period 6, connor and asad, understanding the air and sky around us
DESCRIPTION
An informational book about the atmosphere and weather for children.TRANSCRIPT
Table of Contents
P. 4-11 The AtmosphereP. 12-14 ConvectionP. 15, 16 CurrentsP. 17, 18 Air PressureP. 19 - 23 FrontsP. 24 HurricanesP. 25 TornadosP. 26 Sun's Energy
P. 27 Weather MapsP. 28 Isotherm and IsobarP. 29 PrecipitationP. 30 CloudP. 31 Dew PointP. 32 Scientist and ImagesP. 33 - 36 Meteorological Instruments
P. 37 Contributions
Table of Contents Continued
Atmosphere
● The atmosphere is like a big blanket made up of many layers
● It helps keep the Earth warm by absorbing heat and holding it in
● Protects us from the Sun's radiation with the ozone layer
● It causes weather and climate● It is made up of many different gasses
○ 78% Nitrogen○ 21% Oxygen○ Small amounts of Argon, C02, Neon, Helium,
Hydrogen, etc.
Diagram of the Atmosphere
This is the this is Troposphere. It is where the weather is, and is the first layer above the earth
This is the Stratosphere. This is where many planes fly, and it contains the ozone layer which protects us from harmful rays from the sun.
This layer, the Mesosphere, is where rocks and meteors burn up. This is like the Earth's shield that protects us from space junk
The Thermosphere is the layer of the atmosphere where the space station orbits. This is also where auras like the northern lights are.
This is the Exosphere. The Exosphere is the thinnest and outermost layer of our atmosphere.
Troposphere
● The Troposphere makes up about 80% of the atmosphere's mass
● The Troposphere is mainly heated by the Earth's surface
● The Troposphere is warmest closest to the Earth, and cools down from there
Stratosphere
● The Stratosphere is the second layer of the atmosphere
● The Stratosphere contains the ozone layer
● The Stratosphere gets warmer further up due to absorption of the sun's rays in the ozone layer
Mesosphere
● The Mesosphere is where most meteors burn up when entering the atmosphere
● The Mesosphere gets warmer the further out
● Ice clouds form in the Mesosphere
Thermosphere
● The Thermosphere is the second to last layer of the atmosphere
● The Thermosphere gets warmer further out, then stays at the same temperature
● The Thermosphere can reach 1,500°C or 2,700°F
Exosphere
● The Exosphere is the outermost layer of the atmosphere
● It is mainly composed of hydrogen and helium.
● The particles are so far apart that they can travel hundreds of kilometers without colliding with one another.
● The Exosphere no longer behaves like a fluid.
Layer Lengths
● The Exosphere reaches about 800 km around the earth
● The Thermosphere reaches to 410 km
● The Mesosphere reaches out to about 80 km
● The Stratosphere reaches out to 50 km
● The Troposphere reaches 12 km
Convection
● Common in the atmosphere and the ocean
● Convection is an ongoing cycle made up of different things happening
● Convection makes the air rise and fall, creating clouds and rain.
Convection - Air
● First, air gets heated and raises
● Next, the air starts to expand and become less dense
● After this, Cool air rushes up to take the warm air's place
● Finally, the warm air starts to cool down and fall
● This cycle repeats endlessly
Convection - Water
● Water starts to warm● The warm water becomes less dense
and rises up● The cool water at the top falls down
being less dense● The movement of this water causes
convection currents that continue forever
Wind Currents
● Wind currents are caused by differences in the temperature of the atmosphere
● When part of the atmosphere has a lower pressure, the air from the higher pressure section moves over to the low pressure section to balance out
● Areas with higher temperatures have high pressure. Lower temperature areas have lower pressure
Ocean Currents
● Ocean currents are like rivers inside of an ocean
● Remember water convection from two pages ago? This same thing is what causes these ocean currents
● Currents are caused by differences in temperature, salinity, and wind.
Air Pressure
● Have you ever been on an airplane when your ears popped? This is because of a change in air pressure
● Air pressure is how much force the atmosphere is pressing down with
● The higher you go, the lower the air pressure gets. This is why it can be harder to breathe when you're up high hiking or skiing
High and Low Pressure
● Low pressure usually signals that there are storms coming
● Low pressure also usually comes with warmer temperatures because when air heats up, it expands
● High pressure usually brings clear weather
● When air cools, it shrinks down and takes up less space which leads to a higher air pressure
Fronts
● There are four different types of fronts○ Cold Fronts○ Warm Fronts○ Stationary Fronts○ Occluded Fronts
● Warm fronts bring warm air● Cold fronts bring cool air● Stationary fronts are where ● Occluded fronts
Cold Fronts
● Forms when cold air pushes under warmer air
● Thunderheads can form when the moisture from the warm air cools and condenses
● As the front moves through an area, cool air is likely to follow it
Warm Fronts
● Forms when a moist warm air mass pushes up and over a cooler air mass
● Condenses into a wide area of clouds
● Brings gentle rain or snow followed by warmer weather
Stationary Fronts
● Forms when cold and warm air masses meet each other but neither has enough force to move on
● Can form clouds and fog at the point where cold and warm air meet
● Capable of bringing many days of clouds and precipitation
Occluded Fronts
● Forms when a warm air mass is caught between two cold air masses
● Causes the temperature to drop
● Capable of bringing strong winds and heavy precipitation
Hurricanes
● Hurricanes form in really warm water● In order to form a hurricane, the winds
must blow in the same direction● Hurricanes cannot form too close to the
equator● Hurricane seasons are from July 1st to
November 30th and May 15th to November 30th for the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
Tornadoes
● Most tornadoes are formed from thunderstorms
● A tornado needs to have moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and dry air from Canada
● Changes in wind direction and speed with an increase in height creates a spinning in the lower atmosphere known as a tornado
Sun's Energy
● The sun is the closest star to earth at 93 million miles away
● The sun's energy reaches earth as heat, ultraviolet light, and electromagnetic radiation
● Nearly all energy comes from the sun!
● Earth receives 1/2,000,000 of the Sun's energy
Weather MapsHigh pressure zone
Warm front
Low pressure zone
Isotherm
Stationary Front
Occluded Front
Cold Front
Heavy Snow
Fog
Thunderstorm with hail
Isotherm
● Isotherms are lines of equal temperature regions that are drawn in on weather maps
● Pictured on the map in green and red
● Isotherms are atmospheric pressure regions that are drawn into weather maps
● On the map in yellow
Isobar
Precipitation
● Precipitation is when there is enough condensed water in the air that it can group together and fall
● Precipitation always comes from clouds● Not all clouds always form precipitation● There are a few different kinds of
precipitation
● Rain ● Snow
● Sleet ● Hail
Clouds
● Clouds are large water droplets or ice crystals● Clouds are made when water vapor condenses● Four different types of clouds - Cumulus,
Stratus, and Cirrus○ Cumulus clouds are White and puffy or dark and grey○ Stratus clouds look like a huge grey blanket○ Cirrus clouds look like pieces of a cloud that was
pulled apart
Dew Point
● What is dew point?○ Dew point is the temperature when water in the air
turns into water and condenses● What causes frost?
○ Frost is caused when the temperature of the dew point falls below 0°C (32°F)
● Does this relate to humidity?○ Dew point is associated with relative humidity. The
higher the relative humidity is, the closer to the current air temperature the dew point is
Scientists and Images
● Scientists have many different ways of getting images
● Scientists can use satellites to get images of clouds and predict weather
● Scientists can use radars to get information about precipitation and weather
● Scientists can also look at past storms and weather patterns to predict what is going to happen
Meteorological Instruments
● Scientists use many different instruments to gather information about weather. These include○ Thermometers○ Barometers○ Psychrometers○ Rain Guages○ Anemometers○ Wind Vanes
Thermometers and Barometers
● Thermometers measure air temperature
● Most thermometers are glass tubes with alcohol or mercury
● Barometers measure air pressure
● A rising barometer means sunny and dry weather
● A falling barometer means stormy, wet weather
Psychrometers and Rain Gauges
● A Sling Psychrometer measures relative humidity by using evaporation
● A Psychrometer uses two different thermometers
● Rain gauges measure the amount of rain that has fallen over time
● Rain gauges are usually tubes that collect rainwater and have markings
Anemometers and Wind Vanes
● Anemometers measure wind speed
● Cups catch wind and turn a dial attached to the instrument
● The dial shows the wind speed
● Wind vanes determine the direction in which wind blows
● Wind vanes have a fin or some sorts that points with the wind showing wind direction
Contributions
Asad Connor
● Covection● Ocean Currents● Low Pressure● Hurricane● Tornados● Weather Map● Isotherm and Isobar● Clouds● How Scientists get
images● Formatting● Graphics
● Title● Table of Contents● Atmosphere● Wind Currents● High Pressure● Fronts● Sun and Sun's Energy● Types of Precipitation● Dew Point● Meteorological
Instruments● Graphics● Global Patterns of
Atmospheric movements