Earth’s Atmosphere

By: Mr. Hunter

What do you know about the atmosphere?

Why is the atmosphere important to me?

 The atmosphere is a layer of _____ surrounding Earth.

 It contains the _____ you need to breathe.

 It protects humans from harmful rays of _____ _____ from the sun.

What gasses make up the atmosphere?

What else is the atmosphere made up of?

 Particles ( dust, ____ _____, sea salt, _____, smoke)  Water

Meterstick with balloons at both ends…

Demonstration

 1. Does air have mass?

 2. How does this demonstration show that air has mass?

 3. How do you think the atmosphere is held in place?

Demonstration

 Air does have ____ !

Air Pressure



Air pressure is _____ closer to the surface of the earth.

Earth’s Atmosphere  Earth’s atmosphere is divided into _____ .

 Layers end in “

_____ “

which means ball.

Layer Altitude Range Temperat ure Range Three Characte ristics

Layer

Troposphere

Altitude Range Temp. Vs. Altitude Three Characte ristics

Stratosphere Mesosphere Thermosphe re Ionosphere

Troposphere

 Densest layer  Contains 90% of the atmosphere’s total mass  Water vapor, clouds, air pollution, weather, and life forms are found here  Temperatures vary greatly here

Stratosphere

 Layered gases  Thin air with little moisture  Temperature rises with altitude because of ozone

Mesosphere

 Middle layer  Coldest layer  Temperature decreases as altitude increases

Thermosphere

 Uppermost layer  Temperature increases with altitude  Very high temperatures, but not hot

IONOSPHERE

 Upper part of thermosphere  Made of electrically charged gas particles called ions  Reflects AM radio waves

Auroras

T S I M T

Poem

“ I thought I saw a blue jay this morning. The the smog was so bad it turned out to be a cardinal holding its breath.” – Michael J. Cohen

You know your air is polluted when…

What is air pollution?

 Contamination of the atmosphere by the introduction of pollutants from _____ and _____ sources

Primary Pollutants

 Dust  Sea salt  Volcanic gases  Ash  Smoke  Pollen  Carbon monoxide  Dust  Smoke  Chemicals

Secondary Pollutants



Secondary pollutants

form when primary pollutants react with other primary pollutants or with naturally occurring substances.

Secondary Pollutants

 Ozone  Smog

Good Ozone

BAD OZONE



Near ground level; harmful to breathe



Can damage trees/crops



Hot daylight hours of summer



Comes from burning _____

Pollution

 Determine the difference between point and nonpoint-source pollutants.

 Pollution originating from a single, identifiable source is called

point-source pollution

.

 Pollution that

does not

originate from a single source, or point, is called

nonpoint-source pollution

.

Point Source or Nonpoint Source Pollutant?

 1. smoke from burning brush  2. ozone  3. chemical wastes  4. haze  5. gases from agricultural industries

Acid Rain

The pH scale measures how acidic or basic a substance is.

The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is _____. A pH less than 7 is acidic. A pH greater than 7 is _____.

Acid Rain

 The pH of average rainwater is 5.5.

What is acid rain’s affect on…

 1. plants  2. forests  3. aquatic ecosystems  4. humans

Letter



Write a 1-page letter to your legislator explaining the problem of air pollution. Explain three ways to solve the problem.