Atmosphere

(Composition, Layers, Temperature, Heat Transfer, Radiation, Insolation, Albedo, Heat Balance,Green House Effect)

Supervisor: Ms. Lubna Ghazal BS 1st Year, Course No.301 Department of Geography,University of Karachi

The Earth's Atmosphere What is Atmosphere?

The Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air called the atmosphere. The atmosphere is made up of various gases that act as a protective shield for the Earth and allow life to exist. Without it, we would be burned by the intense heat of the sun during the day or frozen by the very low temperatures at night.

Composition More than three quarters of the atmosphere is made up of nitrogen and most of the rest is oxygen. However it is the remaining 1%, a mixture of carbon dioxide, water vapour and ozone, that not only produces important weather features such as cloud and rain, but also has considerable influence on the overall climate of the Earth,through mechanisms such as the greenhouse effect and global warming.
May-13 2

Uneven solar heating on Earth

Solar energy in high latitudes:
Has a larger footprint Is reflected to a greater extent Passes through more atmosphere Is less than that received in low latitudes

Figure 6-1

Earths seasons
Earths axis is tilted 23 from vertical Northern and Southern Hemispheres are alternately tilted toward and away from the Sun Causes longer days and more intense solar radiation during summer

Figure 6-2

Oceanic heat flow

A net heat gain is experienced in low latitudes A net heat loss is experienced in high latitudes Heat gain and loss are balanced by oceanic and atmospheric circulation
Figure 6-3

Physical properties of the atmosphere: Composition (dry air)

Gas Nitrogen (N2) Oxygen (O2) Argon (Ar) Carbon dioxide (CO2) All others Percent 78.1% 20.9% 0.9% 0.036% Trace

Table 7a-1: Average composition of the atmosphere up to an altitude of 25 km. * variable gases

Gas Name Nitrogen Oxygen *Water Argon *Carbon Dioxide Neon Helium *Methane Hydrogen *Nitrous Oxide *Ozone

Chemical Formula N2 O2 H2O Ar CO2 Ne He CH4 H2 N2O O3

Percent Volume 78.08% 20.95% 0 to 4% 0.93% 0.0360% 0.0018% 0.0005% 0.00017% 0.00005% 0.00003% 0.000004%
7

Citation: Pidwirny, M. (2006). "Atmospheric Composition". Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 2nd Edition . Date Viewed. http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7a.html

-90-100C

0C

-57C

Layers of Atmosphere
Exosphere

Above a height of about 500km is the exosphere, a layer where the atmosphere merges into space. Satellites are stationed in this area, 500km to 1000km from Earth.

The thermosphere is the fourth layer in the atmosphere, between 80km and 110km above the Earth. Space shuttles fly in this area and it is also Thermosphere where the aurora lights are found. Auroras are wispy curtains of light caused when the sun strikes gases in the atmosphere above the Poles.

Mesosphere

Beyond the stratosphere the air is very thin and cold. This area is known as the mesosphere, and is found between 50km and 80km above the Earths surface. The stratosphere is the second layer of air above the Earths surface and extends to a height of 50km. It is here that we find the ozone layer. The ozone layer absorbs much of the suns harmful radiation that would otherwise be dangerous to plant and animal life.

Stratosphere

Troposphere
May-13

The troposphere is the layer closest to the Earth, approximately 18km high. Weather occurs only in the troposphere because it is this layer that contains most of the water vapour. Weather is the way water changes in the air, and so without water there would be no clouds, rain, snow or other 9 weather features.

Temperature Layers
Troposphere

Troposphere is: Lowermost part of the atmosphere Where most weather occurs Temperature of troposphere cools with increasing altitude

Solar winds, Cosmic rays

Ultra-violet sunlight

Longwave, Latent heat, Sensible heat

Troposphere continued
Depth varies based largely on temp.
Thinnest layer (only 18km high) Thickest at equator

Temperature decreases with height (heat source is from surface, farther you are from surface, colder it is) Nearly all weather occurs here, planes fly here, all mountain peaks are in troposphere

Most clouds exist in the troposphere. occasionally, violent updrafts penetrate cloud tops into the stratosphere. The flattened top of this cumulonimbus cloud is in the stratosphere.

Stratosphere
From 18km-50km roughly Little/no weather Ozone is found in abundance in this region The absorption of UV radiation by ozone leads to temperatures increasing with height in the stratosphere Contains about 19.9 percent of atmos. mass, even though it is 3x deeper than the troposphere Ends at the stratopause.

Mesosphere and Thermosphere

Next highest is mesosphere, temperature quickly decreases with height in this region Thermosphere is outermost layer, where temperatures increase to values in excess of 1500oC (recall heat is different than temperature) The thermosphere slowly merges with interplanetary space

Electrical Layer: The Ionosphere

Located within the meso- and thermospheres, this portion of the atmosphere is replete with ions; electrically charged particles Its retreat causes radio stations to become more clear during night

Temperature and Heat Temperature is a measure of the intensity or degree of hotness or coldness in a body. Technically, it is determined by getting the average speed of a body's molecules. Heat is a measure of the quantity of heat energy present in a body. The spatial distribution of temperature in a body determines heat flow. Heat always flows from warmer to colder areas.
Measuremen Steam Point t Scale of Water Fahrenheit 212 Celsius 100 Kelvin 373 Ice Point of Water 32 0 273 Absolute Zero -460 -273 0

Conversion
C x 9/5 + 32 = F (F - 32) x 5/9 = C Examples 1) Convert 37C to Fahrenheit. 37C x 9/5 + 32 = 98.6F OR 37C x 9 + 32 = 98.6F 5 2) Convert 98.6F to Celsius. (98.6F - 32) x 5/9 = 37C OR (98.6F - 32) x 5 = 37C 9

The heating of Earths atmosphere

The three mechanisms of heat transfer are: (1) conduction, the transfer of heat through matter by molecular activity, (2) convection, the transfer of heat by mass movement or circulation within a substance, and (3) radiation, the heat-transfer mechanism by which solar energy reached our planet.

Factors affecting the Earths surface temperature Season angle of sun, day length Topography slope, aspect Shading/scattering clouds, smoke, haze, vegetation Absorption clouds, water vapor Surface properties

Electromagnetic Radiation
Radiation

or electromagnetic radiation, whether x-rays, visible light, heat waves, or radio, travels as various size waves through the vacuum of space at 300,000 kilometers per hour. Shorter wavelengths of radiation are associated with greater energy. The wavelength of visible light ranges from 0.4 micrometer (violet) to 0.7 micrometer (red).

Insolation
Is a measure of solar radiation received on a given surface area in a give time. For this reasons, days are short and nights long in the winter. The seasons are caused by the angle the sun's rays make with the ground. Higher Sun angle means more luminosity per square meter. Low Sun angle produces fewer rays per square meter. More intensity means more heat and, therefore, higher temperatures.

Albedo.

Albedo describes the reflectivity of an object. By definition, it is the ratio of

energy reflected to the total received. The earths albedo is currently about 30%, meaning of all solar energy that hits the earth, about 30% is reflected back into space.

SURFACE HEAT EXCHANGE

Solar radiation: heats air directly 0.5-1 F/day (depending on water vapor) Conduction: Air heated (or cooled) through contact with Earths surface Convection: warm air rises, cooler air falls (mixing) Cooling at night: Radiation, conduction, convection NIGHT DAY

Rising air expands and cools. Sinking air is compressed & warmed

Air Rising

Air Falling

Energy input = energy output

Some incoming solar radiation is lost before reaching the earths surface (30%). Some is returned to space as IR (70%)

Earths globally averaged atmospheric energy budget.

Flow of Energy to and from the Earth

Anthropogenic gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect

Greenhouse Gas Carbon dioxide (CO2) Methane (CH4) Nitrous oxide (N2O) Tropospheric ozone (O3) CFC-11 CFC-12 Relative contribution 60% 15% 5% 8% 4% 8%

Carbon dioxide is increasing in the atmosphere

As a result of human activities, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by 30% since 200 years ago

Figure 6-24

How a greenhouse works

Sunlight passes through the clear covering of a greenhouse It converts to longer wavelength heat energy Heat cannot pass through the covering and is trapped inside
Figure 6-21

Earths average temperature is rising

Earths average surface temperature has risen at least 0.6C (1.1F) in the last 130 years May be related to increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide

Figure 6-25

Predicted changes with increased greenhouse warming

Higher than normal sea surface temperatures that could affect world climate More severe droughts or increased precipitation Water contamination and outbreaks of waterborne diseases Longer and more intense heat waves Shifts in the distribution of plants and animals Potential melting or enlargement of polar ice caps

End of Topic
Hope This Presentation must have Enhanced your Interest for Learning Geography.