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Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Hydrosphere
Biosphere
Which sphere of the earth is missing
in this picture? Why does the
monkey (and all living things) need
this sphere. What could happen to
bring this sphere to him?
Why is the sky blue?
•
The atmosphere is composed of many tiny particles (gas molecules,
dust, water droplets, etc.) with a lot of empty space in between. These
particles tend to scatter the light waves travelling through the
atmosphere, dispersing the light in all directions.
•
The amount of scattering is much higher for shorter wavelengths of
light (blue light) than for the longer wavelengths (red).
•
This is why the sky, which is lit by scattered light, is blue.
•
Note that when the sun or moon is on or near the horizon, they appear
orange or reddish in color. The dust in the atmosphere scatters the long
red wavelengths of light. (We are looking through more atmosphere
when we are looking towards the horizon than when we are looking
straight up, so we are looking through more dust particles.)
Atmospheric
Pressure
Auroras &
Space Shuttle
Meteors
Jet Planes &
Ozone
Weather
Average sea-level pressure is
101.325 kPa (1013.25 mbar)
Outer Space
Exosphere
Composition of dry atmosphere, by volume
Fact
most of the
atmosphere
(99.9997%) is
below 100 km
Gas
Volume
Nitrogen (N2)
Oxygen (O2)
Argon (Ar)
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Neon (Ne)
Helium (He)
Methane (CH4)
Krypton (Kr)
Hydrogen (H2)
(78.084%)
(20.946%)
(0.9340%)
(0.0383%)
(0.001818%)
(0.000524%)
(0.0001745%)
(0.000114%)
(0.000055%)
Not included in above dry atmosphere:
Water vapor (H2O)
~0.25% over full
atmosphere, typically 1% to 4% near surface
JOB #1 Key Atmospheric
Gases
• Create a powerpoint with:
– A title page slide: title, class, date, names
– One or two (no more) slides for each gas.
– In words an pictures illustrate what each gas is and how it
sustains/interacts with the biosphere.
– Submit your work by email.
1. Nitrogen
2. Oxygen
3. Carbon Dioxide
4. Ozone
5. Water Vapour
Total Value = 10 marks
Note to self: go to NASA powerpoint
Problem One Climate Change (Global Warming)
"In my view, climate change is the most severe problem
that we are facing today -- more serious even than the threat of
terrorism."
-David A. King, Chief Scientific Advisor to the British
Government
Problem Two Ozone Depletion (Hole in the Ozone)
The hole is huge. It covers 9.8 million square miles.
"That's very big," said Paul Newman, an atmospheric
physicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. That area
would just about cover the entire North American continent.
DNA
Problem Three
Acid Rain
Acid rain is one of the
most dangerous and widespread
forms of pollution. Sometimes
called "the unseen plague," acid
rain can go undetected in an
area for years.
Job #2 Explain and Solve the Problem

Create a powerpoint presentation for Climate Change.
–


Don’t forget a title page slide: title, class, date, names
How many slides per problem is up to you, but I suggest 6 - 10.
Focus on Human Activity. Pictures/Diagrams are crucial for full
marks. Try to ‘name drop’ the various spheres.
Use point form if possible.
1. Explain the causes of the problem (try to focus on human activity).
Explain the environmental effects of the problem (on any/all of the
spheres, but focus on human activity). Each problem must have a
picture.
3. Outline the solutions that must be done to solve/alleviate the problem.
Pictures are always great.
4. The last slide must be a list of all websites used.
5. You may be asked to present the powerpoint.
6. Speech = Problem 1, 2 & 3 = 10 marks/problem. Total = 10 marks
Give five examples of how Global
Warming is interaction of the
spheres.
The ‘radiation budget’ accounts for these energy flows. Is our budget balanced?
Global Warming: Interaction of Spheres
1. Humans Live - Biosphere
2. Humans mine oil and burn it & greenhouse gases such as CO2
enter atmosphere - Biosphere and Lithosphere
3. Greenhouse gases raise global temperatures and sea levels rise Atmosphere and Hydrosphere
4. Risings sea levels flood New York and they all die & some
become fossils - Hydrosphere, Lithosphere, biosphere
As a further illustration of the interrelationship among the Earth
systems, human activities can be shown to have an impact on the
atmosphere. Certain gases in the atmosphere trap heat. This
phenomenon is referred to as the greenhouse effect. Without the
thermal insulation of the natural greenhouse effect, Earth would be
covered by ice, and life as we know it would not exist. The fairly
large input of carbon dioxide (CO2) from human activities can
significantly affect the amount of heat trapped in the atmosphere. The
following things can cause carbon dioxide levels to rise:
1. Burning of wood and fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas)
2. Decrease in photosynthesis as a result of:
1. Cutting trees for development (deforestation)
2. Burning tropical rainforests to clear land for agriculture
3. Wild fires (which may be set on purpose or accidentally by
humans, as well as by lightning)
4. Sewage and pollution, killing photosynthetic algae and
single-celled organisms in the oceans