The Atmosphere

UP Pahinungód
Teacher Development Program
07-12 May 2012
Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro

Rachel Patricia B. Ramirez

UP Integrated School
UP Pahinungod
Major Components

 Does not react with

rocks
 Removed from the
atmosphere by
21%
certain bacteria in
the soil and by
lightning
78%
 Returned to the
atmosphere through
the decay of plant
and animal matter
Composition of Dry Air
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  Removed from the
atmosphere by living
organisms (cell
respiration) and by
21% chemical weathering
of rocks
78%
 Released by green
plants
(photosynthesis)

Composition of Dry Air

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  Inert; does not enter
into any chemical
reactions or cycles

21%
 Produced as a
product of
78%
radioactive decay

 Once released,
remains in the
atmosphere
Composition of Dry Air
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 ozone

 absorbs the
potentially
harmful
ultraviolet (UV)
radiation from
the sun
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 ozone

The “ozone hole” forms over

Antarctica during the Southern
Hemisphere spring.

In 2001, the ozone hole extended over

about 26 million square kilometers,
larger than the area of the continental
United States!

Southern Hemisphere
September 17, 2001
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 Atmospheric Pressure
 The higher the
elevation, the fewer
molecules pressing
down from above

 The lower the

elevation, the more
molecules pressing
down.
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  The mercury
barometer measures
the atmospheric
pressure from the
balance between the
pressure exerted by
the weight of the
mercury in a tube and
the pressure exerted
by the atmosphere.

MercuryUP Pahinungod
barometer
  Mercury, a very heavy,
liquid metal occupies
an otherwise empty
tube.
 Gravity pulls the
mercury down into a
pool in an open
container.
 The container does not
overflow.
 The mercury does not
totally leave the tube.

MercuryUP Pahinungod
barometer
  The weight/pressure
of the atmosphere
presses the mercury
up into the tube.

 A measuring stick
along side the tube
measures the height
of the mercury
column above the top
of the pool.

MercuryUP Pahinungod
barometer
  When atmospheric
pressure is higher,
the mercury column
is pushed taller.

 When atmospheric
pressure is lower,
the height of the
column of mercury
drops.

MercuryUP Pahinungod
barometer
  The higher the
elevation, the
lower the
pressure.

 The lower the

elevation, the
higher the
pressure.

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Atmospheric
pressure
variation with
altitude

One half of the

atmosphere lies below
an altitude of 5.6 km

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Temperature Changes
 Temperatures drop with an increase in
altitude in the troposphere.

snow on a mountaintop

warmer lowlands

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Thermal Structure

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 Troposphere
 bottom layer in
which we live
 temperature
decreases with an
increase in altitude
 where air “turns
over” (vertical
mixing of air)
 where all important
weather
phenomena occur

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Radiosonde

 instrument attached to a
balloon and transmits data
by radio as it ascends
through the atmosphere

 supplies data on vertical

changes in temperature,
pressure, and humidity

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 Stratosphere
 temperature
remains constant
to a height of
about 20 km
 begins a gradual
increase that
continues until the
stratopause

 temperature
increases
 ozone is
concentrated
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 Mesosphere

 coldest
temperatures

 least explored

 no balloons nor
satellites
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 Thermosphere

 no well-defined
upper limit

 contains only a tiny

fraction of the
atmosphere’s mass

 very high
temperature

 insignificant quantity
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AIR MOTION

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Warming the Atmosphere

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Warming the Atmosphere
 Troposphere heated from
the bottom up as Earth’s
surface absorbs incoming
solar radiation and emits
infrared radiation.

 Infrared radiation
absorbed and reemitted
numerous times by
carbon dioxide and water
molecules
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UP Pahinungod
Warming the Atmosphere
 The composition of the
surface varies from place to
place, consisting of many
different types and forms of
rock, soil, water, ice, snow
and so forth.

 These various materials

absorb and emit energy at
different rates, which results
in an uneven heating of the
surface. UP Pahinungod
Convection
 Uneven heating
of the earth’s
surface sets the
stage for
convection.

 As a local region of air becomes heated, the increased

kinetic energy of the molecules expands the mass of air,
reducing its density.
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General motions of air
 Upward movement of air
over a region of greater
heating

 The sinking of air over a

cooler region

 A horizontal air movement

between the cooler and
warmer regions UP Pahinungod
Bangui, Ilocos Norte
Convection

 Air in the
troposphere
rises,
moves as
the wind,
and sinks.

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Wind
 16 km/hr average

 2 km/hr average
rising and sinking
velocity

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Tropical cyclones

 Depression less than 60 km/h

 Storm 60-118 km/h

 Typhoon 119 km/h or more

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AREAS OF FORMATION OF TROPICAL CYCLONES AND
ANNUAL AVERAGE NUMBER WORLDWIDE

AN AVERAGE OF 100 TROPICAL CYCLONES OCCUR WORLDWIDE

THIRTY (30) OF WHICH FORM IN THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AREA
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Local Wind Patterns
Important factors:

 air temperature and air density

 air pressure and

movement of air

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Air temperature and air density

contracts

expands

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Air pressure and movement of air
 Cool air pushes
the less dense,
warm air upward,
reducing the
surface pressure.

 As the uplifted air

cools and
becomes more
dense, it sinks,
increasing the
surface pressure UP Pahinungod
 Land > water

The land warms and

cools more rapidly
than an adjacent
large body of water.
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Land vs. Water
1. The specific heat of water is higher than that of
soil.
Substance Specific heat
[kcal/kg°C]
Air 0.17
Aluminum 0.22
 It takes more energy Concrete 0.16
to increase the Copper 0.093
Glass (average) 0.160
temperature of water Gold 0.03
than it does for soil. Ice 0.500
Iron 0.11
Seawater 0.93
Silver 0.056
Soil (average) 0.200
Steam 0.480
Water 1.00
The specific heat of selected
substances (Tillery 2002)
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Land vs. Water
2. Water is a transparent fluid that is easily mixed

 Incoming solar radiation

warms a body of water
throughout, spreading out
the heating effect.

 Incoming solar radiation

on land warms a
relatively thin layer at the
top, concentrating the
heating effect.
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Land vs. Water
3. The water is cooled by evaporation.

 Evaporation helps keep a body of water at a lower

temperature than an adjacent landmass under identical
conditions of incomingUPsolar radiation.
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Breeze

Sea breeze

Land breeze

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Sea Breeze

 During the day, the land is warmer and air over

the land expands and is buoyed up by cooler,
more dense air from over the water.
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Land Breeze

 During the night, the land surface cools more

rapidly than the water, and the air moves from
the land to the sea.
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Breeze

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Valley Breeze

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Valley Breeze
 Heating during the
daylight hours warms
the air along the
mountain slopes.
This warm air rises,
generating a valley
breeze.

 The occurrence of these daytime upslope breezes

can often be identified by the cumulus clouds that
develop on adjacent mountain peaks.
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Mountain Breeze

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Mountain Breeze
 After sunset, rapid
radiation cooling along
the mountain slopes
produces a layer of
cooler air next to the
ground.

 Because cool air is denser than warm air, it

drains downslope into the valley.
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 Monsoons

Seasonal winds caused by a difference in heating by oceans

and continents UP Pahinungod
Northeast Monsoon
 Northeast monsoon
(amihan) is drawn to
the low pressure
center over Australia
(November to March)

 Cold winds from

Siberia

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Southwest Monsoon
 Southwest monsoon
(habagat) is drawn to
the low pressure
center over India and
Pakistan (May to
October)

 Brings much rain

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WEATHER AND CLIMATE

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Weather
 condition of the atmosphere
over a certain place within a
short period of time

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Weather Elements
 temperature
 humidity
 amount of rainfall
 pressure
 type and amount
of clouds
 direction and speed
of air motion
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Clouds
 Cumulus clouds
are like piles of
puffed cotton and
indicate fair
weather.

 Stratus clouds
are often colored
gray and are low-
lying but do not
touch the ground.
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Clouds
 Cirrus clouds are
white, feathery
streaks.

 Nimbus clouds are

thick and dark and
bring much rain.

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Clouds

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Fog
 Air that condenses
while in contact
with the ground
forms fog.

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Tropical Cyclone
 Low pressure system
 Characterized by winds spiraling inward in
a counter-clockwise direction (North
Hemisphere)
 Originates from tropical oceans
 Wind speed ranges from 45 k/hr to about
300 k/hr
 Diameter ranges from 300 to 1,000 km

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 Tropical Storm Regions
of the World

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Tropical Cyclones

 Depression < 60 km/hr

 Storm 60-118 km/hr

 Typhoon ≥ 119 km/hr

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Climate
 Pattern of weather occurring in an area
or region over a long period of time

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Latitude Groups

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Latitude Groups
Latitude groups based on
incoming solar radiation.

1. The low latitudes

receive vertical solar
radiation at noon some
time of the year.

2. The high latitudes

receive no solar
radiation at noon during some time of the year.

3. The middle latitudes are in between.

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Principal Climate Zones

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Principal Climate Zones
1.Tropical climate
zone (low latitude)

2.Polar climate
zone (high latitude)

3.Temperate climate
zone (middle latitude)

The principal climate zones are defined in terms of yearly

temperature averages, which are determined by the
amount of solar radiation received at the different
latitude groups.
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