Name and ID No: Glen Michael F.

Wong 2018-1623

Subject and Section: ABE 137: Hydrometeorology (E01.1)

Date submitted: Oct 2, 2020

ABE 137: Hydrometeorology

Laboratory Exercise No. 1

THE ATMOSPHERE

Discussion (10 points each):

1. Explain how and why today’s atmosphere differs from those a billion years ago and a century
ago.
Billion years ago, the CO2 and CH4 in the atmosphere remain constant. It was founded by the
evidence of fossils, that they lived a relatively cool atmosphere. It was changed 200 years ago at
the same time the Industrial revolution these two gases increased rapidly as well as Nitrous oxide
and greenhouse gas due to  anthropogenic activity, fossil fuels burning, deforestation and
agriculture. It warmed the earth over a 1OCelsius over a century.

2. Name the important gases that make up our atmosphere and the importance or significance of
each.
Nitrogen made up of 78%. It is essential important component for all life. It helps cells and
processes in our body to function and major component in photosynthesis.21% is oxygen, it is
essential for respiration for both humans and animals to burn food molecules.). 0.93% is argon
used for metal industry as an inert gas shield for arc welding and metal cutting.0.04% is CO 2, it
was used in photosynthesis as a component to form oxygen and traps the heat in the atmosphere.
The rest 0.03% are helium, methane, neon,krypton ,hydrogen and water vapor. Helium provide
an inert protective atmosphere for making fiber optics and semiconductors, and for arc welding.
Methane used for electricity generation by burning it as a fuel in a gas turbine or steam
generator.
3.Describe some non-gaseous substances found in the atmosphere and explain how they might
enter into the air.
Water dropped in the sky as a liquid.providing as a tool for hydrating for people and replenish
and helps crops grow. Water evaporates as water vapor into the air. Some ice and
snow sublimates directly into water vapor. Evapotranspiration is water transpired from plants
and evaporated from the soil. 
4. Discuss the characteristics and importance of the different layers of the atmosphere

Troposphere is the lowest part of the atmosphere. It contains most of our weather: clouds, rain,
snow. In this part of the atmosphere the temperature gets colder as the distance above the earth
increases, by about 6.5OC per kilometer. The troposphere contains about 75% of all of the air in
the atmosphere, and almost all of the water vapor (which forms clouds and rain).  Stratosphere
contains much of the ozone in the atmosphere. The increase in temperature with height occurs
because of absorption of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun by this ozone. Temperatures in
the stratosphere are highest over the summer pole, and lowest over the winter pole. In
mesosphere the temperature again decreases with height, reaching a minimum of about -90°C at
the "mesopause”. The thermosphere lies above the mesopause, and is a region in which
temperatures again increase with height. This temperature increase is caused by the absorption of
energetic ultraviolet and X-Ray radiation from the sun. The exosphere contains mainly oxygen
and hydrogen atoms, but there are so few of them that they rarely collide. The Ionosphere is part
of Earth’s upper atmosphere, between 80 and about 600 km where extreme ultraviolet (EUV)
and x-ray solar radiation ionizes the atoms and molecules then creating a layer of electrons, the
ionosphere is important because it reflects and modifies radio waves used for communication
and navigation. They follow ballistic trajectories under the influence of gravity, and some of
them escape right out into space.  The magnetosphere is where charged particles spiral along the
magnetic field lines, surrounding the earth.