Atmosphere Illustration
Chapter 1: The Earth's Atmosphere provides an overview of the components and structure of the Earth's atmosphere. In this activity you will be required to use the terminology present in chapter one to construct a poster that illustrates the "definitions" of the terms. The attached presentation provides sample images that will help determine what should be on the poster.
What to do?
- Use the attached presentation containing various illustrations with captions suggesting what to with your poster.
- Use the terms and their definitions provided below and think through how to "illustrate" the definition. Sketch out some ideas if need be.
- Work in groups of three to compile illustrations onto a poster using poster paper and map pencils.
- After all terms have been illustrated, take turns to explain each term and how it fits into the big picture of the atmosphere..
- Be prepared to answer questions from Mr. Sacket for additional points.
Suggestions for Illustration
- Use a cross-section when applicable
- Use an in-set square illustration to help demonstrate different scales (e.g. Air parcel to clusters of molecules).
- Use a colored legend to help communicate diverse information.
- Use the suggestions found in the captions of the attached slide show for other suggestions.
| Chapter 1 Terms | |
| Aerosols | Tiny suspended solid particles (dust, smoke, etc.) or liquid droplets that enter the atmosphere from either natural or human (anthropogenic) sources, such as the burning of fossil fuels. Sulfur-containing fossil fuels, such as coal, produce sulfate aerosols. Salt cystals from ocean spary is a major source. |
| Air pressure (atmospheric pressure) | The pressure exerted by the mass of air above a given point, usually expressed in millibars (mb), inches of mercury (Hg) or in hectopascals (hPa). |
| Altimeter | An instrument that indicates the altitude of an object above a fixed level. Pressure altimeters use an aneroid barometer with a scale graduated in altitude instead of pressure. |
| Atmosphere | The envelope of gases that surround a planet and are held to it by the planet’s gravitational attraction. The earth’s atmosphere is mainly nitrogen and oxygen. |
| Carbon dioxide (CO2) | A colorless, odorless gas whose concentration is about 0.038 percent (380 ppm) in a volume of air near sea level. It is a selective absorber of infrared radiation and, consequently, it is important in the earth’s atmospheric greenhouse effect. Solid CO2 is called dry ice |
| Climate | The accumulation of daily and seasonal weather events over a long period of time. |
| Air Density | The ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume occupied by it. Air density is usually expressed as g/cm3 or kg/m3. |
| Exosphere | The outermost portion of the atmosphere. |
| Front | The transition zone between two distinct air masses. |
| Heterosphere | The region of the atmosphere above about 85 km where the composition of the air varies with height. |
| Homosphere | The region of the atmosphere below about 85 km where the composition of the air remains fairly constant. |
| Hurricane | A tropical cyclone having winds in excess of 64 knots (74 mi/hr). |
| Ionosphere | An electrified region of the upper atmosphere where fairly large concentrations of ions and free electrons exist. |
| Lapse rate | The rate at which an atmospheric variable (usually temperature) decreases with height. (See Environmental lapse rate.) |
| Mesopause | The top of the mesosphere. The boundary between the mesosphere and the thermosphere, usually near 85 km. |
| Mesosphere | The atmospheric layer between the stratosphere and the thermosphere. Located at an average elevation between 50 and 80 km above the earth’s surface. |
| Middle latitude cyclone | See Extratropical cyclone. |
| Middle latitudes | The region of the world typically described as being between 30° and 50° latitude. |
| Molecule | A collection of atoms held together by chemical forces. (Consider drawing a square that shows an atomic view of the gases, aerosols/pollutants found in the atmosphere.) |
| Nitrogen (N2) | A colorless and odorless gas that occupies about 78 percent of dry air in the lower atmosphere. |
| Outgassing | The release of gases dissolved in hot, molten rock. |
| Oxygen (O2) | A colorless and odorless gas that occupies about 21 percent of dry air in the lower atmosphere. |
| Ozone (O3) | An almost colorless gaseous form of oxygen with an odor similar to weak chlorine. The highest natural concentration is found in the stratosphere where it is known as stratospheric ozone. It also forms in polluted air near the surface where it is the main ingredient of photochemical smog. Here, it is called tropospheric ozone. |
| Parcel of air | An imaginary small body of air a few meters wide that is used to explain the behavior of air. (Consider drawing a cubic meter box which is a specific parcel of air. Might include here in this parcel of air the suggestion for molecules.) |
| Pollutants | Any gaseous, chemical, or organic matter that contaminates the atmosphere, soil, or water. |
| Radiosonde | A balloon-borne instrument that measures and transmits pressure, temperature, and humidity to a ground-based receiving station. |
| Standard atmosphere | A hypothetical vertical distribution of atmospheric temperature, pressure, and density in which the air is assumed to obey the gas law and the hydrostatic equation. The lapse rate of temperature in the troposphere is taken as 6.5°C/1000 m or 3.6°F/1000 ft. |
| Stratosphere | The layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere and below the mesosphere (between 10 km and 50 km), generally characterized by an increase in temperature with height. |
| Temperature | The degree of hotness or coldness of a substance as measured by a thermometer. It is also a measure of the average speed or kinetic energy of the atoms and molecules in a substance. |
| Temperature inversion | An increase in air temperature with height, often simply called an inversion. This is not normal for temperature decreases 3.6°F/1000 ft. |
| Thermosphere | The atmospheric layer above the mesosphere (above about 85 km) where the temperature increases rapidly with height. |
| Thunderstorm | A local storm produced by cumulonimbus clouds. Always accompanied by lightning and thunder. |
| Tornado | An intense, rotating column of air that often protrudes from a cumulonimbus cloud in the shape of a funnel or a rope whose circulation is present on the ground. (See Funnel cloud.) |
| Tropopause | The boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere. |
| Troposphere | The layer of the atmosphere extending from the earth’s surface up to the tropopause (about 10 km above the ground). |
| Water vapor | Water in a vapor (gaseous) form. Also called moisture |
| Weather | The condition of the atmosphere at any particular time and place. |
| Weather elements | The elements of air temperature, air pressure, humidity, clouds, precipitation, visibility, and wind that determine the present state of the atmosphere, the weather. |
| Wind | Air in motion relative to the earth’s surface. |
| Wind direction | The direction from which the wind is blowing. |
Resources
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Atmosphere Layer Poster
Construct a poster that contains the cross-section of the atmosphere containing those elements that are identified in the caption of each image found in this presentation.