Atmosphere

• fluxes into the atmosphere


  lithosphere -> eruption of gases

  hydrosphere -> diffusion (evap)

  biosphere-> respiration
• Fluxes out of Atmosphere


  hydrosphere-> diffusion

  biosphere-> photosynthesis
• stores in the atmosphere


  mostly CO2

  some as methane (CH4)
• duration of carbon in the atmosphere

  varies- seconds to few hundred years

  though very much shorter than lithosphere
• fluctuation of carbon in the atmosphere


  rises at night with respiration

  drops during day with increased photosynthesis

  and great fluctuations during summer
• Keeling Curve


  graph to show the measurement of atmospheric carbon

  measured daily
• natural greenhouse effect


  without greenhouse gases the average temperature, -6 compared to average 15
• CO2 vs CH4


  CO2:

  lasts longer (300-1000 vs 12-120)

  is more (8xmore co2)

  CH4:

  in two years traps 80x more heat
• Carbon-14 dating


  Process of estimating age of once living material by measuring the amount of radioactive isotope of carbon present in material.
• Short wave vs long wave radiation


  short- more energy, arrives first (blue)

  long- less energy, reflected by earth (red)
• what % of short wave light gets to the earths surface?

  50%- then reflected and can no longer leave the atmosphere