The Atmosphere

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The Atmosphere

• Map and Chart Analysis
• Spring 2005
• 01/14/2005

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Weather and Climate

• Meteorology The study of weather and climate.
• Weather the term that refers to the state of
  the atmosphere at a given time and place.
• Continuously changing and sometimes erratic
• Climate aggregate weather conditions. Based on
  obs. that have been accumulated over many
  decades.
• Climate Average Weather
• Climate data cannot predict the weather.
• Climate is what you expect and weather is what
  you get.

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Climatology

• Climatology
• Study of the long term averages and extremes of
  the atmosphere
• Investigate past and future changes in climate
• How oceans, landforms, living organisms affect
  the atmosphere
• Dr. Graves
• Marty Baxters work
• Dr. Pan
• Global Warming, El Nino and La Nina, ENSO, ITCZ
  movement.

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Weather and Climate

• Weather and climate are expressed in terms of
  some basic elements.
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Clouds
• Precipitation
• Pressure
• Winds
• Examples of Climate Data
• SLR Marty Baxter
• CD of Climate Data

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Weather Map
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Climate Examples
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Climate Examples SLR

• Marty Baxter SLR Climatology for the Continuous
  48 States.
• http//mnw.eas.slu.edu/CIPS/Research/snowliquidrat
  .html

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Atmospheric Hazards Assault by the Elements
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Temperature Data
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Four Spheres

• Lithosphere rigid outer layer of the Earth that
  includes the crust and uppermost part of the
  mantle.
• The Atmosphere life giving gaseous envelope.
  All weather phenomena occurs here.
• The Hydrosphere Blue Planet
• The Biosphere ocean floor upward several
  kilometers into the atmosphere. Life.

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What makes up the Atmosphere?

• A mixture of gasesN2, O2, Argon, Neon
• Variable constituentsH2Ov, CO2
• Aerosolswater droplets, dust, smoke, ash
• Natural and Anthropogenic Pollutants

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Composition of the Atmosphere
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Carbon Dioxide
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Probing the Atmosphere

• Radiosondes Late 1920s balloons have carried
  instruments aloft.
• 2 times a day.
• Rocket and Airplanes began after WWII
• Satellite and Radar

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Vertical Extent

• Most of the atmosphere is near the sfc due to the
  earths gravity.
• Gravity holds the atmosphere in and the weather
  stirs it.
• Density mass of a specific volume of air, water,
  etc.
• Units kg/m3
• More molecules closer to the surface the density
  of the atmosphere decreases rapidly with
  increasing altitude.
• Pressure measure of force per unit area
• Units atms, mb, hPa, torr, N/m2
• Atmospheric Pressure total weight of the
  atmosphere per unit area above any level.
• Example SLP Standard sea level pressure
  1013.25 mb.

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Vertical Extent
Density and Pressure Decreases with Altitude
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Thermal Structure
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Thermal Structure

• Troposphere
• Sfc 10 km
• Over the poles sfc 6-7 km
• Equator sfc 15 km
• Layer where we live.
• Temperature, pressure, humidity, density decrease
  w/ height.
• All weather occurs here.
• Large scale turbulence and mixing occurs.
• Tropopause the boundary b/w the stratosphere and
  the troposphere, a transition layer.
• Stratosphere
• 10 km 50 km
• Maximum ozone occurs in this layer.
• Ozone absorbs UV radiation from the Sun this
  layer is heated.
• Temperature increases w/ height
• Stratopause the boundary b/w the stratosphere
  and the mesosphere.
• Mesophere
• 50 km 80 km
• Temp dec. w/ height
• Mesopause the boundary b/w the mesosphere and
  the thermosphere

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More on the Troposphere

• Temperature decreases w/ height at a rate known
  as the Lapse Rate.
• Lapse Rate rate at which the temp. changes with
  height (?)
• Standard (?) in lowest layer of the atmosphere is
  6.5 ºC per 1000 m.
• (?) is highly variable in space and time and is
  NOT constant it changes from day to day and from
  season to season at each location.
• Shallow layers in the troposphere where the
  temperature actually increases with height these
  are known as inversions.
• Temperature terms
• Temperature increases with height inversion
• Temperature constant with height isothermal
  layer (isoconstant)

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Dynamic Tropopause
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Thermal Structure