Understanding Earth's Atmosphere: Composition, Evolution, and Cycles

1. Discussion 2 Wednesday 2/6 Quiz prep + lecture 4

2. Quiz Topics • Atmospheric composition • Atmospheric evolution – deep time, recent CO2, CH4, CFCs • Carbon and hydrological cycles • Aerosols • Air pressure – Torciello, changes with height, ideal gas law • Layers of the atmosphere • Temperature, heat transfer, radiation

3. Composition of the Earth’s Troposphere H2 PM O2 CH4 N2 CO N2O O3 ←SO2, NO2, CFC’s, etc Ar CO2 Inert gases

4. Fig. 1-4, p. 7

5. Fig. 1-7, p. 9

6. CarbonCycle Fig. 1-3, p. 6

7. HydrologicCycle Fig. 1-5, p. 8

8. HydrologicCycle Fig. 1-5, p. 8

9. Fig. 1-13, p. 15

10. Fig. 1-14, p. 17

13. ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM Fig. 2-7, p. 34

14. Insolation • Earth’s tilt & the seasons • Angle of incidence & solar zenith angle • Earth’s energy budget • Insolation and re-radiation • Latitudinal heat balance • The greenhouse effect

15. HEATING OF THE EARTH’S SURFACE DEPENDS ON THE AMOUNT OF SOLAR RADIATION PER UNIT AREA. SAME AMOUNT OF RADIATION IS DISTRIBUTED OVER A LARGER AREA IN A THAN IN B. RADIATION PER UNIT AREA IS LESS IN A THAN IN B. LESS HEATING IN A THAN IN B. Fig. 2-12, p. 42

18. Latitudinal Heat Balance

19. Simple Greenhouse Model But this doesn’t factor in the atmosphere! 254K vs 288K

20. Project 1 – Hurricane Sandy

21. Project 1 – Hurricane Sandy