1. Videos to try:
(best one, start here )

2. The Earth’s Circulation System
What causes the Earths systems to circulate (seasons, weather, climate)?

3. Solar Energy as Radiation
At it’s Surface, the earth maintains an average temp of 59F
With a wide range of temperature readings
-121F during the Antarctica night
122F in deserts
Figure 1.1
Nearly 93 million miles separate the sun and earth, yet solar radiation drives earth's weather. (light from the sun travels the distance in about 8 minutes)

7. Earth's Atmosphere Thin Gaseous envelope
Figure 1.2
99% of atmospheric gases, including water vapor, extend only 15 miles above earth's surface.
Most of our weather, however, occurs within the first 5 to 8 miles.

8. Composition of Atmosphere
Nitrogen %
Oxygen %
Water Vapor – 0 to 4%
Carbon Dioxide %
Other gases make up the rest

9. Atmospheric Gases
Nitrogen, oxygen, argon, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and most other gases are invisible.
Clouds are not gas, but condensed vapor in the form of liquid droplets.
Ground based smog, which is visible, contains reactants of nitrogen and ozone.
Write “Condensation” on the board: The changing of water vapor to liquid water
Write “evaporation” on the board : The process of liquid water becoming a gas
Water Vapor is extremely important in our atmosphere.
Not only does it form it precip,
Also releases large amounts of heat – called latent heat when it changes from vapro to liquid water or ice.
Latent hear is an important source of atmospheric energy especially for thunderstorms and hurricanes.
Also is one of our greenhouse gases – absorbs a portion of the earth’s outgoing radiant energy thus playing big role in the earth’s energy balance
Ozone – is the primary ingredient of smog!

10. Atmospheric Greenhouse Effect
The warming of the atmosphere by its absorbing and emitting infrared radiation while allowing shortwave radiation to pass through. The gases mainly responsible for the earth’s atmospheric greenhouse effect are water vapor and carbon dioxide.

12. Aerosols & Pollutants
Human and natural activities displace tiny soil, salt, and ash particles as suspended aerosols,
as well as sulfur and nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons as pollutants.
Aerosols are beneficial…act as surfaces on which water vapor condenses to form clouds…hygroscopic nuclei
Pollutants are nuisances and health hazards….acid rain results from pollutants and can kill our pines, turn our lakes acidic and can even corrode metal surfaces.
Figure 1.6

13. Pressure & Density
Gravity pulls gases toward earth's surface, and the whole column of gases weighs 14.7 psi at sea level, a pressure of mb or in.Hg.
The amount of force exerted Over an area of surface is called
Air pressure!
Discuss Air density
Air density – number of air molecules in a given space
Air density greatest at surface and decreases with altitude
Air pressure – the amount of force exerted ove an area of suface (atmospheric pressure)
As altitude increases, there are fewer molecules above us and thus
Atmospheric pressure always decreases with height!!!
Air Density is
The number of air
Molecules in a given
Space (volume)

14. Vertical Pressure Profile
Atmospheric pressure decreases rapidly with height. Climbing to an altitude of only 4 miles where the pressure is 500 mb, would put you above one-half of the atmosphere’s molecules.
This igure shows how rapidly air pressure decreases with height.
Near sea level, atmospsheric presssure decreases rapidly, whereas at high levels it decreases more slowly.
At about 3.5 mi up air pressure is approx. 500 mb or about ½ of sea level pressure
This means that if you were at about 18,000 feet above the surface you would be above one half of all the molecules in the atmosphere.
The top of Mt Everest (29,000 ft) has a pressure of about 300 mb. The summit of the mountain is above about 70% of all the molecules in the atmosphere.
If you go up to about 50 km (about 164,000 ft) the air pressure is about 1 mb which means that 99.9 % of all molecules are below this level.

15. 25 km
20 km
10 km
303 km
210 miles
68 miles
Ionosphere

16. Atmospheric Layers
8 layers are defined by constant trends in average air temperature (which changes with pressure and radiation), where the outer exosphere is not shown.
Exosphere
Thermosphere
Mesopause
Mesosphere
Stratopause
Stratosphere
Tropopause
Troposphere
Ionosphere
So far, we have seen that both air pressure and air density decrease with height above the earth
Air temperature has a more complicated vertical profile.
Look at this diagram, notice that air temp normally decreases from the surface up to about 11 km (36,000 ft) or 7 mi.
This decrease in air temp with increasing height is due mainly to the fact that the sunlight warms the earth’s surface and the surface then warms the air above it.
The rate at which air temp decreases with height is called Lapse Rate. The standard lapse rate is about 3.6F per 1000 ft of rise. Note this is only an average and is not always the case.
There are times when air temperature actually increases with height. This condition is known as a temperature inversion. We use radiosondes to measure the day to day changes in the lapse rate.

17. Natural Changes Atmospheric Gases Artificial Changes
High in Atmosphere:
Filters out lots of UV radiation (radiation shield)-can be destroyed by pollutants
Low in Atmosphere:
forms from pollutants “mixing” in sun and is
a key part of smog
Ozone (O3)-
smells like bleach
- irritate your respiratory system - reduce lung function - aggravate asthma - inflame and damage cells that line your lungs - aggravate chronic lung diseases - cause permanent lung damage 

22. Natural Changes Atmospheric Gases Artificial Changes
Besides natural places,
CO2 comes from power plants (coal plants), forestry, cars and manufacturing industries (often in poor countries with less air regulations)smog
Most common green house gas- keeps earth temperature stable
“ like a winter coat”
Carbon Dioxide
(CO2) -

23. Variable & Increasing Gases
This contributes to global warming.
Discuss global warming….
CO2 like water vapor traps a portion of the earth’s outgoing energy.
So, all things equal….more CO2 leads to more heating of earth surface air
Possible warming of earth surface air between 1C and 3.5C by the year 2100.
Ozone (O3) is the primary ingredient of photochemical fog….forms in large cities,
Irritates the eyes and throat…damages vegitation.
Nitrogen and oxygen experience little change, but carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, and chlorofluorocarbons are greenhouse gases experiencing increases amounts. CO2 has risen more than 18% since Fossil fuels are the biggest problem!

25. a) air temperature b) air pressure c) humidity d) clouds
Weather vs. Climate
Weather is made of the combination of:
a) air temperature
b) air pressure
c) humidity
d) clouds
e) precipitation
f) visibility
g) wind
Climate represents long-term
(e.g. 30 yr) averages of weather.

27. Satellite Instruments
Meteorologists may study larger weather patterns with space borne instruments, while ground-based tools often measure a single point. (GOES SAT)
Meridians
Longitude
Latitude
Middle Latitudes – 30-50N
Middle-latitude cyclonic storm
Hurricane
Thunderstorm
Tornado – most violent disturbance in atms
Figure 1.10

28. Air is heated and cools by sunlight
Air is heated and cools by sunlight. The warmed air rises up and eventually cools to repeat the process.
Warm air = Less dense
Cold Air = More dense

32. Surface Weather Map
Meteorologists generate diagrams of observed weather from ground-based instruments.
This surface map overlaps in time with the previous satellite image.
Figure 1.11
Low
High
Fronts
Wind Direction

33. Impacts of Weather 1/5
Figure 1.12

34. Impacts of Weather 2/5
Figure 1.13

35. Impacts of Weather 3/5
Figure 1.14

36. Impacts of Weather 4/5 Figure 1.15 146 people die each year
In US from flash floods

37. Impacts of Weather 5/5 Figure 1.16 Lightning strikes earth
100 times every second
Figure 1.16

38. What causes the Earths systems to circulate (seasons, weather, climate)?
Sun: Unequal heating of earth atmosphere keeps air and oceans circulating around (gives us different temps, wind & water currents)
Gravity: Keeps earth revolving around sun and pulls
heaver air particles down to bottom of atmosphere (air-pressure)
Tilt of the Earth: Unequal heating of the earth’s Atmosphere and oceans…
Weather and Climate
Latitude (how far from equator are you)
Elevation (how much atmosphere is above you)
Atmospheric gases (Ozone, carbon dioxide, methane)
Ocean Currents - driven by differences in water temperatures
(affects climate on land)

39. Wildfire
+ Dust-devil
“Fire Devil”