Module 09: Atmosphere
Circulation modules:
- Module 9: Heating of the earth
- Module 10: Air circulation
- Module 11: Ocean circulation
Module 9 heating of the earth
- Tropo (top) sphere-heated by contact with earth, where most weather occurs
- Strato (high) sphere-cooler, where commercial aircraft travel, more radiation there
- Meso (middle) sphere-higher, but does not contain charged particles
- Thermo (hot) sphere-also known as the ionosphere, charged particles from interaction with the solar wind (charged protons and others), "hot" because of these particles slowing down, but so little atmosphere it would freeze you if you were there. Three layers: D, E and F, with F being the highest, all three reflect radio waves, but only the lower ones conduct/reflect in sunlight
- Exo (outer) sphere-where space begins, freezing cold about one hydrogen molecule per square meter
- Ozone: between the troposphere and stratosphere, this absorbs UV radiation
- Magnetosphere: way out there, deflects solar wind, particles then spiral into the north and south poles creating the auroras.
- If no magnetosphere, we'd cook like in a microwave oven (Film: The Core), a serious issue for Mars exploration
- if no ozone layer, all plants would die, DNA would be mutated, life would cease except for deep thermal vents (possible origin of terrestrial life)
- HOT AIR RISES, COOLER AIR MOVES IN TO TAKE ITS PLACE-THIS IS THE BASIS FOR WEATHER
Globe Demo
- Seasons, tilt vs. perihelion (AUS)
- counterclockwise
- equinoxes, solstices
- hadley, ferrel polar cells
- deserts, rain forests
- tradewinds
- longitude vs latitude
- GMT-why?
Atmosphere slice: layers
Air currents: RH, AH
3 energy modes: radiation, convection, conduction
- 4 seasons (not just an expensive hotel),
- equinox means "equal night”,
- solstices are the extremes (why sacred?)
- Earth spins counter clockwise when viewed from north pole (think: sun rises in the east)
- Latitudes are like a ladder, go horizontally (east to west), some short (near the poles), some long (equator)
- Longitudes are all long, go vertically (north to south), all the same length
- Seasons are determined by earth tilt, not by distance to the sun
- Although, Australia (southern hemisphere) summer happens when we are closer to sun in our elliptical orbit, so more extreme summers (tilt + proximity)
- Albedo-think of Albus (white) Dumbledore, means reflectivity. Earth is about 30%, snow is 95%
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