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6.1 Introduction to atmosphere - Coggle Diagram
6.1 Introduction to atmosphere
atmosphere is vital for life
it provides a shield from meteorites
it protects us from harmful radiation from the sun
it moderates and stabilizes our climate including temperature
for breathe and photosynthesis
the atmospheric system
inputs
energy from sun which promote the movements or currents in the atmosphere
outputs
precipitation
flows
the movement of air masses causes variation of weather and climate around the world
storage
cloud
transfer system within the atmospheric system
radiation of sunlight/solar energy/heat/light toward earth
radiation of heat/IR away from earth
reflection of light/heat toward space from earth/clouds
scattering of light/heat from particulate matter
movement of sensible heat pole-wards by wind currents/tricellular winds/Hadley cell/hurricanes/tropical cyclones
movement of latent heat in water vapour by winds
what happen when the trend of temperature increase?
the onset global industrialization and the subsequent production of pollution derived from fossil fuels
deforestation, particularly rainforest
volcanic activity
sunspot activity
Main gases present in the atmosphere
gases
mainly oxygen and nitrogen: the amount of carbon oxide is very small but its importance far outweighs its size because plants use it for photosynthesis
pollutant
are normally found at high concentrations near the emission source but also disperse and are diluted by winds
water vapour
ranges from 0-5% normally but has a much greater importance than the concentration as plays a large role in determining weather conditions
solids
dust, pollen and mould spores, smoke (black carbon), salt spray
how human activities affect atmospheric composition?
burning fossil fuel
deforestation
using fertilizer in agriculture
rice farming in paddy fields
intensive cattle farming
How has the earth's atmosphere changed over time?
has evolved due to volcanic activity
biological process (photosynthesis)
human activity
it had high levels of C02 and little of oxygen but overtime oxygen levels increased due to plant life
Role of biota in influencing the composition of the atmosphere
photosynthesis (increases oxygen levels)
respiration (release CO2)
decomposition (release methane and other gases)
Earth is a dynamic system
constantly exchange gases, energy, and materials through natural processes
Layers of atmosphere
Troposphere (0-12km)
weather occurs here
Stratosphere (12-50km)
contains the ozone layer
Mesosphere (50-80km)
coldest layer, meteors burn up here
Thermosphere (80+km)
high temperatures due to solar radiation
Temperature change with altitude
different layers absorb heat differently
troposphere gets heat from Earth's surface, causing temperature to decrease with altitude
Stratosphere contains the ozone layer, which absorbs UV radiation, increasing temperature
Albedo effect
reflection of solar radiation by surfaces like ice and clouds
high albedo surfaces (snow, ice)
cooling the planet
low albedo surfaces (oceans, forests)
absorb more heat