Earth's Atmosphere Part 1 & 2

Volcanic Outgassing

As the Earth cooled, less dense materials seeped out onto the Earth’s surface

What did Volcanic Outgassing form?

An atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide and nitrogen

First Life forms on Earth

Nitrogen fixing bacteria that don’t need oxygen to live

Cyanobacteria

Photosynthesizing life-forms evolve

What did Cyanobacteria take in?

Carbon dioxide and released oxygen

What drastically changed the composition of the atmosphere?

Cyanobacteria taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen

Evidence of oxygen in the ocean

Bonded Iron Formations and Red Beds

Layers of the atmosphere

Trophosphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere

Temperature in the Trophosphere

Goes down as you go higher

Temperature in the Stratosphere

Goes up as you go higher

Temperature in the Mesosphere

Goes down as you go higher

Temperature in the Thermosphere

Goes up as you go higher

Air pressure

The weight of air over an area

Low pressure

Rising air and clouds

High pressure

Sinking air and clear skies

How does air move?

From areas of high pressure to low pressure

Temperature

Measurement of the average kinetic energy of each particle in an object

Thermal Energy

The total amount of energy of all particles that make up an object

Nuclear Fusion

A process that generates energy in the sun

What form is the energy that radiates from the sun to the earth?

Electromagnetic radiation

What does radiation travel as?

Waves

Shorter wavelengths have

More energy and higher frequency

Longer wavelengths have

Less energy and lower frequency

EMR

Energy that travels in the forms of waves through empty space

What speed does EMR travel through empty space?

Speed of light

Higher energy forms of EM Radiation have

Shorter wavelengths

Lower energy forms of EM Radiation have

Longer wavelengths

380-720 nanometers

Visible to the human eye

What does the wavelength of the energy determine?

Which color humans will see

What happens if light is a combination of multiple wavelengths?

Humans will see white light

How does EM Radiation get produced?

An electron must first absorb energy and the absorbed energy causes one or more electrons to jump from a lower shell to a higher shell.

What happens when an electron moves from a higher shell back to a lower shell?

A photon (light particle) is produced that acts as both a particle and a wave (EM radiation). 

The energy the Sun radiates is mostly what?

Visible green light

What energy does the Earth radiate?

Infrared light

What do Greenhouse gas molecules absorb?

Radiation coming from Earth which increases temperature for a time and then reradiate the infrared energy back to Earth.