1. State of the Atmosphere

2. What is the difference between temperature and heat?
a) Temperature is a numerical measurement of hot or cold
i) Measured in Celsius (oC), Fahrenheit (oF), and Kelvin (K)

3. What is the difference between temperature and heat?
Temperature Measurement
Fahrenheit ˚F
Celsius ˚C
Kelvin K
Boiling Point of Water
212oF
100oC
373K
Freezing Point of Water
32oF
0oC
273K

4. What is the difference between temperature and heat?
Temperature Measurement
Fahrenheit ˚F
Celsius ˚C
Kelvin K
Boiling Point of Water
212oF
100oC
373K
Freezing Point of Water
32oF
0oC
273K

5. What is the difference between temperature and heat?
a) Heat is the energy transferred from one object to another because of a difference in temperature
i) Heat flows from an object of higher temperature to an object of lower temperature.

6. How does Temperature Change as elevation increases?
a) Dew point: the temperature air must be cooled to at a constant pressure to reach saturation (to be filled completely with water)
When the dew point is reached, condensation happens = water vapor turns to liquid water
1) Cold air cannot hold as much moisture as Warm air, so when air rises and cools, it eventually reaches a point where it cannot hold anymore moisture…It condenses!

7. Where in the atmosphere does air have the highest pressure? Density?
Air pressure is HIGHEST at the Earth’s lowest surfaces where the most gaseous particles are exerting pressure from above. Pressure decreases with height.
(air pressure is lower on a mountaintop than at the beach (sea level), and even lower at the height where an airplane travels).

8. Where in the atmosphere does air have the highest pressure? Density?

9. Where in the atmosphere does air have the highest pressure? Density?

10. Where in the atmosphere does air have the highest pressure? Density?
b) Air density describes the number of particles of air occupying a particular space.
i) Air density decreases as you go up in the atmosphere (away from Earth’s surface).

11. Where in the atmosphere does air have the highest pressure? Density?

12. What is temperature inversion and how can it happen?
a) Temperature inversion – an increase in temperature with height in atmospheric layer (Ex: a warm layer of air above a cooler layer of air)
i) One way it can happen is when land cools on a cold, clear, winter night when the wind is calm. The lower layers of the atmosphere are not receiving heat from the Earth’s surface, they’re cold.

13. What is temperature inversion and how can it happen?

14. What causes wind?
a) The movement of air due to density, temperature and pressure causes wind.
Cool air (dense) sinks
Warm air (less dense) rises
Air under high pressure moves to areas of low pressure

15. What causes wind?

16. What causes wind?

17. Humidity: the amount of water vapor in air
a) Relative humidity - the amount of water vapor in a volume of air relative to how much water vapor that volume of air is capable of holding
i) Ex: If the relative humidity is 100%, the air is holding ALL of the water it can. It is FULLY saturated
ii) Ex: If the relative humidity is 50%, the air is capable of holding twice as much water as it is currently holding.