Section 2 The Structure of the Atmosphere

Section 2 The Structure of the Atmosphere

Sunset in ElizabethtownPhoto by Pamela Cox 2013

8. List the 4 major components of the atmosphere.

nitrogen, oxygen, argon, water vapor

Photo by Pamela Cox 2013

9. What 2 processes maintain a balance in the oxygen content in the atmosphere?

photosynthesis and respiration

http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cfjps/1400/atmos_origin.html

10.Write the chemical equation for photosynthesis:

CO2 + H2O + light → "CH2O" + O2

11. Write the chemical equation for respiration:

"CH2O" + O2 → CO2 + H2O + energy

12. Identify the following formulas:a. CO2 carbon

dioxideb. H2O waterc. CH2O organic

matter d. O2 oxygen

gas

http://www.co2crc.com.au/images/imagelibrary/gen_diag/Photosynthesis_media.jpg

13.List the formula for these other important gases in the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide CO2Neon Ne Ozone O3 Helium HeMethane CH4 Krypton KrHydrogen HNitrous oxide N2OCarbon monoxide COChlorofluorocarbons CFCsCarbonyl sulfide COSPhoto by Pamela Cox 2013

Concentrations of Atmospheric Gases

Gas Symbol Concentration (%)

Nitrogen N2 78.08Oxygen O2 20.95Argon Ar 0.93Neon Ne 0.0018Helium He 0.005Hydrogen H 0.00006

Xenon Xe 0.000009

Water vapor H2O 0 to 4

Carbon dioxide CO2 0.038

Methane CH4 0.00017Krypton Kr 0.00011Nitrous oxide N2O 0.0005

Ozone O3 0.000004

Particles (dust, soot) 0.000001

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) 0.00000002

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/High_School_Earth_Science/The_Atmosphere

Air is made almost entirely of two gases. The most common gas is nitrogen, and the second most common gas is oxygen (O2). Nitrogen and oxygen together make up 99% of the planet's atmosphere. All other gases together make up the remaining 1%. Although each of these trace gases are only found in tiny quantities, many such as ozone, serve important roles for the planet and its life. One very important minor gas is carbon dioxide, CO2, which is essential for photosynthesis and is also a very important greenhouse gas.

14. Earth's atmosphere extends more than 560 kilometers (348 miles) above the planet's surface and is divided into four layers, each of which has distinct thermal, chemical, and physical properties

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AdNVW8sZ99Y/T8DAV_r4kCI/AAAAAAAABVE/0RV_dtJohXQ/s1600/Space_Atmosphere_010501_.jpg

http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cfjps/1400/atmos_origin.html

The Northern Lights (Aurora) above Bear Lake, Alaska

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/High_School_Earth_Science/Atmospheric_Layers

15. Which is the lowest layer of the atmosphere where almost all the weather occurs? Troposphere

16. Where is the troposphere located specifically? extends from the surface up to 8 to 16 kilometers above Earth's surface

17. Earth’s surface captures solar radiation and warms the troposphere from below, creating rising air currents that generates vertical mixing patterns and weather systems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Troposphere_CIMG1853.JPG

18. Temperatures decrease by about 6.5 °C with each kilometer of altitude. That is for every 1 mile in altitude the temperature drops by about 20 °F.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/troposphere

19. What is the tropopause?

It is layer of cold air (about -60°C), which forms the top of the troposphere and creates a "cold trap" that causes atmospheric water vapor to condense.

http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2013/06/southwest-airlines-to-receive-first-boeing-737-max-jets-early.html/

20.Where is the stratosphere located specifically?

It extends upward from the tropopause to 50 kilometers.21.In the stratosphere, why do temperatures

increase with altitude? Temperatures increase with altitude because of absorption of sunlight by stratospheric ozone.

http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/edu/k12/.ozonelayer

22.About 90 percent of the ozone in the atmosphere is found in the stratosphere.

23.The stratosphere contains only a small amount of water vapor due to what 3 reasons?

"cold trap" and the tropopause, and vertical air motion in this layer is very slow

http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/inline/is-water-vapor-in-the-stratosphere-slowing-global-warming_1.jpg

24.What marks the top of the stratosphere? The stratopause

25.The third atmospheric layer is the mesosphere.

Describe the temperature and altitude changes. temperatures once again fall with increasing altitude, to a low of about -93°C at an altitude of 85 kilometers. This equates to a low of about -135.4 °F at an altitude of 53 miles.

http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/mesosphere.html

26.What happens to the temperature with altitude in the thermosphere?

In the thermosphere, temperatures again warm with altitude, rising higher than 1700°C. This is about 3100°F.

Satellites orbit in the thermosphere

https://www2.ucar.edu/news/thermosphere-visuals-multimedia-gallery

27.The atmosphere exerts pressure at the surface equal to what?

the weight of the overlying air

A woman filling her tires up with air and testing their air pressure.

28. At sea level, average atmospheric pressure is 14.7 pounds per square inch for a column of air from the surface to the top of the atmosphere.

The pressure in your car tire is about 30 to 35 psi.

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14.7 psi ≈ 1000 millibars

29.Pressure falls with increasing altitude because…

the weight of the overlying air decreases.

It falls exponentially because air is compressible, so most of the mass of the atmosphere is compressed into its lowest layers.

http://okfirst.mesonet.org/train/meteorology/Variables.html