Atmosphere constructed of:Constant GasesVariable GasesGEO 155 1st Edition Lecture 2Composition & Vertical Structure of the AtmosphereAtmosphere constructed of: Gases Liquids & Solidso “Particulates”: dust, water droplets, smoke, salt, etc.Constant Gases99.83% of the atmosphere consists of: Nitrogen – 78.1% Oxygen (O2) – 20.8% Argon – 0.93%“Trace Gases” – few parts per million (ppm) include: Helium HydrogenVariable Gases Water Vapor – 3 ppm (4%) Carbon Dioxide – in 1750, 280 ppm; in December 2014, 398.78 ppm Methane – in 1750, 0.7-0.9 ppm; in 2012, 1.8 ppm Ozone (O3) – 0.1-10 ppm Vertical Compression ChangesTorricelliDiscovered that the weight of the atmosphere was only heavy enough to push water up through a pump’s hose up to 10 meters into the groundLed to the discovery of the barometer – more atmospheric pressure =water rises higherUsed mercury because it was denser, so it rose to 29.9 inchesMeasured in millibars (mb) [1 mb = 100 N/m^2]At the surface – 1013 mbThese 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.Note: Atmosphere puts pressure on itself. Thus, it goes through half of the remaining atmosphere every 5.5 km. As the altitude decreases, pressure increases.Vertical Temperature ChangesAltitudes increase from the Troposphere to the Thermosphere layer of the atmosphere from 0 km to over 100 km1. Troposphere – first layer, closest to the earth, temperatures increase from the peak down to 0 km2. Stratosphere – second layer, separated by the tropopause, “ozone layer”, temperatures decrease from its peak to its lowest point3. Mesosphere – third layer, temperatures increase from its peak to its lowest point4. Thermosphere last layer, temperatures continue to rises exponentially from its lowest pointOzone absorbs UV radiationSolar Radiation: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, Ultra
View Full Document
Unlocking...