1. Bellwork 2/12 What do you know about the atmosphere?
Write down anything and everything 

2. What did the pirate say when he turned 80?
Aye matey!

3. Unit 2: The Atmosphere

4. Weather vs. Climate Weather: Climate:
state of the atmosphere at a given time and place
constantly changing
Climate:
observations accumulated over many years
includes both “average weather” and “extreme variations”

5. Composition of the Atmosphere
Major Components:
Nitrogen & Oxygen (99%)
Argon gas (0.93%)
Carbon dioxide (0.036%)

6. Components of the Atmosphere:
Variable Components:
1. Water vapor
can vary from 0-4%
important for heating of the atmosphere
2. Aerosols
tiny solid & liquid particles suspended in atm.
important for fog & cloud formation
absorb, reflect, and scatter solar radiation

8. Components of the Atmosphere
Variable components
3. Ozone
molecule with 3 oxygen atoms
distribution not uniform
formed when and oxygen gas molecule (O2) combines with a single oxygen atom (O)
absorbs UV radiation

9. Pressure & Temperature changes
Pressure Changes:
Atm. Pressure = weight of air above
Pressure ALWAYS decreases with increasing altitude
Temperature Changes
varies by layer
determines layers of the atmosphere

10. Troposphere: bottom layer (where we live)
where all weather phenomena occur
increase in altitude = decrease in temperature
just outside the troposphere is the tropopause (an isothermal layer)

11. Stratosphere 2nd layer out (from the ground)
As altitude increases, temperature increases
due to concentration of ozone, which absorbs UV radiation
Just outside the stratosphere is the stratopause (isothermal layer)

13. Mesosphere 3rd layer out (from the ground)
as altitude increases, temperature decreases
due to the low number of air molecules
Just outside the mesosphere is the mesopause (isothermal layer)
coldest spot in the atmosphere (-100C)

14. Thermosphere 4th layer out (from the ground)
no well-defined upper limit
as altitude increases, temperature increases
due to absorption of solar radiation

15. Let’s make a graph!!!

16. …a bit more about the atmosphere: https://www. youtube. com/watch