The Earth and Climate - Chapter 1

Objectives Weather vs. Climate The Earth and  distinguish between weather and climate  Weather – conditions of Climate  describe the major characteristics of the atmos...

Objectives Weather vs. Climate The Earth and  distinguish between weather and climate  Weather – conditions of Climate  describe the major characteristics of the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the lithosphere as part of the temperature, air pressure, cloud cover, precipitation (rain or Chapter 1 biosphere Unit D snow), and humidity  will define inversions  Occur at a particular place and  explain how climate affects the lives and activity of time people and other species  distinguish between anecdotal and scientific evidence Weather vs. Climate Telling the difference The Biosphere  Climate – average weather conditions  Identify the following statements as examples of  The biosphere –the sphere of life – was named by weather or of climate: Eduard Suess in 1875 but not fully described as a that occur in a region over a long period concept until the work of Vladimir Vernadsky in the  1) today is very hot of time (min. 30 years) 1920s.  2) we usually get a lot of rain this time of year  Ex. Climate of Alberta:  average temp in summer = 14 °C – 20 °C  PICTURES  average annual precipitation = 442 mm http://www.agci.org/classroom/biosphere/i ndex.php The Biosphere The Biosphere  Thin layer of Earth with conditions  Three interacting abiotic components: suitable for supporting life  Atmosphere – layer of gases surrounding  Composed of all living things on Earth the Earth and physical environment supporting  Lithosphere – solid portion of Earth them (rocks, minerals and elements)  Hydrosphere – all water on Earth (liquid,  Biotic part – living component vapor, and ice) (97% salt water)  Abiotic part – non-living component Can you think of areas in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere that are NOT part of the biosphere?  The Biosphere Climate: Clues to the past  Environmental conditions arise from interactions of  Work on Activity D1 (handout) – p341 these components with the Sun and interactions between the components  Scientists use tree cores to give us clues about past environmental conditions  Creates climate Activity D1 (p341) The Atmosphere Atmosphere  Rises over 500 km from surface of Earth Sample Age (a = annum) Wet & Cool Dry & Hot 1 (record the (look at when rings are (look at when rings are  Mixture of gases number of rings) wide ex. 1973-1975) narrow ex. 1976-1979)  Most abundant gas is? Second most abundant? 2  How are these gases used by living things? 3  Also contains atmospheric dust 4  Very small  Include soot, pollen, micro-organisms Modelling Atmospheres % Composition of Venus % Composition of 3  Work on Activity D2 Percentage 120 Atmospheres  Will need graph paper 100  More info about planet atmospheres at: 80 http://msnucleus.org/member Carbon Dioxide Methane ship/html/k- Nitrogen Argon 6/uc/solar_system/5/ucss5_3 Oxygen 60 Oxygen a.html Argon Nitrogen 40  Can use spreadsheet software Methane Carbon Dioxde or go to Create-A-Graph: http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/c 20 reateagraph/ 0 Venus Earth Mars  The Atmosphere  Check out the Interactive Atmosphere: http://aspire.cosmic-ray.org/labs/ozone/atmosphere_real.html  Broken up into 4 layers (determined by average air temperature)  Troposphere  Stratosphere  Mesosphere  Thermosphere  Found at different altitudes Distance above Earth’s surface from sea level Troposphere Stratosphere Stratosphere  0 – 10 km from Earth’s surface  Above troposphere  Average temp. = 15 °C (at surface)  - 60 °C (decreases)  10 km – 50 km above surface  80% of atmospheric gases by mass  Temperature increases away from surface  Layer which supports life  - 60 °C  0 °C  Most CO2, water vapor and atmospheric dust  Contains most ozone (O3(g)) making  Layer where most weather occurs the ozone layer  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqo9UhLNn04&featu  Ozone absorbs UV energy from Sun, re=related (Bill Nye) increasing temp. with altitude More info … Mesosphere Thermosphere  Ozone's Effects on Health http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/nov2006/ozone_health.html  Third layer  Farthest layer  By Mike Magee. 02 Feb.2005  Temperature range: 0 °C  - 100 °C  Temperature range: -100 °C  1500 °C (increases)  Ozone is a very small part of our atmosphere, but its presence has significant effects - good and bad - on our health. To understand this concept, one first needs to understand ozone itself. Ozone was first discovered in a laboratory experiment in the mid-1800s. The word ozone comes from the Greek  Very little gas  Very little gas word ozein, meaning "to smell". Ozone is a pungent blue gas, detectable in small amounts. It is composed of three oxygen atoms linked together and is signified chemically as 03.1 Ozone is highly reactive with many chemicals. Its reactivity is part of what makes ozone both good and bad. This explanation must begin with a word or two about the earth's atmosphere, separated broadly into the troposphere and the stratosphere. The troposphere is the portion of our atmosphere closest to Earth. It extends from our surface upward approximately 10 kilometers (km). Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth, at 8.8 km high, nearly reaches to its limit. Almost all of Earth's weather occurs in the troposphere. Temperatures decline with altitude since warm air cools as it rises, dropping back to Earth.1,2 The stratosphere is Earth's upper atmosphere. It extends from 10 km above our surface to 50 km. The stratosphere's temperature rises with increased altitude. This is largely due to ozone's ability to absorb the sun's ultraviolet radiation. This effect leads to a horizontal separation of atmosphere with warm above and cool below, and far less vertical mixing of components than in the troposphere.1,2  Video 1 Video 2 Lithosphere  A journey through the atmosphere (excerpt of Earth:  Earth The Power Of The Planet – Atmosphere (full  Solid portion of Earth floating above semi-fluid upper Power of a Planet) video: 58 minutes) mantle  Extends from Earth’s surface to 100 km below  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CerJbZ-  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5ViCNJAkHg&s dm0&feature=related afety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=activ  Runs under continents and oceans e  Warmed mainly by the Sun and a little bit by molten mantle  Differences in the lithosphere (i.e. amount of albedo) can affect amount of atmospheric water vapour, as well as our environmental conditions  Portion life exists on is the crust Lithosphere Lithosphere Hydrosphere  The crust is the part of the lithosphere that life exists  Water! on, and is eggshell thin  97% is salt water in oceans  3% fresh water  can be in lakes, streams or frozen (most fresh water is snow and glaciers, or ground water)  Amount of water stays the same  Warmed mainly by Sun Interactions Interactions Altitude and Temperature  How do the atmosphere,  Altitude- distance above the Earth’s surface lithosphere and hydrosphere interact?  In troposphere, tend to decrease temperature with altitude  In pairs, brainstorm some ways they interact. We  This trend can be reversed will be making a class list  Inversion- reversal of normal temperature in the of the interactions you troposphere came up with  May trap unusually cold air close to the ground  Happens more often near mountains  Can trap pollutants  Climate Climate Climate Change  How does climate impact how we live?  Look at these two pictures: What kind of climate do each  Change that occurs in climate of a region over time live in? What have each done to survive in their particular (min. 30 years)  How would you describe our climate in Calgary? climate?  Compare average weather  How do you compare that to the climate of the Northwest Territories?  Have seen climate change many times throughout Earth’s history (use ice core samples and fossils)  What kinds of things do we do to survive in our climate?  The average surface temperature of the Earth is  Adaptation: any change to structure or function that make currently increasing is more suited to its environment  How might that be different from a place like Saudi  Use anecdotal and scientific evidence Arabia?  What adaptations have these two organisms made? Anecdotal Evidence Scientific Evidence  Using reports from people about their observations  Collection of evidence that is unbiased and reflects and interpretations general situations  What is a problem using this type of evidence?  Data collected by specialized instruments  Example:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLR-DtxfHPY  Farmers in Alberta report growing season starting earlier  Aboriginal and Inuit elders have reported changes too (first frost date, start of animal migration, and thickness of ice) Vostok Ice Core Data