1. Atmosphere & Weather
Chapter 6 Lesson 1

2. 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

3. 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)

4. 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

5. 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.

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

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