Weather and Breathing

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Weather and Breathing

• Edward J. Hopkins
• Dept. of Atmospheric Oceanic Sciences
• Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison
• Badger Breathers 14 Nov 2000

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Surface Weather Map from Today
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Background

• The Atmosphere
• Pressure Changes
• Temperature Changes
• Humidity
• Other Constituents

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Earth-Rise (Apollo Mission)
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Background The Atmosphere

• What It Is
• An envelope surrounding the earth.
• Approximately 60 miles deep.
• Contains gases, clouds (droplets ice crystals)
  and other particles (aerosols).

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Air Pressure

• What it is

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Air Pressure

• How we measure
• With a barometer
• To getInches of mercury

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Air Pressure

• Why a problem
• Partial pressure exerted by Oxygen affects
  availability of oxygen for our lungs -- and how
  we breathe.
• Reduced pressure and availability of oxygen
  occurs in mountains or on airplanes.

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Percentage of Available Oxygen as compared with
Sea Level
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Temperature

• What we measure
• How we measure

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Maximum-Minimum Thermometers
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Current Temperatures (oF) Isotherms
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Temperature

• Why A problem?
• Temperature Changes
• Wind-Chill

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Wind-Chill Equivalent Temperature
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Current Wind-Chill Equivalent Temperatures (oF)
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Temperature

• Why a problem
• May also have a problem when related to
  humidity...

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Humidity

• What it is
• An amount of water vapor in the air.
• How we describe and measure
• Many ways
• Relative humidity, dewpoint, wet-bulb
  temperature, apparent temperature.

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Sling Psychrometer
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Humidity

• Problem with humidity
• Could be problem with evaporation too humid
  means little evaporation and lungs remain wet.
• Note contradiction in popular notion

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Apparent Temperature - Heat Index
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Other Problem Atmospheric Constituents

• Air Pollutants
• Especially Ozone
• Pollens
• Grass, Weed and Trees
• Molds

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Tomorrows 6 AM Forecast