Tropo

1
Tropo
Strato
Meso
Thermo
Iono
Exo
2

• Troposphere   
• lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere.
• air is very well mixed
• temperature decreases with altitude.
• Air is heated from the ground up.
• surface of the Earth absorbs energy
• heats up faster than the air does.
• heat is spread through the troposphere because
  the air is slightly unstable.
• Weather occurs in the Earth's troposphere

3
Stratosphere

• the temperature increases with altitude.
• ozone causes the increasing temperature in the
  stratosphere.
• Ozone is concentrated around an altitude of 25
  kilometers.
• ozone molecules absorb dangerous kinds of
  sunlight,
• located above the top of the the troposphere.

4
The Mesosphere

• the air is relatively mixed together
• temperature decreases with altitude.
• coldest temperature of around -90C in the
  mesosphere.
• meteors burn up while entering the Earth's
  atmosphere.
• mesosphere is on top of the stratosphere.
• The upper parts of the atmosphere can sometimes
  be seen by looking at the very edge of a planet
  (see picture above).

5
Thermosphere
The space shuttle orbits in the thermosphere of
the Earth.

• fourth layer of the Earth's atmosphere and is
  located above the mesosphere.
• air is really thin in the thermosphere.
• the thermosphere can heat up to 1,500C or
  higher!
• also includes the region of the atmosphere called
  the ionosphere.
• ionosphere is a region of the atmosphere that is
  filled with charged particles.
• ionosphere and thermosphere can overlap.

6
Ionosphere

• an extension of the thermosphere.
• technically, the ionosphere is not another
  atmospheric layer.
• represents less than 0.1 of the total mass of
  the Earth's atmosphere.
• Even though it is such a small part, it is
  extremely important!
• long distance radio communications possible by
  reflecting the radio waves back to Earth.
• home to auroras.

7

• the clouds are likely in the troposphere and
  stratosphere
• the limb of the Earth (the dark blue curve/edge
  which is the mesosphere
• and thermosphere),
• and the dark blue to black region of space
• (where our exosphere extends out to...).

Very high up, the Earth's atmosphere becomes
very thin. The region where atoms and molecules
escape into space is referred to as the
exosphere. The exosphere is on top of the
thermosphere..
8
(No Transcript)
9
(No Transcript)
10

• Earth's greenhouse effect sustains life
• created by the natural blanket of gases that
  traps heat in our atmosphere, contributing to
  global warming.
• Without it, the Earth would be a frigid place
  with very little life, at least nothing like the
  life it supports now.
• Though many people think of global warming as
  bad, without it, we wouldn't even be here.

We reside in the troposphere, the level closest
to the ground. The average temperature near the
surface is about 59 degrees F.
11
2. Inner Zones
a. Radiative zone
Travels by radiation
Temperature
12
b. Convective Zone
Moves by convection
Energy transferred to surface
Temperature
13
(No Transcript)
14
Scattered light brings blue skiesOn a bright,
sunny day, you may wonder why the sky appears
blue rather than other colors. The secret is the
size of air molecules. They are the perfect size
for scattering blue light out of the incoming
sunlight. The sun appears yellow because the
other colors of the incoming sunlight usually
pass through the air uninhibited. If you were to
look at the sun in outer space, it would appear
white. Other particles in the atmosphere such as
dust and cloud droplets can team up to create
beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
15
Sundogs
http//ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/opt/i
ce/sd.rxml
Weather Folklore http//members.aol.com/Accustive
r/wxworld_folk.html http//www.shoal.net.au/seabr
eeze/weather.html
16
Wind                                            
                                                 

17
Wind is the result of air movement over the
Earth. Air moves as a result of pressure systems
(those Hs and Ls on the weather news maps)
from areas of high pressure to areas of low
pressure. There are two reasons that the
atmospheric pressures vary around the Earth
1)The Earth rotates. As it rotates, it
drags the atmosphere around with it causing the
air to mix with the higher level atmosphere
resulting in turbulence and pressure systems.
2) The sun heats. The heating of air
around the Earth varies by latitude and time of
day. At the equator, for instance, large amounts
of sun warm the air causing it to rise.
Conversely, the more acute angles of sunlight
over the polar regions spread the rays over a
greater area resulting in less warming of the
air. The resulting effect is that the air over
the poles is more dense than the air over the
equator.
18
The earth is spinning, while we watch the
spectacle from a camera fixed in outer space. The
cone is moving straight towards the south.
 Below, we show the same image with the camera
locked on to the globe.






19
We have fixed the camera, so that it rotates with
the earth.  Watch closely, and you will notice
that the red cone is veering in a curve towards
the right as it moves. The reason why it is not
following the direction in which the cone is
pointing is, of course, that we as observers are
rotating along with the globe.  Below, we show
the same image, with the camera fixed in outer
space, while the earth rotates.

http//www.windpower.dk/tour/wres/globwin.htm
20
     Considering all the factors that affect wind
(Pressure-gradient force, Coriolis Effect, and
friction), a wind system between the different
latitudes develops. These winds are extremely
consistent.      The wind system of the Earth
is based on the pressure differences in latitude.
High pressure systems exist at latitudes of 90
degrees north and south latitude and 30 degrees
north and south latitude. Low pressure systems
exist at latitudes of 60 degrees north and south
latitude and at the Equator. Since winds move
from areas of high pressure to areas of low
pressure the wind moves in a constant pattern.
21

• Polar Easterlies From 60-90 degrees latitude.
• Prevailing Westerlies From 30-60 degrees
  latitude (aka Westerlies).
• Tropical Easterlies From 0-30 degrees latitude
  (aka Trade Winds).

22

• Types of Global Winds
• Doldrums- An area of calm found at the equator.
  Also called the Intertropical Convergence Zone
  (ITCZ)
• Tropical Easterlies - When warm air from the
  equator rises, it cools, and flows back toward
  the equator. It appears to flow to the west
  because of the Coriolis Effect.
• Prevailing Westerlies - When air moves toward the
  poles, it flows from west to east.
• Polar Easterlies - Air over the poles cools and
  sinks back down, it eventually returns to the
  equator.

23
Sailors noticed the stillness of the rising (and
not blowing) air near the equator and gave the
region the depressing name "doldrums." The
doldrums, usually located between 5 north and 5
south of the equator, are also known as the
Intertropical Convergence Zone or ITCZ for short
24


The easterly trade winds of both hemispheres
converge at an area near the equator called the
"Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)",
producing a narrow band of clouds and
thunderstorms that encircle portions of the
globe.
25
(No Transcript)
26
Downslope flow brings sun, warmth
As the air parcel is forced to rise up and over
the Rocky Mountains, it cools. This process is
known as adiabatic cooling
27
Moisture is wrung out of the parcel and
precipitation usually falls over the western
slopes of the Rockies.
The air parcel warms up as it flows down the
eastern slopes of the mountains. This is known as
adiabatic warming.
The parcel is also very dry, as very little
moisture is added to the air during its journey
over the mountains
28
As a result, many local forecasters refer to down
slope winds off the Rockies as "Chinook" winds,
which literally means snow eater.
29
Rising air forms clouds, precipitationWinds that
encounter mountains are forced upward to ascend
the mountains. The air expands and cools as it
rises, forming clouds. As the air continues to
rise, raindrops form and fall from the clouds.
This process, known as upsloping or orographic
lifting, causes mountainous locations to get
heavier precipitation than lower elevations. If
upsloping occurs in a cold airmass, the
precipitation will fall as snow.
30
'Upslope' winds mean fog, rain, snow
31
Humid air from the east blows across the high
Plains and up the slopes of the eastern side of
the Rockies
Upslope winds sometimes bring widespread fog to
the Plains and rain and snow to the hills and
mountains on the western Plains and in the
eastern Rockies.
32
In the mountain ranges the sun heats up the top
of the slopes faster then the bottom of the
valley. When air parcels become warmer than the
air around them, they begin to glide up the side
of the mountain . As the parcels rise the cool
air from the valley is able to come up and
generates a valley breeze. These valley breezes,
or other known as up-slope wind, begin about
15-45 minutes after sunrise. They tend to only
reach speeds of approximately 4-8 mph when the
sun is the highest (Dabberdt 163).
33
When valley breezes occur there are cumulus
clouds that form along with it. They take rest
over adjacent mountain peaks. These clouds often
cause the "late afternoon thundershowers on warm
summer days" (Lutgens 165).
34
As soon as the sun sets a mountain breeze forms.
The mountain, like the land at night, loses heat
at an incredible rate the cool air than flows
into the valley. The mountain wind, however, can
be a problem. As the cool air glides down slope,
radiation fog begins to develop. Also, the lowest
part of the valley, where the coldest air pockets
are, has a chance of getting frost which could
ruin crops.
35
Sea breezes help cool places near oceans
Sea breezes form because water heats up much
slower than land. Cool air over the ocean is
heavier and more dense than the warm air over
land. The cool air nudges its way inland and can
create a strong wind at the surface. The bigger
the temperature contrast between the air
temperature inland and the water temperature, the
better chance of a sea breeze developing and the
stronger it will be.
36



Sea Breeze
37
Land breezes are basically the same thing as sea
breezes, however, land breezes go from the land
out to sea. When the water is warm, the air
parcels rise, making room for the cooler air from
the land to come in. This usually occurs on the
evening when the sun is no longer able to heat
the ground.
38
During major cold outbreaks over the USA, the jet
stream often dives south, sometimes moving well
over the Gulf of Mexico. During unusually mild
winter weather and during the summer, the jet
stream retreats northward into Canada.
39
(No Transcript)
40
Jet stream roars along high above earth The jet
stream is a river of fast flowing air at high
altitudes above the earth that generally flows
from west to east over the mid-latitudes. To be
called a "jet stream" the winds should be faster
than 57 mph, but the term is often wrongly used
for all upper-level winds. Usually, the jet
stream separates cold polar air to its north from
warmer air to its south.
41
Alberta Clippers reinforce cold air During major
cold outbreaks over the USA in the middle of
winter, weather forecasters often refer to
Alberta clippers. An Alberta clipper is an area
of low pressure that generally forms over
Alberta, east of the Rocky Mountains. They
develop east of the Rockies because air flowing
eastward over the mountains creates favorable
conditions.
42
Beaufort Scale for winds
http//www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/webpage/beaufort/
43
Other Winds Blue norther An Arctic
cold front moving into Texas Knik A
fast wind from the southwest to Palmer, Alaska
Kona A southwesterly wind that interrupts the
Hawaiian northeast trade winds Mauka Another
Hawaiian cool, light wind descending from the
mountains. Northeaster (also known as a
Noreaster) A strong wind associated with major
storms and winter weather along on the
mid-Atlantic and New England areas . Gale
warning Issued by the National Weather Service
for winds that could reach between 32 and 54
miles per hour Small Craft Warning Issued by
the National Weather Service for winds up to 32
miles per hour that could threaten marine crafts
Storm/Hurricane Warnings Issued by the
National Weather Service for winds between 54 and
74 miles per hour