The document provides an overview of the atmosphere and atmospheric movement. It discusses how the uneven heating of the Earth's surface by the sun causes convection currents and wind. Hot air rises at the equator and cold air sinks at the poles, creating convection currents. Differences in air pressure cause winds, with high pressure systems bringing fair weather and low pressure systems bringing storms. Fronts mark the boundaries between different air masses. Weather results from these atmospheric processes.
The document provides an overview of the atmosphere and atmospheric movement. It discusses how the uneven heating of the Earth's surface by the sun causes convection currents and wind. Hot air rises at the equator and cold air sinks at the poles, creating convection currents. Differences in air pressure cause winds, with high pressure systems bringing fair weather and low pressure systems bringing storms. Fronts mark the boundaries between different air masses. Weather results from these atmospheric processes.
The document provides an overview of the atmosphere and atmospheric movement. It discusses how the uneven heating of the Earth's surface by the sun causes convection currents and wind. Hot air rises at the equator and cold air sinks at the poles, creating convection currents. Differences in air pressure cause winds, with high pressure systems bringing fair weather and low pressure systems bringing storms. Fronts mark the boundaries between different air masses. Weather results from these atmospheric processes.
The document provides an overview of the atmosphere and atmospheric movement. It discusses how the uneven heating of the Earth's surface by the sun causes convection currents and wind. Hot air rises at the equator and cold air sinks at the poles, creating convection currents. Differences in air pressure cause winds, with high pressure systems bringing fair weather and low pressure systems bringing storms. Fronts mark the boundaries between different air masses. Weather results from these atmospheric processes.
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Atmospheric
Movement Teacher Demonstration
What do you think will
happen when the warm air trapped inside the container meets with the surface of the cold plate? What is the Atmosphere? • The atmosphere is a mixture of gases surrounding the Earth. • It is held in place by gravity. • The atmosphere contains the gases necessary for life on planet Earth! • The atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and traces of other gases. The Atmospheres’ Layers • The Earth’s atmosphere is made up of Exosphere
several layers: – Troposphere – Stratosphere – Mesosphere – Thermosphere – Exosphere • Closest to Earth is the troposphere. • The troposphere is where all weather occurs. Come up with a mnemonic to remember the layers! ‘Tepid sasquatch makes tractors everyday’ What does the atmosphere do? • The atmosphere acts like a giant blanket, keeping the Earth warm. • Things like hurricanes, lightning and thunderstorms, hail, flooding, and tornadoes are caused by changes in the atmosphere. Quick Check! • What is one of the gases that makes up Earth’s atmosphere? – Nitrogen or Oxygen • What layer of the atmosphere does weather occur in? – Troposphere • Name one example of weather that occurs because of atmospheric movement. – Hurricane, thunderstorm, hail, etc. What’s so special about the sun?
• The sun heats the earth at different levels of
intensity. • The sun is always shining perpendicular to the equator, but at different angles to the rest of the Earth. • The intensity of the suns’ rays vary from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere over a year causing seasons. Earth’s Seasons Earth’s Tilt Causes Seasons Air Movement • The equator is hot year round, but the polar regions stay cooler than the equator. • This uneven global heat distribution gives rise to convection currents that attempt to equalize the heat distribution. What’s so special about the sun?
• The heat that comes from the sun shining on
the Earth causes air to move!
• The air in our atmosphere is always moving!
Convection Currents Demonstration
Stop for demonstration!
Based on what you learned about
convection currents, explain what happened? Quick Check! • Convection currents attempt to equalize the heat distribution.
• When convection currents move air what
temperature of air rises and what temperature of air sinks? – Hot air rises – Cold air sinks Convection Currents • Convection currents refer to the up and down movement of air. • Hot air rises! As air is heated by the sun over the equator it rises up and spreads towards the poles. • When air is heated the molecules spread far out from each other becoming less dense and move faster. Convection Currents • Cold air sinks! As the air moves north it begins to cool and sinks back down to Earth. • Cold air compresses, the molecules get more dense and slow down. • The cool air then flows back towards the equator and the cycle starts again! Wind • When convection currents start to move air, we get wind close to the surface of the Earth. • Wind is atmospheric movement that causes a lot of the weather we experience. Westerly Winds • The Westerlies are the prevailing winds in the middle latitudes between 35° - 65 ° latitude. • These winds often cause a cyclone effect that creates tornadoes and hurricanes across these latitudes. Atmospheric Pressure • Atmospheric pressure is the weight of the air in the atmosphere pressing down on the Earth, the ocean, and on the air below.
• Air pressure changes the weather.
Air Pressure • Measured with a barometer
• Barometers measure the
pressure of the atmosphere at a particular spot • What does it mean when there is an H on the map? H is an area of high pressure, which means the air is more dense. • What does it mean when there is an L on the map? L is an area of low pressure, which means the air is less dense.
More Dense Less Dense
Air Pressure Demonstration
Stop for demonstration!
Based on what you learned about
convection currents, explain what happened? What is a high pressure system?
• A high pressure system is
a whirling mass of cool, dry air that generally brings fair weather and light winds. • When viewed from above, winds spiral out of a high-pressure center in a clockwise rotation. • These bring sunny skies! What is a low pressure system?
• A low pressure system is
a whirling mass of warm, moist air that generally brings stormy weather with strong winds. • When viewed from above, winds spiral into a low-pressure center in a counterclockwise rotation. High vs. Low Quick Check! • What kind of weather are Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico most likely experiencing in this picture? • What kind of weather are Louisiana, North Carolina, and Michigan most likely experiencing in this picture? What is a front? • An air mass is a large body of air that has similar moisture and temperature characteristics.
• A front is a transition zone between two air masses. Cold Front • A cold front is a boundary between two air masses, one cold and the other warm, moving so that the colder air replaces the warmer air. Identify the cold front on this map. • A cold front is represented as a blue line with triangles. • Cold fronts often can bring severe thunderstorms, hailstorms or tornadoes. Warm Front • A warm front is a boundary between two air masses, one cool and the other warm, moving so that the warmer air replaces the cooler air. Identify the warm front on this map. • A warm front is represented as a red line with half circles. • Along the warm front rainfall will increase and clouds can extend all the way to the earth’s surface as fog. Weather • What makes up the weather where we live? • Weather is the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness, moisture, and pressure. Weather
2 • What kind of weather is
happening at point 1? 1 • What kind of weather is happening at point 2?
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/investigate/weather_maker.htm Closing Questions • http:// www.sercc.com/education_files/wxmap/wxm ap.html • This activity will test your knowledge of what type of weather occurs around areas of high and low pressure as well as around weather fronts! References • https://nisd.schoolnet.com/Outreach • http://earth.rice.edu/mtpe/atmo/atmosphere/atmosphere_why. html • jpostema.napsk12.org/blob/download/1376 • https://fp.auburn.edu/fire/atmosphere.htm • http://www.learner.org/interactives/weather/atmosphere.html • http://www.indiana.edu/~geol105/1425chap4.htm • http:// usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/tg/whighlow/whighlow.htm • http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/wbarocx.htm • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind#Global_climatology • http://www.weatherwizkids.com
