I'm very familiar with some aspects of Atmospheric Science, the various layers, what is in and not in each layer, and how these layers cycle matter, but I'm still fuzzy on the effects of the sun's energy on these layers. I have a good understanding of the greenhouse effect, where the sun's energy is trap in side the system keeping the plant warm enough to sustain life, but what happens as the sun's light energy passes though on its way down to the earth's surface. For that mater, what happens to these life-sustaining gases as they make their way into upper reaches of the thermosphere?
To answer my question, I turned to a simple book in the Earth Works Series by Roy A. Gallant, "Atmosphere: Sea of Air." It is a slim and simple book aimed at middle school children. What I like about the Earth Works Series is that their titles get at the heart of the material quickly with just enough depth to make you feel like you're learning something. I also picked out an adult title, "An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere," by Gabrielle Walker. Where I burned though Gallant's book, Walker's will likely take more time to digest. However, Gallant's book pointed me down the right path.
On page 10 of "Atmosphere: Sea of Air," there is an excellent diagram illustrating how the sun's rays breakdown methane (CH4) into carbon 1(C) and hydrogen 4(H); carbon monoxide (CO) into carbon 1(C) and oxygen 1(O); carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon 1(C) and oxygen 2(O); and Ammonia (NH3) into nitrogen 1(N) and 3(H). After studying the illustration, I was left wondering several things: 1) how long does the breaking down of these gases take; 2) how much of each exist in each layer; 3) which layer does the break down occur; and 4) which gases are make it possible for life. I know it is a lot to ask of a book aimed at middle school children. However, there are several fun details, for example:
By around 600 million years ago, the slow build up of oxygen had reached today's level of about 21 percent. The remaining 78 percent of the air is practically all nitrogen, with one percent made up mostly of argon with traces of carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, and many other gases. (p. 11)
However, many of my questions were not answered in Gallant's short but informational book.
Still, after studying the section titled "The Sky is the Limit," I was able to produce a few sketches that I will try to translate into whiteboard diagrams for my Environmental Science students this term that summarize some of the interactions in the earth's four atmospheric layers. I'm not so good at computer drawing, so I will simply list the content that I will include in my cave-like pictograms:
Troposphere
To answer my question, I turned to a simple book in the Earth Works Series by Roy A. Gallant, "Atmosphere: Sea of Air." It is a slim and simple book aimed at middle school children. What I like about the Earth Works Series is that their titles get at the heart of the material quickly with just enough depth to make you feel like you're learning something. I also picked out an adult title, "An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere," by Gabrielle Walker. Where I burned though Gallant's book, Walker's will likely take more time to digest. However, Gallant's book pointed me down the right path.
On page 10 of "Atmosphere: Sea of Air," there is an excellent diagram illustrating how the sun's rays breakdown methane (CH4) into carbon 1(C) and hydrogen 4(H); carbon monoxide (CO) into carbon 1(C) and oxygen 1(O); carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon 1(C) and oxygen 2(O); and Ammonia (NH3) into nitrogen 1(N) and 3(H). After studying the illustration, I was left wondering several things: 1) how long does the breaking down of these gases take; 2) how much of each exist in each layer; 3) which layer does the break down occur; and 4) which gases are make it possible for life. I know it is a lot to ask of a book aimed at middle school children. However, there are several fun details, for example:
By around 600 million years ago, the slow build up of oxygen had reached today's level of about 21 percent. The remaining 78 percent of the air is practically all nitrogen, with one percent made up mostly of argon with traces of carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, and many other gases. (p. 11)
However, many of my questions were not answered in Gallant's short but informational book.
Still, after studying the section titled "The Sky is the Limit," I was able to produce a few sketches that I will try to translate into whiteboard diagrams for my Environmental Science students this term that summarize some of the interactions in the earth's four atmospheric layers. I'm not so good at computer drawing, so I will simply list the content that I will include in my cave-like pictograms:
Troposphere
- 5 to 10 miles thick
- 99% of Earth's Air
- 14.7 psi
- Water vapor hangs low in this layer
- In summer, the temperatures can rage can between 95 F at the Earth's surface and – 70 F at the top
- Wind current
- 30 miles thick
- 30 F
- The Jet Stream travels up to 300 mph
- O3 or ozone exists here
- UV radiation is reflected back into space
- 20 miles thick
- 30 F at bottom of layer
- - 130 F at top of layer
- No Sound
- No Blue Color
- Molecules each have about an inch of space between them, which hinders the transfer of heat energy
- 260 – 900 miles thick, no one really knows
- -130 F at bottom of layer
- 2,000 F at top of layer, temperature = the speed at which gas molecules travel
- Molecules are 2,000 miles apart
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