ULO F 8-9

• Atmosphere


  A layer or a set of layers of gases surrounding a planet or other material body that is held in place by the gravity of that body
• Atmosphere


  • More likely to be retained if the gravity it is subject to is high, and the temperature of the atmosphere is low
• Temperature


  A physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses hot and cold
• Temperature


  The manifestation of thermal energy present in all matter, which is the source of heat, a flow of energy when a body is in contact with another that is colder
• Temperature is measured with a thermometer
• Pressure


  The force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed
• Gauge pressure


  The pressure relative to the ambient pressure
• Various units are used to express pressure
• Greenhouse effect


  The process by which radiation from a planet's atmosphere warms the planet's surface to a temperature above what it would be without this atmosphere
• Radiatively active gases in a planet's atmosphere radiate energy in all directions
• Greenhouse gases


  A gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range
• Greenhouse gases cause the greenhouse effect on planets
• Primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere

  • water vapor
  • carbon dioxide
  • methane
  • nitrous oxide
  • ozone
• Climate Change


  A long-term shift in global or regional climate patterns. Often climate change refers specifically to the rise in global temperatures from the mid-20th century to present
• Weather


  The state of the atmosphere describing the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy
• Weather phenomena


  • Occur in the lowest level of the atmosphere, the troposphere, just below the stratosphere
• Climate


  The long-term average of weather typically averaged over 30 years
• Meteorological variables commonly measured

  • Temperature
  • Humidity
  • Atmospheric pressure
  • Wind
  • Precipitation
• Wastewater


  Any water that has been contaminated by human use, including domestic, industrial, commercial or agricultural activities, surface runoff or stormwater, and any sewer inflow or sewer infiltration
• Scarcity


  The limited availability of a commodity that may be in demand in the market or by the commons, also includes an individual's lack of resources to buy products
• Eutrophication


  When a body of water becomes overly enriched with minerals and nutrients, which induce excessive growth of algae
• Eutrophication


  May result in oxygen depletion of the water body
• Urban runoff


  The surface runoff of precipitation created by urbanization
• Urban runoff


  Is a significant source of flooding and water pollution in urban communities worldwide
• Impervious surfaces


  • Roads, parking lots, rooftops, and sidewalks, constructed during land development
• Sewage


  A type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people, characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical and toxic constituents, and bacteriologic status
• Environmental Law


  A collective term encompassing aspects of the law that protect the environment, also includes regulatory regimes focused on the management of specific natural resources, such as forests, minerals, or fisheries
• AIR, WEATHER, AND CLIMATE

  Atmosphere

  We live at the bottom of a layered ocean of air that extends upward about 500 km. All

  the weather we see is in the lowest 10–12 km, a continually moving layer known as the

  troposphere.
• Ceaseless flowing and swirling in the troposphere


  Redistribute heat and moisture from one part of the globe to another
• Weather


  Short-lived and local patterns of temperature and moisture
• Climate


  Long-term patterns of temperature and precipitation
• The Earth's earliest atmosphere probably consisted mainly of lightweight hydrogen and helium
• Over billions of years, most of that hydrogen and helium diffused into space
• Volcanic emissions added carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and other elements to the atmosphere
• Clean, dry air


  Mostly nitrogen and oxygen
• Water vapor concentrations


  Vary from near zero to 4 percent, depending on air temperature and available moisture
• Aerosols


  Minute particles and liquid droplets suspended in the air
• Atmospheric aerosols play important roles in the Earth's energy budget and in producing rain
• The atmosphere has four distinct zones of contrasting temperatures due to differences in the absorption of solar energy
• Troposphere


  • Layer of air immediately adjacent to the Earth's surface
  • Air circulates in great vertical and horizontal convection currents, constantly redistributing heat and moisture around the globe
  • Depth ranges from about 18 km over the equator to about 8 km over the poles
  • Contains about 75 percent of the total mass of the atmosphere
  • Air temperature drops rapidly with increasing altitude, reaching about -60°C at the top