Atmosphere & Weather Chapter 6 Lesson 1 284-290

How does the sun warm the earth? When sunlight shines on Earth, energy from the Sun warms Earth’s surface The solar energy that reaches a planet is called insolation, however insolation doe not warm all places on Earth equally One reason for the difference in temperature is Earth’s shape Earth is shaped like a sphere and an imaginary line called the equator runs around Earth’s middle Sunlight strikes with the most vertical angle at or near the equator The beam of sunlight always has the same amount of heat energy Areas that are farther north or south receive less heat energy than areas closer to the equator

What are the layers of the atmosphere? The air around you is part of the Earth’s atmosphere The atmosphere includes all the gases that surround Earth The most abundant gases are nitrogen and oxygen The atmosphere is divided into 5 layers The layer closest to the ground is called the troposphere Weather occurs in this layer The second layer is called the stratosphere The third layers it he mesosphere (middle layer) The Thermosphere is the fourth layer The last layer is the exosphere (before you exit the Earth)

What are the layers of the atmosphere? Troposphere Weather is a condition of the troposphere at a particular time and place Weather can be hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, and sunny or cloudy Factors that affect weather include temperature, wind, and cloud cover Air particles press on Earth’s surface and on all things they surround Air pressure- the force put on a given area by the weight of the air above The higher in the air you go, the greater the pressure

What changes air pressure? Many variables affect air pressure: volume, temperature, height above Earth’s surface, and the amount of water vapor present in air VOLUME-a measure of how much space an object takes up Temperature- air pressure also depends on temperature. The air pressure decreases, and the air weighs less Atmospheric pressure decreases with higher altitude. Altitude is the height above Earth’s surface. It is measured from sea level.

How do we measure air pressure? A barometer is a tool that is used measure air pressure

What changes air pressure? Amount of water vapor Humidity- is the amount of water vapor in the air. Humidity is measured using a hygrometer.