The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars
- Slides: 18
The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars Phobos Jupiter Europa Saturn Titan Uranus Oberon Neptune Pluto Order…
Atmospheric Processes The structure of the atmosphere
The structure of the atmosphere • 8 th June 1898 – French scientist Léon Teisserenc de Bort used balloons carrying thermometers to record temperature variations within the atmosphere • Temperature decreased with height to 11. 8 km above sea level (ASL), then remained constant to 13 km ASL • 206 further balloon ascents over next 4 years showed that temperature begins to increase above 13 km ASL • Teisserenc De Bort had discovered the stratosphere
Atmosphere can be divided into four layers: Thermosphere Mesosphere Stratosphere Troposphere Layers reflect differences in ability to absorb solar radiation
Atmospheric pressure • Rapid fall in air density and pressure with increasing height above Earth’s surface • 50% of atmospheric mass lies within lowest 5. 6 km • >99% of atmospheric mass lies within lowest 40 km • Atmospheric pressure units = millibars (mb or mbar) • Normal pressure at sea-level = 1013. 2 mb
Troposphere • Derived from the Greek word ‘tropos’ meaning ‘turn’ – referring to the layer’s convective and mixing characteristics • Lowest layer of atmosphere – contains 75% of atmospheric mass Pressure decreases with altitude • • Approximately uniform decrease in temperature with height of c. 6. 5°C per 1000 m – environmental lapse rate • Contains virtually all the atmosphere’s water vapour, clouds and pollution • Contains the weather
Tropopause Troposphere
Tropopause • Temperature inversion that acts as a ‘ceiling’ to air rising within the troposphere • Latitudinal variations in height of tropopause ASL: – Equator = 16 -18 km (11 miles) – Poles = 8 -9 km (5 miles) • Distortions in tropopause occur above mid-latitude jetstreams & tropical cyclones – Dust and water vapour may penetrate up into stratosphere – Dry ozone-rich air drawn down from stratosphere into troposphere
Stratosphere • Derived from the Greek word ‘stratum’ meaning ‘layer’ – referring to the layer’s stratified, non-convective nature • Located above troposphere – between c. 10 and 50 km (30 miles) ASL • Temperature increases with height from c. – 60 OC (lower stratosphere) to c. 0°C at c. 50 km ASL (stratopause) • Contains small amounts of ozone (Ozone Layer) – absorbs ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation, causing warming of stratosphere • Extremely dry layer with no weather (stable conditions due to cold air below) • Most meteorites entering the atmosphere burn out above the stratosphere
Ozone Layer • Discovered by Charles Fabry and Henri Buisson, 1913 • From the Greek – “to smell” • Absorbs 93 -99% of the sun’s UV light which could be damaging to life on Earth • Approximately 11 -50 km in altitude • Approximately 90% of Ozone in our atmosphere is found here • Created by the Ozoneoxygen cycle
Nacreous clouds • Also known as ‘mother of pearl’ or polar stratospheric clouds • Form at c. 15 -25 km (9 -16 miles) ASL during polar winter when lower stratosphere temperatures fall to c. – 80 OC • Consist of droplets / ice crystals of water, nitric acid and / or sulphuric acid • Only visible before dawn / after dusk as clouds receive sunlight from below horizon and reflect it to ground surface Nacreous clouds
Mesosphere • Derived from the Greek word ‘meso’ meaning ‘middle’ • Located above stratosphere – between c. 50 and 85 km (50 miles) ASL • Temperature again decreases with height from c. 0 OC (at stratopause) to c. – 90 OC at c. 80 km ASL (mesopause) (lowest value within layers) There are no gases, particles or water vapour to absorb UV radiation • Thermosphere • Derived from the Greek words ‘thermos’ meaning ‘heat’ • Located above mesosphere – between c. 85 and 500 km ASL • Temperature increases with height to c. 1200 OC at 350 km ASL – due to oxygen molecules absorbing ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation
Ionosphere - upper mesosphere and thermosphere (above 80 km) • Contains many ions (electrically charged particles) • Absorbs UV radiation • Can reflect radio signals • Give rise to the northern and southern lights There is no clearly defined boundary which marks the end of the atmosphere – gases are continuously lost into space (Exosphere) which is mainly made up of Helium and Hydrogen
Noctilucent clouds • Polar mesospheric clouds • Form at c. 85 km (50 miles) ASL – highest clouds in atmosphere • Formation not fully understood – mainly composed of water ice • Most commonly observed between 50 O and 60 O north during summer months • Only visible before dawn / after dusk when lower atmosphere is in Earth’s shadow – otherwise too faint to be seen • First reported in 1885 – shortly after eruption of Krakatoa
Aurora borealis
Fly through - NASA • http: //svs. gsfc. nasa. gov/vis/a 010000/a 01000 0/a 010014/ What can I expect in the exam?
- Pluto planta
- Mercury venus
- Mercury planet
- The sun-earth-moon system worksheet answers lesson 1
- Whats a natural satellite
- How do the sun moon and earth interact
- Earth moon
- Andreu cardo martinez
- Earth sun relationship
- How does the sun moon and earth work together
- How do the sun and moon work together
- Diagram of earth moon and sun
- Mercury mean distance from the sun
- How far is mercury from the sun
- Distance from the sun saturn
- Moon sister moon calendar
- Home.hiwaay.net/ krcool/astro/moon/moon tides/
- Which moon phase occurs directly before a new moon
- Moons pattern