Weather Patterns and Climate Phenomena

• Cryogenics involves the production and behavior of materials at very low temperatures.
• Nitrogen and oxygen gases will condense into liquid form at cryogenic temperatures.
  • Nitrogen gas condenses at approximately -183°C.
  • Oxygen gas condenses at approximately -196°C.

Composition of Air

• Oxygen gas comprises about 19% of the atmosphere.
• Nitrogen gas makes up about 80% of the atmosphere.
• Carbon dioxide is present in trace amounts and serves as a greenhouse gas, a product of combustion, required by the plants for photosynthesis.
• Water vapor is found in trace amounts and is responsible for precipitation.
• Ozone absorbs UV radiation and can be destroyed by chemical pollutants such as CFCs.
• Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas.

Kelvin Scale

• The Kelvin scale is an absolute temperature scale, where 0 K is absolute zero.
• A temperature in Kelvin is 273.15 more than its equivalent in Celsius.

Gas Pressure

• Gas pressure arises from the continuous collisions of gas molecules with the walls of their container.
• Fast-moving gas molecules exert force upon colliding with container walls.
• The collective force from these collisions results in measurable pressure.

Can Crush Demonstration

• When boiled, the steam displaces the air in the container above the water.
• Submerging the can in cold water causes the can to collapse as the air pressure outside the can becomes significantly stronger than the air pressure inside the can.

Pressure and Temperature

• Temperature in Kelvin increases, pressure increases proportionally, assuming volume is constant.

Pressure and Volume

• Volume decreases, pressure increases, and vice versa
• Decreasing volume leads to increased collision frequency due to less space for gas molecules to move.
• Doubling the volume cuts the pressure in half.

Celsius Scale

• While increasing temperature increases pressure, it's not strictly proportional because the scale shifts.

Sea Breeze

• During the day, land heats up more quickly than the ocean.
• Warm air over the land rises, creating a low-pressure area.
• Cooler, denser air from the ocean moves in to replace the rising warm air, creating a breeze from the sea to the land.

Wind

• Wind is created as warm air above land expands and rises, which causes heavier, cooler air to rush in and take its place.

Typhoons

• Typhoons are caused by air rushing in towards a low-pressure area.

UV Radiations

• UV-B and UV-C are the most dangerous
• Ozone in the atmosphere acts as the main defense against harmful UV radiation.
• CFCs are gases that can destroy the ozone layer and were used in air conditioners.
• Visible radiation represents the light spectrum and is absorbed or heats up non-transparent surfaces it hits
• Infrared radiation can be felt as heat
• The greenhouse effect is when infrared radiation warms the atmosphere around the earth.

Humidity

• Absolute humidity is the water vapor in the air measured in in grams of water per kg of air
• Relative humidity is the,
  • (Absolute Humidity in the air / Max absolute humidity) x 100

Precipitation

• Most precipiation occurs on the mountain
• Least precipitation occurs on the leeward side which creates rain shadow because the air has already lost most of its moisture

Altitude

• Physical landforms like hills or mountains can force air to rise.
• Denser cold air can push warmer, more humid air upwards, causing it to rise.

Sahara Desert

• The air above the cold current Sahara desert cant carry much water, so there is no precipitation
• An area can have low precipitation as a result of being in a "rain shadow"

Australia

• The East Coast of Australia is influenced by the warm East Australian Current, which brings warm, moist air from the ocean leading to rain
• The West Coast is affected by the cold West Australian Current, which brings cool, dry air, reducing evaporation and leading to low rainfall.

Explore weather concepts like humidity, precipitation, and temperature influences. Understand cold fronts, mountain range effects, and desert aridity. Learn about heat distribution via wind and ocean currents and air lifting mechanisms.