Transcript 09_Climate - Science A 2 Z

Climate
And Weather
Definitions: Climate
• The general or average
weather conditions of a
certain region, including
temperature, rainfall, and
wind. On Earth, climate is
most affected by latitude,
the tilt of the Earth's axis,
the movements of the
Earth's wind belts, the
difference in temperatures
of land and sea, and
topography.
http://www.countrywatch.com/imgs/global_thematic/Global_Climates.gif
Definitions: Weather
• The state of the
atmosphere at a given
time and place, with
respect to variables
such as temperature,
moisture, wind
velocity, and
barometric pressure.
http://www.filebuzz.com/software_screenshot/full/33905-weather_station_on_your_pc.jpg
Sun Drives Weather
• Solar energy strikes
the Earth, heating
unevenly
• Water moderates
climate – takes a great
deal of energy to
increase water’s
temperature
http://www.solstation.com/stars/sol1.jpg
Earth’s Tilt
• Earth currently tilted 23.5
degrees
• Summer and winter
solstice, sun in direct line
with the Tropic of Cancer
and the Tropic of
Capricorn
• Autumn and Spring
Equinox, crosses the
Equator
• Seasons
http://www.divulgence.net/AxialTilt.jpg
Solar Radiation
http://www.geography.hunter.cuny.edu/~tbw/wc.notes/2.heating.earth.surface/images/sunangle.changes.3.angles.jpg
Solar Energy
• Coriolis Effect Pattern of Energy Distribution
• Cosine Law More energy received at equator
than at poles
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/Antevs/ecol438/lect03a.html
Earth’s Orbit Around the Sun
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/Antevs/ecol438/lect03a.html
Atmosphere
• Enough gravity to
hold onto atmosphere
–
–
–
–
78.08% nitrogen (mw 14)
20.95% oxygen (mw 16)
0.93% argon (mw 18)
0.038% carbon dioxide
(mw 22)
– trace amounts of other
gases including water vapor
http://itl.chem.ufl.edu/2041_f97/matter/FG10_001.GIF
Troposphere
• Lowest layer of the
atmosphere;
• Begins at the surface and
extends to between 7 km
(23,000 ft) at the poles and
17 km (60,000 ft) at the
equator
• Great deal of vertical
mixing due to solar
heating at the surface.
• Contains roughly 80% of
the total mass of the
atmosphere.
http://mediatheek.thinkquest.nl/~ll125/images/atmos.jpg
Stratosphere
• Extends from troposphere
7 to 80 km (23,000 –
60,000 ft) range to about
50 km (160,000 ft).
• Temperature increases
with height.
• Contains the ozone layer
(few parts per million)
http://mediatheek.thinkquest.nl/~ll125/images/atmos.jpg
Mesosphere
• Extends from about
50 km (160,000 ft) to
~100 km (265,000 –
285,000 ft)
• Temperature
decreasing with
height.
• Most meteors burn up
when entering the
atmosphere.
http://mediatheek.thinkquest.nl/~ll125/images/atmos.jpg
Thermosphere
• From ~100 km
(265,000 – 285,000 ft)
to 640+ km (400+ mi)
• Temperature
increasing with height.
http://mediatheek.thinkquest.nl/~ll125/images/atmos.jpg
Ionosphere
• Ionized by solar radiation.
• Plays an important part in
atmospheric electricity
and forms the inner edge
of the magnetosphere.
• Influences radio
propagation to distant
places on the Earth.
• Responsible for auroras
http://mediatheek.thinkquest.nl/~ll125/images/atmos.jpg
Exosphere
• From 500 – 1000 km
(300 – 600 mi) up to
10,000 km (6,000 mi)
• free-moving particles
that may migrate into
and out of the
magnetosphere or the
solar wind.
http://mediatheek.thinkquest.nl/~ll125/images/atmos.jpg
Nitrogen Cycle
• Atmospheric nitrogen is
~78% of all gases
• Not available to organisms
• Some bacteria can fix
nitrogen
• Once triple bond broken,
can bond with 1 oxygen –
Nitrous oxide, a GHG
http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=6537&rendTypeId=4
O Zone (O3)
• Until Ozone formed,
life on land could not
survive
• Blocks most
ultraviolet light that
can break molecular
bonds
• Out of every 10
million air molecules,
3 are ozone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/tupp0008/environment/uvrayjp.gif
Greenhouse Gas
• No life on Earth without
Greenhouse gas
• Some solar radiation
reflected by Earth &
atmosphere
• Some radiation, after
reaching Earth is trapped –
greenhouse gas
• Result – increase
temperature
• Greenhouse (1.04 min)
http://www.environment.gov.za/ClimateChange2005/Greenhouse_Gases_and_the_Greenhouse_Effect_files/gh.jpg
Temperature
http://www.climate-charts.com/World-Climate-Maps.html
Rainfall
http://www.climate-charts.com/World-Climate-Maps.html
Major Wind Currents
http://www.climate-charts.com/World-Climate-Maps.html
Air Patterns
• Warm air holds more
water vapor than cold
air
• Warm air rises; cold
air sinks
• Warm air is low
pressure; cold air is
high pressure
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/images/surfacecirculation.gif
30ºN – Tropics – 30ºS
• Moist air in tropics
rises, cools in upper
atmosphere, drops
back down.
• Cool dry air descends
around 30º, sweeps
along desert regions,
picking up any
moisture, and returns
to tropics.
http://oceanmotion.org/images/background/hadley-cloud.jpg
Tropical and Desert Regions
Equatorial Heat
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/Antevs/ecol438/lect03a.html
Arctic and Temperate Regions
http://pdf.comnap.aq/comnap/comnap.nsf/c_ops_met1.jpg
http://maps.grida.no/library/files/projected_changes_in_the_arctic_climate__091.jpg
Put It Together and
What Do You Get?
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/secondary/students/forecasting/Weather_Forecasting.gif
Climate Labs
• How does Portland,
OR temperature
compare to other
places around the
world located
–
–
–
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Portland, OR
Buenos Aires Argentina,
Sydney, Australia
Madrid, Spain
http://web.mit.edu/kenta/www/one/world-map.png
http://lovebenin.com/images/world_map.gif
Control for Variables
• All sites located ~ 45º
latitude.
• All sites located close to
ocean
• 2 sites southern
hemisphere, 2 sites
northern hemisphere
– Note: Southern Hemisphere
difficult – mostly ocean
– On the internet, you can
pick specific locations at
45º
http://web.mit.edu/kenta/www/one/world-map.png
Design
• Sample temperatures
from Portland, OR;
Buenos Aires,
Argentina; Sydney,
Australia; and Madrid,
Spain
• Graph highs and lows
by date
• Compare each
http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/lesson_plans/high_school/nfld_hs_temperature_chart.gif
Results
• Any variation in
results would be wind
patterns, location of
land mass,
topography, long term
fluctuations (droughts,
unseasonably wet,
etc.)
Questions?
www.ussartf.org/predicting_weather.htm
By: India Reynolds
Weather is the wind, temperature, humidity,
atmospheric pressure, cloudiness, and
precipitation.
• The instruments used to measure and predict
the weather include;
• Barometer to measure humidity
• Anemometers to measure wind speed
• weather vanes to measure wind direction
• weather satellites, rockets, radar
Meteorologists use
anemometers to
measure wind
speed.
• Wind vanes tell you
from which direction
the wind is blowing.
• Knowing where the
wind is coming from
might give you clues
to the temperature and
the amount of water in
the air
www.geographyhigh.connectfree.co.uk/wd1.gif moving
into an area.
WEATHER SATELLITES
are used to photograph
and track large-scale air
movements. Then
meteorologists compile
and analyze the data with
the help of computers.
• abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/
images/nimbus1.gif
abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/images/nimbus1.gif
• Radar is an electronic
instrument, which
determines the direction
and distance of objects
that reflect radio energy
back to the radar site. It
stands for Radio
Detection and Ranging.
www.weather.gov.hk/wservice/tsheet/radmet1.jpg
• Weather forecasting can be as simple as
observation.
• You can look up at the clouds.
• Clouds can tell you many things about what the
weather will do
• High, wispy clouds usually mean good weather.
• Overcast sky means rain or snow is on the way.
• Clouds are generally classified based on
characteristics, such as, altitude, appearance, or
origin. Altitude distinctions apply to those
clouds that fit in various layers of the
atmosphere as follows:
•
•
•
high clouds - have bases above 18,000 feet
middle clouds - have bases between 7,000 and
18,000 feet
low clouds - have bases below 7,000 feet
http://interactive.usc.edu/members/jchen/cloudchart.gif
• Cumulus clouds are puffy.
• They have flat bottoms and are low in the
sky.
• Cumulus clouds usually mean fair weather.
• If they grow tall, they can become
thunderheads and bring rain.
• Cirrus clouds are the
highest clouds.
• They usually mean
fair weather.
• Cirrus clouds look
white and feathery.
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/cloud.htmScience/clouds65
0.JPG
• Stratus clouds are the
low clouds.
• Fog is a stratus cloud at
ground level.
• They look like a low
gray blanket.
• Stratus clouds bring rain
or snow.
arm2.static.flickr.com/1030http://www.weatherwizkid
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/booksellers/press_release/studentscience/gif/watercycle1.gif
•Clouds are an important part of the water cycle.
•The water cycle is the movement of water from
the Earth into the sky and then back down to
Earth again.
Clouds are white because they reflect the
light of the sun. Light is made up of
colors of the rainbow and when you add
them all together you get white.
•If the clouds get thick enough or high
enough all the light above does not make
it through, and that makes it look shady
and gray.
•If there are lots of other clouds around,
their shadow can add to the gray or
multicolored gray appearance
•Temperature – What is today’s
temperature?
•Record on chart.
•Clouds – What kind of clouds do we
have today?
•Record on chart.
•Predict what tomorrow’s weather.
•Dress Weather Bear appropriately.