ATMS 120 1st Edition Lecture 1 Outline of Last Lecture I Syllabus Review Outline of Current Lecture I Overview of the atmosphere II Composition of the atmosphere and keeping the Earth warm III Temperature IV The relationship between temperature and density Current Lecture I II The top of the atmosphere TOA is about 75 miles above us One of the most important things to remember is that air pressure decreases rapidly with height The primary gases in Earth s atmosphere Water vapor Nitrogen Methane Ozone Carbon Dioxide Oxygen Argon Earth s atmosphere is primarily composed of 78 nitrogen 21 oxygen and 1 the other gases mentioned above All gases are almost completely transparent to the sun s peak energy output visible light Nitrogen and oxygen are also transparent to the earth s peak energy output thermal infrared energy However greenhouse gases are not transparent to the earth s peak energy output They efficiently absorb this energy and warm the atmosphere Our planet retains some heat because of gases like ozone carbon dioxide methane and water vapor The average global surface air temperature without greenhouse gases GHG would be 0 degrees Fahrenheit The average global surface air temperature with greenhouse gases GHG is 59 degrees Fahrenheit These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute III IV Temperature a measure of the average speed of all the molecules in a substance solid liquid or gas The United States uses the Fahrenheit scale to measure temperature Most other countries use the Celsius scale to measure temperature The Kelvin temperature is used for scientific data 40 degrees is the only temperature when the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales match up The higher the air temperature the faster the air molecules move The faster the molecules move the more space they will need to move around Warming the air causes expansion Cooling the air causes contraction This is why warm air is less dense than cold air
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