physical science

• weather is over a short period of time
• - constantly changing

• climate is over long period of time
• - generalized, composite of weather

-tempertature

-humidity

-cloudiness

-precipitation

-air pressure

-winds speeds and direction

amount of sunlight it reflects

-makes most of our atmosphere

- Nitrogen: 78%, Oxygen: 21%, and Argon;other gases: <1%

-make up small percent of our atmosphere

- it can affect our physical comfort.

- water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, and methane

-its more denser the nearer one is to sea level. it gets thinner as you go higher

Ozonesphere and Ionosphere

blocks UV radiation

-blocks ions (solar wind)

-source of Aurora

- troposphere

-Stratosphere

-mesosphere

-Thermosphere

-bottom layer

-temperature decreases by altitude

- called the enviromental lapse rate

• -6.5 C/ 1000 m
• 3.5 F/1000 feet

-outer layer tropopause

-about 12 km to 50 km

- temperature increases at top

-absorption of UV radiation

-outer layer stratopause

- about 50 km to 80 km

- temperature decreases

- outer boundary is named mesopause

- absorption of solar radiation near the base of it, provides the heat layer

- no well-defined upper limit

- fraction of amosphere's mass

-gases move at high speeds

-believed to have formed same time as planet

-Hydrogen and Helium

-earth was too small to keep lighter, smaller gases

- may have been blown by collisions

Main gases: H2O and CO2

small amounts: SO2, N2

volcanic eruptions and comet collsions: made H20 and CO2 become inferior gases opposed to be main ones.

the amount of water vapor in the air.

Relative humidity: amount of water vapor present relative to the maximum water vapor that can be held (saturation)

-geographic position

-cloud cover and albedo

-clouds absorb heat at night

• - influence of mountains
• - act as a barriers

- can cut inland areas off from warming ocean winds

- clouds reflect incoming solar radiation during the day

-albedo is high then temps are cool

- heat radiated back to surface, warming effect

-these are driven by the temperature difference between the equatorial regions and the poles.

-wind is used a way to balance temperature in Earth

-it is the model that we are currently using to describe global circulation

is a single wind system in each hemisphere.

-warm air rises near the equator, cools as it travels poeward at high altitude, sinks as cold air, and warms as it travels equatorward

-in northern hem. objects reflect right

-in southern hem. they deflect left.

objects are deflected acordingly depending on their location. It does this because of Earth's rotation

- winds are generally weak and varied near the center of this zone of descending air

-blowing from subtropical highs or horse latitudes

- In northern hemisphere they blow northeast and southern hemisphere they blow southeast

-region in which trade winds from both hemispheres get together.

-low-weak pressure gradient

-winds that blow around 30 thru 50 degree latitude on both hemispheres.

- wind blows from west to east

- cold winds that blow through both hemispheres westward direction.

- region where the flow of warm air clashes with cold air.

pressure differences