breathe the oxygen that plants make from the carbon dioxide. Ozone is more reactive than even oxygen.  As other chemicals react with it, such as the UV rays it absorbs, ozone basically become a little kid jacked up on sugar. As it goes crazy, it becomes unstable and heats the atmosphere, making it a greenhouse gas. This craziness only lasts a little bit, again just like the jacked up kid who crashes.  

Ozone can also cause many health problems. Coughing, chest pains, congestion and throat irritation are just a few. It can cause damage to lungs and make asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema worse. But ozone doesn’t just affect humans, humans affect it too. We use the vehicles and factories that create the chemical emission.

All sources are class notes or can be found on the Webquest Answers Blog previously posted.

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Webquest Answers

What is Surface Ozone?

            A.K.A Ground Rising Ozone, Surface Ozone is “chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the presence of sunlight.” (http://www.epa.gov/glo/)

How does surface ozone enable and threaten life on Earth?

            Ozone protects the earth from ultraviolet light from reaching Earth’s surface which benefits plants and animals. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone) Even though surface ozone helps it causes a lot of damage. There are significant reductions in plant growth because ozone affects “their ability to soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.” (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725143612.htm)

How does ozone form?

            Ozone forms through chemical emissions of vehicles, factories, and burning forests. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725143612.htm, http://www.epa.gov/glo/)

How does ozone affect health?

            Ozone can cause many health problems including “chest pains, coughing, throat irritation, and congestion.” It can also “worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma”, as well as “reduce lung function and inflame the linings of the lungs. Repeated exposure may permanently scar lung tissue.”

What are aerosols or particulates?

Tiny pieces of solid or liquid in the air    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particulates  

What is the source of aerosols in the atmosphere?

Some are natural (dust, volcano eruption, forest fires, salt humas cars, power plants, factories)

How do aerosols affect the climate and climate change?

Aerosols help clouds form, scatter (atmospheric optics) and absorb sunlight

How do aerosols affect life on Earth?

Some aerosols are from air pollution and can affect breathing and limit visibility

 

"What's Gonna Work? TEAM WORK!!"

The group that I worked with is one of the best groups I have worked with,    especially in a science class. The things that worked well for us was

·        We all divided the work evenly

·        We all started to work immediately

·        We helped each other on the work done and

·        The power point had input from all of us in it

Even though we worked well as a team there were a few things that could use some work

·        There were times we didn’t know what we were doing

·        We didn’t plan the order of who was to speak first and did that in front of the class

·        There were times it seemed like we were doing nothing because we did laugh and talk alot

Procedure- Kayla P, Hannah K, Tanner R

1.      The class went into the woods

2.      Measured a 100 square meter transect

3.      Numbered trees of timber size in transect

4.      Measured number of steps they took to equal 66 ft.

5.      Broke up into groups of 3

6.      Identified tree types

7.      Went 66 ft. away from tree they were are going to measure*

8.      Used a clinometer to find the top and bottom slopes of the trees

9.      Because standing when measures taken, subtracted bottom slop from 90

10.  Found the difference of the slopes and height of the tree

11. Sharpe measured circumference, which was used to find board feet and tree value

 

*Counted the number of steps from tree to match the number of steps they took in step four because it was not possible to measure in the woods

 

Analysis Conclusion

As each hour passes, the surface temperatures of Huntington High School’s practice field and student parking lot change for multiple reasons. Solar radiation, Earth’s energy budget and absorption are just a few. Solar radiation spreads as the sun rises, the sunlight that strikes the Earth’s surface composes as the energy budget. As the sun “rises” it’s sunlight, or energy, which these surfaces absorb. As the day goes on, hour to hour, the surface temperatures within the allotted times of observation (approximately 9:20 a.m.-1:00 p.m.) increased. The time which had the greatest difference in temperatures was 9:20/9:30 (depending on when the class went outside). This difference is because, at that time, the grass of the field was wet and the water was being evaporated. Another difference that the temperature observations show is albedo. Grass has a higher albedo than the parking lot’s asphalt. The albedo is simply energy reflected and asphalt reflects less energy than grass because it is black, where grass is green. Color and water content both affect the albedo. Water also affects which will cool down faster. Water changes temperature slowly, so the grass is slower than asphalt.

 As the surfaces cool, the energy which they absorbed is re-emitted into the atmosphere as long wave infrared radiation. This is significant to climate change because this type of radiation gets trapped by greenhouse gases, such as water vapor and nitrogen, and heats up the atmosphere. The heating of the atmosphere is known as the greenhouse effect. Another thing that is related to greenhouse effect is Urban Heat Islands. These are “islands” of heat that have numerous surfaces, such as asphalt, that absorb heat, which is energy. This energy gets re-emitted as long wave infrared radiation.

Analysis Notes

Analysis of Data

Which surface absorbed most energy?

            Both grass and asphalt temperatures increased throughout the day, therefore they both absorbed energy. The asphalt absorbed the most energy (can tell because of temp.) Around 9:30 the difference was greatest because the grass was wet and the water was being evaporated. 

What happens to the energy after it is absorbed?

            The energy is re-emitted as the sun “goes down”. It gives off energy as long-wave infrared radiation and heat.

Why is long wave infrared radiation important to climate change?

            This is significant for climate change because it heats up the atmosphere by being trapped by greenhouse gases.

How are the greenhouse effect and urban heat island effect related?

            Urban Heat Islands are “islands” of heat because of all the surfaces that absorb heat. As these cities later re-emit this energy as infrared long wave radiation and as said earlier is trapped.

What are some greenhouse gases?

            The most popular one is water vapor. Others are nitrogen, carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4).

Which surface has the highest albedo?

            Grass because it reflects more energy which you can tell because of the temperature. Some things that directly relate to energy reflected are color and water in the surface. Albedo is the percentage of energy reflected from a surface. As far as climate change concerned this is harmless.

Which surface would cool off faster?

            The asphalt would because of the water content. Water changes temperature slowly and the grass has more water than asphalt.

Scientific Method

A time I had to use the scientific method was when I couldn't tell my kittens apart. My sister and I both have gray and black tabbys that are about the same size. They are from the same litter and are twins and often times we can't tell them apart  but by some observations we know that there are some differences in our kitties. This particular time was when we first got them and had just learned about the differences =^.^=

1.       Problem/Question: I couldn't tell the kittens apart
2.      Observation/Research: Nalak (my kitten) weighs less, is darker in color than Simba and has a high pitched meow
3.       Formulate a hypothesis: I had Nalak in my hand
4.       Collect and analyze the results: Didn't weigh alot, fur was dark and the meow was high pitched (ouch)
5.      Conclusion: Nalak was in my hand
6.      Communicate the results: I'm currently communicating them :)

The Kittens <3

Day View

Day 1!! Day 2 of school Made this, and a drop box for Mr. Sharpe's class

Day 2!!Day 3 of school finished these sites and we are supposed to go to globe...but schedules messed up so we'll see

Day 3!!Yatta Yatta, BUST DAY!!!

Day 4!! Went over scientific method notes, found out my dropbox didnt like me and had to write a blog on how I have used the s.m. in my everyday life (other than science class)