Atmospheric Energy and Global Temperatures

What are Earth’s four spheres?

1. Atmosphere

2. Hydrosphere

3. Lithosphere

4. Biosphere

How did the continents form?

From solidified magma that floated up from the mantle

How was the ocean and atmosphere believed to have been created?

Fluid and gaseous outer layers believed to have been created by out-gassing of gases and fluids from volcanic eruptions (in a process called volatile transfer)

Right after its creation, Earth’s thin atmosphere consisted primarily of…

Hydrogen and Helium gases

For the next several hundred million years, what process began to create a thicker atmosphere composed of a wide variety of gases?

Volcanic out-gassing

Where did the current Oxygen we breathe in the Earth’s atmosphere come from?

Cyanobacteria

Provide a history of the atmosphere’s composition.

4.6 billion years: Hydrogen, Helium
3.5 billion years: Water vapor, Carbon dioxide, Nitrogen
1.7 billion years: Nitrogen
Modern atmosphere: Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), others (1%)

Atmospheric gases are what four’s?

1. Odorless

2. Colorless

3. Tasteless

4. Formless

What is beyond the thermopause?

Exosphere

What is the formula for density?

Mass / volume

What is the value of air density?

1.2 kg/m³

What is the value of liquid water density?

1000 kg/m³

What is the heterosphere?

• 80 km - 480 km

• Distinct layers due to gravity

• Hydrogen, Helium at the top

• Nitrogen, Oxygen at the bottom

What is the homosphere?

• 0 - 80 km

• Uniformly mixed except for Ozone

• Ozone layer (19 km - 50 km)

What layers are determined by changing temperature?

• Troposphere

• Stratosphere

• Mesosphere

• Thermosphere

What are the different pathways that energy has?

• Transmission

• Scattering

• Refraction

• Albedo and Reflection

What is reflection?

Occurs when incoming radiation is redirected by a non-transparent surface

What is reflectance (or reflection factor)?

The ratio of total reflected radiation divided by the total incoming radiation

What is albedo?

The ratio of reflected solar radiation to the incident solar radiation

What surface is most likely to reflect solar energy?

Smooth, light-colored surfaces

What is scattering?

Changing direction of light’s movement without altering its wavelengths

What is the Rayleigh Scattering Rule?

The shorter the wavelength, the greater the scattering;
The longer the wavelength, the less the scattering

Describe how Rayleigh scattering applies to the blue sky.

[You got it!]

What is refraction?

Change in speed and direction of light as light passes from one medium to another

What are the different types of heat transfers?

1. Conduction

2. Convection

3. Advection

4. Radiation

What is conduction?

Molecule-to-molecule transfer

What is convection?

Energy transferred by movement

What is advection?

Horizontally dominant movement

What is radiation?

Energy traveling through air on space

How does the greenhouse effect work?

• Atmosphere absorbs heat energy

• A real greenhouse traps heat inside

• Atmosphere delays transfer of heat from Earth into space

What is the urban heat island effect?

Describes the phenomenon where urban areas are significantly warmer than their surrounding rural areas