The Atmosphere

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The Atmosphere
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Outline

• What is it?
• What is it made of?
• Why do we need it?
• What are the different layers of it like?

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IntroductionAssess prior knowledge

• Make some predictions about the atmosphere, then
  watch the following video.
• What is the air like 24 miles above Earths
  surface? Air is thinner
• What is the temperature like? cooler
• Where does outer space start? Above exosphere
• Will the jumper feel the wind rushing against
  him as he starts his jump? Feels wind as he
  enters troposphere

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vdYw4meRWGd4

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After the video- Discuss

• Why is he in a space suit?
• What are the air and the temperature like 24
  miles above Earths surface?
• Was he in outer space?
• When did his space suit start flapping in the
  wind?

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• Felix jumped 24 miles above sea level
• Wind started about 16 up miles- why?

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(No Transcript)
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What is the atmosphere?

• A blanket of gases that surround Earth and are
  held in place by gravitational forces.

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What is the atmosphere made of?

• The atmosphere is made of solids, liquids, and
  gases.
• Gases
• 78 Nitrogen (N)
• 21 Oxygen (O)
• 1 trace gases including- Argon (Ar), Carbon
  Dioxide (CO2), Neon (Ne), Helium (He), Hydrogen
  (H), and Ozone (O3)

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Do you think the atmosphere was the same 4.6
billion years ago?
Young Earth Volcanoes released gases H2O (water)
as steam, carbon dixoide (CO2), and ammonia
(NH3). Carbon dioxide dissolved in seawater.
Simple bacteria thrived on sunlight and CO2.
By-product is oxygen (O2).
Just formed Earth Like Earth, the hydrogen (H2)
and helium (He) were very warm. These molecules
of gas moved so fast they escaped Earth's gravity
and eventually all drifted off into space.
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As plants evolved, so did our atmosphere
Current Earth Plants and animals thrive in
balance. Plants take in carbon dioxide (CO2) and
give off oxygen (O2). Animals take in oxygen (O2)
and give off CO2. Burning stuff also gives off
CO2.
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Liquids in the atmosphere

• Water vapor
• 0- 4

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Solids in the atmosphere

• Dust
• Pollen

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Why do we need an atmosphere?

• What would Earth be like without one?

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• 1. Contains air for respiration and photosynthesis

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• 2. Controls Earths temperature

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• But too much atmosphere can be bad!
• It makes Venus the hottest planet in the Solar
  System (Average temp 800 degrees F)

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• 3. Protects us from
• Harmful sun rays UV (ultraviolet)
• Meteors, asteroids, etc.

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What are the different layers of the atmosphere?
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Layers

• 5 layers starting at Earths surface and going
  up
• Troposphere (lowest)
• Stratosphere
• Mesosphere
• Thermosphere
• Exosphere (highest)

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Make up an acronym to remember the layers

• TSMTE
• Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere,
  Thermosphere, Exosphere
• The Starving Monkey Tries Eggs

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• Troposphere
• Surface to 6 miles
• Where airplanes usually fly
• Most atmospheric gases found here

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• Stratosphere
• 6 miles to 30 miles above
• Weather balloons here
• Ozone layer here

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Ozone Layer

• Made of oxygen (O3)
• It absorbs most of the ultra violet radiation
  from the sun (UV rays)

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• The ozone protects us from skin cancer
• The ozone layer has been damaged by CFCs
  (chlorofluorocarbons)

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• Mesosphere
• Middle layer from 30 to 50 miles above
• Where meteors burn up
• Coldest part of the atmosphere

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vY66OHiB_p4I 2013
Russian meteorite video
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• Thermosphere
• 50 to 400 miles above surface
• X-ray and UV energy is absorbed here, causing
  high temperatures
• Space shuttle flew here
• International Space station orbits in this layer
• Northern lights happen here

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Charged particles from the sun interact with
Earths magnetic field in the thermosphere
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• Exosphere
• 400 to 600 miles above surface
• Very few air molecules
• Boundary with outer space

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Atmospheric Pressure

• As you increase in altitude, air pressure
  decreases.

Water bottles are crushed as a plane descends due
to increasing air pressure
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Why is Denver considered a hitters park more
than other baseball stadiums?
Fly balls typically travel about 5 farther at
Coors than at Fenway, all other things equal.
Therefore a 380 ft drive at Fenway will travel
nearly 400 ft at Coors Field. Lower air density
than other fields.
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Atmospheric Temperatures

• Some layers easily absorb the Suns energy, while
  others do not.
• Temperatures vary in each layer.

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Review
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Name the Layers

• Name the correct order of the layers of the
  atmosphere starting from Earth.
• Troposphere
• Stratosphere
• Mesosphere
• Thermosphere
• Exosphere

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• Why do we need our atmosphere?

• Provides air for respiration and photosynthesis
• Controls our temperature
• Protects us from harmful sun rays and meteors

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• Why is it harder to breathe when you climb tall
  mountains?
• Less air pressure, so there are fewer oxygen
  molecules

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• What happens if our ozone layer disappears?
• More harmful rays can reach earths surface and
  increase skin cancer rates

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Intro to Lab

• http//www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/science
  /virtual_labs/ES14/ES14.html

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What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere?
Nitrogen (78) then Oxygen (21)