1. The Earth and Climate
Chapter 1
Unit D

2. Objectives distinguish between weather and climate
describe the major characteristics of the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the lithosphere as part of the biosphere
will define inversions
explain how climate affects the lives and activity of people and other species
distinguish between anecdotal and scientific evidence

3. Climate: Clues to the past
Work on Activity D1 (textbook page 341)
Scientists use tree cores to give us clues about past environmental conditions

4. Weather vs. Climate
Weather – conditions of temperature, air pressure, cloud cover, precipitation (rain or snow), and humidity
Occur at a particular place and time

5. Weather vs. Climate
Climate – average weather conditions that occur in a region over a long period of time (min. 30 years)
Ex. Climate of Alberta:
average temp in summer = 14 °C – 20 °C
average annual precipitation = 442 mm

6. Telling the difference
Identify the following statements as examples of weather or of climate:
1) today is very hot
2) we usually get a lot of rain this time of year
PICTURES

7. The Biosphere
The biosphere –the sphere of life – was named by Eduard Suess in 1875 but not fully described as a concept until the work of Vladimir Vernadsky in the 1920s.

8. The Biosphere
Thin layer of Earth with conditions suitable for supporting life
Composed of all living things on Earth and physical environment supporting them
Biotic part – living component
Abiotic part – non-living component

9. The Biosphere Three interacting abiotic components:
Atmosphere – layer of gases surrounding the Earth
Lithosphere – solid portion of Earth (rocks, minerals and elements)
Hydrosphere – all water on Earth (liquid, vapor, and ice) (97% salt water)

10. Can you think of areas in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere that are NOT part of the biosphere?

12. The Biosphere
Environmental conditions arise from interactions of these components with the Sun and interactions between the components
Creates climate

13. The Atmosphere Rises over 500 km from surface of Earth
Mixture of gases
Most abundant gas is? Second most abundant?
How are these gases used by living things?
Also contains atmospheric dust
Very small
Include soot, pollen, micro-organisms

14. Atmosphere

15. Modelling Atmospheres
Work on Activity D2
Will need graph paper
More info about planet atmospheres at: bership/html/k- 6/uc/solar_system/5/ucss5 _3a.html

16. % Composition of Venus

17. % Composition of 3 Atmospheres

18. The Atmosphere
Broken up into 4 layers (determined by average air temperature)
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
Found at different altitudes
Distance above Earth’s surface from sea level

20. Check out the Interactive Atmosphere:
ray.org/Labs/OurAtmosphere/atmosphere_main.html

21. Troposphere 0 – 10 km from Earth’s surface
Average temp. = 15 °C (at surface)  - 60 °C (decreases)
80% of atmospheric gases by mass
Layer which supports life
Most CO2, water vapor and atmospheric dust
Layer where most weather occurs
re=related (Bill Nye)

22. Stratosphere Above troposphere 10 km – 50 km above surface
Temperature increases away from surface
- 60 °C  0 °C
Contains most ozone (O3(g)) making the ozone layer
Ozone captures energy from Sun, increasing temp. with altitude

23. Mesosphere Third layer Temperature range: 0 °C  - 100 °C
Very little gas

24. Thermosphere Farthest layer
Temperature range: -100 °C  1500 °C (increases)
Very little gas

25. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CerJbZ- dm0&feature=related

26. Lithosphere
Solid portion of Earth floating above semi-fluid upper mantle
Extends from Earth’s surface to 100 km below
Runs under continents and oceans
Warmed mainly by the Sun and a little bit by molten mantle
Differences in the lithosphere (i.e. amount of albedo) can affect amount of atmospheric water vapour, as well as our environmental conditions
Portion life exists on is the crust

27. Lithosphere

28. Lithosphere
The crust is the part of the lithosphere that life exists on, and is eggshell thin

29. Hydrosphere Water! 97% is salt water in oceans
3% fresh water  can be in lakes, streams or frozen (most fresh water is snow and glaciers, or ground water)
Amount of water stays the same
Warmed mainly by Sun

30. Interactions
How do the atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere interact?
In pairs, brainstorm some ways they interact. We will be making a class list of the interactions you came up with

31. Altitude and Temperature
Altitude- distance above the Earth’s surface
In troposphere, tend to decrease temperature with altitude
This trend can be reversed
Inversion- reversal of normal temperature in the troposphere
May trap unusually cold air close to the ground
Happens more often near mountains
Can trap pollutants